HUD SOUTHEAST REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR ED JENNINGS JR., NAMES ELAINE SPENCER AS HUD'S JACKSONVILLE, FL, FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR

ATLANTA, GA - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Southeast Regional Administrator Ed Jennings, Jr., today announced the selection of Elaine Dianne Spencer to serve as HUD Field Office Director for Jacksonville, including
36 counties in North Florida, beginning November 12, 2010.

As the field office director, Spencer will serve as HUD's liaison to mayors, city managers, elected representatives, state and local officials, congressional delegations, nonprofit groups, private entities, faith based groups, other stakeholders and individual Americans. She will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of HUD programs and services to communities and individuals, as well as evaluating their efficiency and effectiveness.

"Elaine knows North Florida and is the ideal person to help us nurture partnerships that will enhance the delivery of services and programs to the communities that rely on them," said Jennings. "Her economic / community
development and public housing experiences will be great assets to us as we assist communities during these challenging economic times. As a native of this area, I am excited to access her talents in a new dimension to
address HUD’s mission in one of our most challenging housing markets in the country."

"I am honored to be asked to serve as the Jacksonville Field Office Director" Spencer said. "I look forward to working with Regional Administrator Ed Jennings Jr., and Deputy Regional Administrator Karen Jackson-Sims in the regional office, with the other field office directors, with my local colleagues, and with the HUD stakeholders to advance the HUD mission. I am particularly excited to serve in this capacity in the Florida communities that I know and love."

Most recently, Spencer served as one of 20 community and faith based organizations coordinator for the
Department. In that capacity, she was responsible for training hundreds of nonprofit organizations, facilitating capacity building and providing technical assistance to community organizations across the country, traveling to
every state in the Southeast including Puerto Rico, and to Nevada, New York, Illinois, and many other states where her expertise has been very well received. She also addressed diverse constituent concerns and needs by providing resource referrals and problem-solving assistance to organizations, municipalities, businesses, associations, and individuals.

Elaine has over 30 years of proactive, results-oriented experiences in all of HUD programs, with a proven ability to foster and maintain key relationships for community collaborations. A University of North Florida graduate, Spencer earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and continued her post graduate work at Xavier University of Ohio earning a
Masters of Education. Elaine resides in Jacksonville with husband Charles.

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