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“Secretary Castro is on the front lines of the nation’s efforts to rebuild its economy by providing affordable housing and safe, sustainable neighborhoods,” 2015 C.A.R. President Chris Kutzkey said. “He adds a critical viewpoint to the summit’s search for solutions to California’s housing and economic challenges.”
Castro’s remarks will be the centerpiece of a variety of viewpoints offered by dozens of influential policymakers, business leaders, and top real estate economists from each partner institution, including the UC Berkeley Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics, UC Irvine Center for Real Estate, UCLA Anderson Forecast, UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate, USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, and Stanford Professionals in Real Estate.
Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio, was sworn in as HUD’s 16th secretary on July 28, 2014. He oversees 8,000 employees and a budget of $46 billion to achieve the department’s mission of expanding opportunities for all Americans. As secretary, he has focused on ensuring that HUD is a transparent, efficient, and effective champion for the people it serves.
Castro, who graduated from Stanford before earning a J.D. from Harvard, became known as a national leader in urban development during his tenure as San Antonio mayor. He led the implementation of the city’s “Decade of Downtown” initiative, which sparked investment in the center city and older neighborhoods. This effort has attracted $350 million in private sector investment and will produce more than 2,400 housing units by the end of 2014. In March 2010, Castro was named to the World Economic Forum’s list of Young Global Leaders. Later that year, Time magazine placed him on its “40 under 40” list of rising stars in American politics.
“We have a California-educated leader who, in a very short period of time, has made a significant impact on the communities he’s served,” Kutzkey added. “His ability to find creative solutions to our industry’s most vexing problems will serve as inspiration to summit participants as they address our own state’s challenges.”
The summit takes place 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. PST at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, Calif. For more information, visit: http://centerforcaliforniarealestate.org/events/summit.html
Leading the way® in California real estate for more than 100 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States with nearly 165,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.
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