Secretary Kennealy Announces Jennifer Maddox as Undersecretary of Department of Housing and Community Development
BOSTON –Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy announced that current Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Maddox has been appointed Undersecretary, effective February 24, 2020. Maddox has been serving as Acting Undersecretary since Janelle Chan resigned from the role earlier this month.
“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Undersecretary Jennifer Maddox, whose dedication over the last twenty years to the Department of Housing and Community Development is unparalleled and previously earned her recognition for excellence in public service,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy. “With Undersecretary Maddox leading the nearly 300 committed professionals at DHCD, I am confident that the department will continue to produce exceptional and innovative programming, expand affordable housing access, and provide households and municipalities with the resources they need to thrive.”
The Department of Housing and Community Development oversees a diverse portfolio of programming, including affordable housing development, rental assistance programs, the Emergency Assistance Program for eligible homeless families, funding for more than 240 state-aided local housing authorities, and provides tools and funding for municipalities and planning agencies across the state.
“I am honored to be appointed as Undersecretary of the Department of Housing and Community Development,” said Undersecretary Jennifer Maddox. “I have had the privilege of serving this department for 20 years, and am humbled by the opportunity to lead an amazing staff and continue our work to support our most vulnerable households. DHCD provides important services to thousands of families, funds the creation of new affordable housing, and works with partners to preserve our existing housing assets, and I am committed to advancing this important work.”
The Baker-Polito Administration has shown a deep commitment to increasing the production of housing across income levels. Since 2015, the administration has invested more than $1 billion in affordable housing, resulting in the production and preservation of more than 18,000 housing units, including 16,000 affordable units. In 2018, Governor Baker signed the largest housing bond bill in Massachusetts history, committing more than $1.8 billion to the future of affordable housing production and preservation, which included more than $600 million to address capital needs in our state-aided public housing portfolio. DHCD works closely with quasi-public agencies, including MassHousing, MHP, and CEDAC, to preserve existing affordable housing and secure long-term affordability extensions. The administration has also advanced the development of more than 14,000 mixed-income housing units through the successful MassWorks Infrastructure Program, reformed the Housing Development Incentive Program, and worked with communities to implement smart-growth development and planning efforts.
About Jennifer Maddox:
Jennifer Maddox is the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer for the Department of Housing and Community Development, a $1.3 billion agency that provides leadership, professional assistance and financial resources to promote safe, decent affordable housing opportunities, economic vitality of communities, and services and shelter to homeless populations.
Ms. Maddox has been with DHCD for over 20 years and has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the restructuring of fiscal operations within the Department and was instrumental during the integration of the Emergency Assistance shelter system from the Department of Transitional Assistance to DHCD, which doubled DHCD’s operating budget. In 2015, Ms. Maddox received the Manual Carballo Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Service for fiscal consolidation at the Department to meet agency-wide operational demands.
Previously, Ms. Maddox was the Assistant Budget Director for the MA House Ways & Means Committee where she prepared recommendations for the state budget, emergency and capital relief legislation, analyzed budget proposals and policy issues. She is a graduate of La Salle University in Philadelphia.