VALERIE Santos became the first Filipino American to be appointed as Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development in Washington DC.
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty appointed the 36-year-old Fil-Am to the position in June.
A former senior staffer under former DC deputy mayor Neil Albert, Santos will be responsible for implementing Mayor Fenty’s economic development vision and managing a development pipeline worth more than $13 billion comprised of public-private housing, retail, office and parks projects throughout the District, according to the District of Columbia website.
"I think it’s a great sign for the D.C. government that not only does Valerie Santos have amazing experience in the private sector but that she’s been hard at work serving the people of the District of Columbia for the last two years," the mayor said to the Washington Business Journal.
Santos was born and raised in San Francisco. Her father is originally from Zamboanga and mother is from Bulacan, Philippines, respectively.
Prior to becoming deputy mayor, Santos served as the Planning and Economic Development Office’s Chief Operating Officer.
She also previously served as vice president at commercial real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle and a manager with Ernst & Young’s real estate group. She specialized in urban public-private development.
She graduated from Santa Clara University before earning a MBA and master’s of public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development is the District’s lead agency in coordinating the District’s policies and initiatives with respect to affordable housing, business attraction and retention, workforce and economic development.
As Deputy Mayor, Santos is responsible for overseeing a cluster of agencies that include the Department of Small and Local Business Development, the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Office of Planning, the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking, and the Commission of Arts and Humanities, according to the District of Columbia website.
( Published on September 23, 2009 in Asian Journal Los Angeles p. B2 )
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