ROSANNA MARQUEZ APPOINTED AS SECRETARY CUOMO'S REPRESENTATIVE FOR MIDWEST REGION, BASED IN CHICAGO

WASHINGTON - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo today announced the appointment of Rosanna Marquez as Secretary's Representative for the Midwest Region, based in Chicago. She replaces Edwin Eisendrath.

As the Secretary's Representative, Marquez oversees HUD programs and services for Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota. She is charged with evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of HUD programs and providing customer-oriented service. Marquez is one of 10 Secretary's Representatives around the nation.

"Rosanna Marquez brings a wealth of experience and dynamic leadership skills to the position of Secretary's Representative for the Midwest," Cuomo said. "In this position, she will assure that HUD works as an active partner with local government, the private sector, and non-profit groups to tackle the many challenges facing the region."

"I am very grateful to Secretary Cuomo and President Clinton for giving me the opportunity to serve the people of this six-state region," Marquez said. "These are very exciting times for our Department, with many challenges ahead. I will work to deliver on the Secretary's efforts to make HUD a results-driven agency that works proactively with state and local governments, community groups, the real estate industry and others."

Marquez is a native Chicagoan. She most recently worked as a Cabinet-level senior advisor to Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. In that capacity, she spearheaded several initiatives, including efforts that lead to Chicago's designation by the Clinton Administration as one of six federal Empowerment Zones. She also served for the last three years as Mayor Daley's representative on the five-member Executive Committee for the troubled Chicago Housing Authority, which was placed under HUD control in 1995.

Before joining the Daley Administration, Marquez was a litigator with the law firm of Mayor, Brown & Platt in Chicago. She is also actively involved in civic matters, currently serving as President of the Board of Leadership Greater Chicago and on the Advisory Boards of several other educational and urban institutions.

Marquez lives in Chicago. She is a graduate with honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and of the Harvard Law School.