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CPD Leadership Biographies

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MARION MOLLEGEN MCFADDEN, PRINCIPAL DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY [ ^ Top ]

Marion Mollegen McFadden serves as HUD’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development (PDAS for CPD), managing an annual budget of more than $10 billion and staff of 900 people. In this role she oversees the administration of federal financial assistance to assist communities in ending homelessness, creating and preserving housing affordable to people of modest means, strengthening local economies, and recovering from and mitigating disasters.

Before joining the Biden-Harris Administration in the summer of 2022, PDAS McFadden served as Senior Vice President for Public Policy and Senior Advisor for Resilience at Enterprise Community Partners. She led affordable housing policy development, research and advocacy at the federal, state, and local levels. She led nationwide work to create healthy, green affordable housing and to support resilience planning and programs in communities impacted by flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, and extreme heat. Additionally, she served as the Executive Sponsor for Enterprise’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council, quadrupling the number of dedicated DEI staff and contractors, planning an organizational equity assessment, and supporting the formation of seven employee resource groups.

Previously, PDAS McFadden served CPD’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grant Programs, where she oversaw affordable housing and community development programs, including the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, the Housing Trust Fund, the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) and CDBG Disaster Recovery funds. In this role, she formed and facilitated multiple public-private partnerships, including the award-winning Rebuild by Design initiative and the National Disaster Resilience Competition. Earlier in her career she served as Chief Operating Officer and Acting Executive Director of the federal Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force and as program counsel for CPD and Native American programs. PDAS McFadden holds a JD magna cum laude from Howard University and a BA from Northwestern University.

CLAUDETTE FERNANDEZ, GENERAL DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY  [ ^ Top ]

Claudette Fernandez is the new General Deputy Assistant Secretary for HUD’s Office of Community Planning & Development (CPD). She brings over 20 years of diverse local and federal experience in strategic leadership, policy development, stakeholder engagement, and program delivery.

Most recently, Claudette served as Program Equity Director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of the Secretary where she led and supported the establishment of USDA’s first Equity Commission and various equity-related plans and policies to implement equity, environmental justice, civil rights, and tribal relations in over 20 agencies and their respective programs. Claudette also served as Chief Operating Officer for the U.S. Forest Service where she led 25 Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers and oversaw the largest business operations for USDA. Prior to that, Claudette served as Director for CPD’s Office of Block Grant Assistance (OBGA) and held several program leadership roles at USDA Rural Development and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Preparedness and Mitigation. Her local government experiences with South Georgia Regional Development Center and Maryland’s Prince George’s County Department of Housing & Community Development remain a centering force that has focused her career on creating economic opportunity for those most in need.

Claudette earned her Master of Public Administration and Bachelor of Art in Political Science, magna cum laude, from Valdosta State University and her Master of Engineering Science in Emergency Management from George Washington University. Born in Manila, Philippines, Claudette lives in Port Tobacco, Maryland with her husband and three children.

DARRELL A. CLARK, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR OPERATIONS [ ^ Top ]

As Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations, Darrell A. Clark provides operational support to all program offices in the Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD) for hiring and recruiting, consultative services, human capital programs, systems and technology, labor relations, facilities, budget, and continuous process improvement. Additionally, Mr. Clark provides oversight of CPD field operations, as well as CPD's technical assistance program and audit resolution and closeout functions.

Mr. Clark began his CPD career in February 2019 as the Director for the Office of Technical Assistance and Management, and next as the Associate DAS for Operations. He brings 19 years of operations management, human capital, strategic planning, and leadership experience. His prior HUD experience includes working for the Office of Public and Indian Housing, Office of Housing/FHA, Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer, and the Office of Administration. He has a Master's and Bachelor's Degree from Bowie State University in Bowie, MD and is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

ROBIN KEEGAN, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT  [ ^ Top ]

Robin Keegan is a sought-after policy thought leader and practitioner committed to transforming communities through proven strategies in resilience and economic equity. As the former Executive Director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority and Office of Community Development, and founder of Spring Industries, LLC, Robin is skilled in solving intractable problems through tactical knowledge of federal, state, and local policies and funding to create innovative and transformative strategies to rebuild and strengthen communities. Robin's work is rooted in the fact that equitable and inclusive communities provide the strongest outcomes.

Robin has a history of designing successful strategies for multiple multi-billion-dollar responses to natural and human-caused disasters for communities for the states of Louisiana, New York, California and the United States Virgin Islands and other communities across the country. This includes more than $500 million in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding in economic development programs that helped small main street businesses, fishers, and farmers rebuild and grow as well as plans to strengthen major industry sectors. Robin has overseen strategic economic planning efforts including lead planner and author of ProsperityNOLA , the first comprehensive economic development strategy for the City of New Orleans. Robin has designed innovative strategies to support small businesses throughout urban and rural communities. Most recently, Robin supported multiple counties across the country to increase economic security through the CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund.

Robin has actively trained the next generation of community real estate developers and disaster resilience experts through a dual position as Adjunct Lecturer in Tulane University's Master of Sustainable Real Estate Program housed in the School of Architecture and Senior Fellow in the School of Social Workers Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy.

JEMINE A. BRYON, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR SPECIAL NEEDS  [ ^ Top ]

Ms. Jemine A. Bryon was appointed as CPD's Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Needs in August, 2017. In that position, she oversees administration of the Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAPS) and the HIV/AIDS Housing program. Through SNAPS, $2.6 billion is awarded annually to serve vulnerable individuals and families who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness through a wide variety of service and housing interventions. The HIV/AIDS Housing program awards over $410 million annually to enable communities to continue efforts to prevent homelessness and provide supportive housing for low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS. Prior to joining CPD, Ms. Bryon served as the General Deputy Assistant Secretary (GDAS) for the Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) from May 2014 until August 2017. Before PIH, Ms. Bryon served as Senior Advisor to HUD's Acting Deputy Secretary between January 2014 to May 2015. Upon joining HUD in August 2009, Ms. Bryon was appointed as HUD's Chief Procurement Officer/Senior Procurement Executive in managing over $2.1 billion in contract actions annually. Ms. Bryon brought 20 years of experience to the Department in the areas of public housing planning, management, development, resident services, and procurement. Prior to her appointment at HUD, Ms. Bryon served as the Deputy Executive Director at the Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC). While there she was responsible for the agency's $300 million budget and 900 employees. In addition she managed the overall operations which included modernization of over 14,000 housing units within public and mixed finance developments, as well as administration of tenant and project based Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers for over 12,000 households.

Before serving as the Deputy Executive Director at HABC, Ms. Bryon served as the Assistant Executive Director, Real Estate Development at the Philadelphia Housing Authority. In this role, she was responsible for the overall management of $700 million in capital and mixed finance affordable housing development to provide rental and homeownership opportunities to 75,000 public housing and Housing Choice Voucher Program residents. Ms. Bryon has also served as the Assistant Commissioner/Agency Chief Contracting Officer, Director of Operations, and Deputy Director at the New York City Department of Housing and Preservation and Development. Ms. Bryon holds a Juris Doctorate Degree from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Music/Education from Syracuse University.

Content current as of January 26, 2023.