The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) has appointed 11 new members to its Housing Counseling Federal Advisory Committee. The Committee serves a critical advisory role to HUD by helping shape the direction of its Housing Counseling Program and providing guidance on how to better serve prospective buyers, homeowners, and renters with their housing needs. Members represent professionals from the mortgage and real estate industry, HUD-approved housing counseling agencies, and consumers.
The following new Committee members will serve three-year terms and begin their service in January 2025:
- Tamara Gifford, Director, Community and External Relations for Onity Group
- Leigh Lester, Founder and Executive Director of the Ubuntu Institute of Learning
- Helene Raynaud, SVP of Housing Initiatives for Money Management International
- Elizabeth Karwowski Sdoucos, CEO and Chief Customer Officer for CredEvolv
- Hanna Tester, Homeownership Director for Neighborworks Montana
- Carol Ventura, CEO and Executive Director for the Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation
- David Young, Director of Capacity Building for Housing Action Illinois
These newly appointed members are joined by the following Committee members who have been re-appointed for additional three-year terms:
- Lawrence Batiste, Branch Manager and Real Estate Broker with the NID Atlanta Metro Regional Office
- Carol Ann Dujanovich, SVP and Director of the Reverse Mortgage Division, University Bank
- Angie Liou, Executive Director for the Asian Community Development Corporation
- Paul Yorkis, President of Patriot Real Estate Inc.
Sherri Eckles, who was appointed last year and serves as SVP of the Renovation and Construction Lending Programs at Norcom Mortgage, will also continue to serve on the Committee.
“We are pleased to announce our new Housing Counseling Federal Advisory Committee members, a diverse group of industry leaders dedicated to addressing the nation’s pressing housing challenges,” said Assistant Secretary of Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner Julia R. Gordon. “Their expertise will help guide our collective efforts, ensuring housing counseling is available, accessible, and tailored to meet as many people as possible.”
HUD established the Housing Counseling Federal Advisory Committee in April 2015 to advise HUD’s Office of Housing Counseling on how to carry out its mission. The Committee provides a forum for those involved in housing counseling to offer advice directly to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing Counseling on ways to accomplish the objectives of HUD’s Office of Housing Counseling. All Committee meetings are open to the public.
“We are excited to collaborate with the Committee to drive our mission forward and provide consumers with vital resources to secure, uphold, and preserve their homes,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary of Housing Counseling David Berenbaum. “We’d also like to express our appreciation to the departing members for sharing their expertise to foster the impact of housing counseling providers nationwide.”
