President Obama to Nominate Ron Sims for Role of Deputy Secretary of HUD

Washington, D.C.–President Barack Obama plans to nominate Ron Sims, county executive of King County, Wash., to become the deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). As the deputy secretary, Sims will be charged with managing HUD’s day-to-day operations, a nearly $39 billion annual operating budget and the agency’s 8,500 employees.“Sims’ track record as an innovative leader with an exciting vision for the future of our nation’s communities make him the perfect deputy secretary candidate as we tackle the nation’s housing crisis amidst the biggest economic downturn in decades,” says HUD Secretary, Shaun Donovan. “His experience at the helm of a large urban government provides a critical perspective and his collaborative approach to problem-solving has prepared him to effectively lead HUD’s operations as the agency charts a new aggressive course.”Elected to a third term, King County executive Sims oversees the 13th most populous county in the nation, a metropolitan area with 1.8 million residents and 39 cities including the cities of Seattle, Bellevue and Redmond.“Together, we will work with President Obama to ensure HUD is doing all it can to help the nation’s communities recover from today’s economic realities and to better position them for the future,” says Donovan.Sims’ nomination requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate.