Edward "Ed" Jennings, Jr. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Region IV Regional Administrator

Prior to accepting the appointment as the HUD Southeast Regional Administrator, Jennings service in the Florida House garnered several awards including being named one of Florida Trend Magazine's Top Seven Freshman in the Legislature, and Affordable Housing Advocate of the Year.

Throughout his legislative career, he served on various committees including the Vice Chair of Community Colleges and Workforce Development; Commerce Council; Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Committee; and the Insurance Committee.

During his House tenure, he served as a Fannie Mae Fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government in the Senior Executives and State/Local Elected Officials Program. He was elected by his peers to be the Chair of the Florida Conference of Black State Legislators and a member of the Board of Directors for the National Conference of Black State Legislators.

Jennings founded his real estate development firm in 1997 which became an economic vehicle for revitalizing East Gainesville. His professional experience includes development, construction, acquisition, and property management of varied property types. They include: low income housing tax credit housing, single family modular housing, transitional housing, mixed use property, and commercial/retail space.

As a business leader seeking to make a significant impact in his community, Jennings served on the boards of the: Alachua County Public Schools' Foundation, Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, Builder's Association of North Central Florida, African American Accountability Alliance, and the United Way. He has garnered numerous civic and professional honors for his community and legislative contributions.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Spanish from the University of Florida. During his tenure at the University of Florida, he also served as President of Florida's most prestigious leadership honorary, Florida Blue Key.

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