Former Deputy Secretary of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Pamela Hughes Patenaude Joins IEM as Senior Community Liaison
Experienced Housing and Public Policy Expert Joins Tech-Enabled Global Consulting Firm as Senior Advisor
RESEARCH TRIANGLE, NC, March 12, 2019 – Today, IEM—a tech-enabled global homeland security and disaster management consulting firm—announced the addition of Pamela Hughes Patenaude as Senior Community Liaison, where she will serve as a senior advisor for the company’s housing and disaster recovery projects. Patenaude is a housing executive and public policy expert with over 35 years of experience serving in government and non-profit management, including at the executive management level. Most recently, Patenaude served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), where she managed the day-to-day operations of the cabinet-level agency, including oversight of the Department’s $52 billion budget and 7,000 employees nationwide. Patenaude also served as chair of HUD’s Disaster Management Group, overseeing $37 billion in disaster recovery funding.
As IEM’s Senior Community Liaison, Patenaude will provide housing policy and long-term disaster recovery expertise to help execute IEM’s disaster recovery housing projects quickly and efficiently. In her new role, she will work with client stakeholders, elected representatives, state agency officials, and disaster survivors to help IEM better incorporate their varied needs into effective housing solutions.
“As disasters and emergencies evolve, our response and recovery to these events must evolve as well. We know that a one-size-fits-all solution does not work and that collaborative relationships must be forged to ensure that no one is left behind,” said Madhu Beriwal, President and CEO of IEM. “Pam has the diverse and well-rounded expertise to help us craft recovery and housing solutions that work best for each individual community. This, paired with her intimate understanding of the complex policies that guide our work, will help communities rebuild safer and stronger.”
“I’m delighted to be joining IEM as Senior Community Liaison,” said Patenaude. “I look forward to serving in this important advisory capacity role and to help facilitate long-term recovery efforts across the nation, including communities still recovering from recent disasters in Puerto Rico, North Carolina, and Texas.”
Patenaude has served in roles across the private, public, and non-profit sectors, and frequently acted as a liaison between these stakeholders. Previously, Patenaude served as HUD Assistant Secretary for the Office of Community Planning and Development, where she managed $8 billion in housing and community development programs and $17 billion in long-term disaster recovery funding for the rebuilding efforts along the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina. During her service she regularly communicated and interacted with Members of Congress, governors, mayors, local elected officials, housing and community development practitioners, and industry representatives.
Prior to her service at HUD, Patenaude co-founded and served as the President of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation for Housing America’s Families, a national education and research non-profit that contributes to federal housing policy by addressing the nation’s critical affordable housing challenges. Other positions previously held by Patenaude include Director of Housing Policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center and Executive Vice President/Executive Director for the Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing at the Urban Land Institute. Earlier in her career, she served as Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Field Policy and Management at HUD, overseeing HUD’s 80 field offices.
Patenaude began her career in housing at the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority. She holds a master’s of science in Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University and a bachelor’s of science from Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire.
For more than 34 years, IEM has helped governments recover from the worst disasters in U.S. history, including support for every major post-disaster long-term housing mission in recent history. This includes support for survivors in Louisiana and Mississippi after Katrina; Texas after Rita/Ike/Dolly/Harvey; the State of New York, New York City and New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy; Florida after Hurricane Irma; and North Carolina after Hurricane Matthew.
