Julia Gordon Confirmed as FHA Commissioner
The position had been vacant since the resignation of Dana Wade in March 2021.
Photo by Sam Bowman via Flickr
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Julia Gordon as commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration and assistant secretary of housing at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Vice President Kamala Harris cast the deciding vote to break a 50-50 tie.
The position of FHA commissioner has been vacant since the resignation of Dana Wade in March 2021. President Joseph Biden nominated Gordon to head the FHA in June 2021.
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Congress created the FHA in 1934 and the organization became part of HUD’s Office of Housing in 1965. The FHA provides mortgage insurance on loans made by approved lenders on single-family homes, multifamily properties, residential care facilities and hospitals.
Deep Experience
Gordon has more than 20 years of experience in housing and finance issues and policy. She recently served as president of the National Community Stabilization Trust, a nonprofit organization that collaborates with local partners and national stakeholders to return distressed properties to productive re-use.
Gordon was a part of the Biden-Harris Transition Team, serving as a member of the group that reviewed HUD and the Federal Housing Finance Agency for the incoming administration. Prior to that, she was senior director of housing & consumer finance for the Center for American Progress, an independent nonpartisan educational institute. She was also the single-family policy manager for the FHFA’s Office of Housing and Regulatory Policy and senior policy counsel for the Center for Responsible Lending.
The National Housing Conference noted that Gordon’s leadership of the National Community Stabilization Trust has provided her with a nuanced understanding of local housing markets and how they function.
“Julia Gordon brings deep experience to address the significant challenges that face FHA. If we are going to succeed in closing the racial homeownership gap, FHA must be in the forefront,” David Dworkin, president & CEO of the NHC, said in a statement.
The Mortgage Bankers Association was looking forward to working with Gordon to ensure the FHA can provide provides more opportunities for affordable housing for the nation’s homeowners and renters.
“Her knowledge and experience in housing policy and community development will serve her well as she leads FHA’s mission to support homeownership opportunities for low- and moderate-income and minority borrowers in underserved communities, as well as increasing affordable rental housing,” Bob Broeksmit, president & CEO of the MBA, said in a statement.
