Brian D Montgomery

Education and career

Montgomery is a graduate of the University of Houston and received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He is an initiate of the Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity's University of Texas - Austin chapter. He currently serves on the international Board of Directors for TKE.

From January 2001 until January 2003, Montgomery served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Advance, and from January 2003 to April 2005, he served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary. While serving in the White House, Montgomery contributed to the policy process on a wide range of issues including the Administration's efforts to boost homeownership, increase access to affordable housing, and to reform both the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act and the government sponsored enterprises.

Following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in February 2003, Montgomery headed up a White House working group to monitor all facets of the accident investigation. This ultimately led to the process that developed the President's vision for space exploration. For this effort, Montgomery was awarded the NASA Exceptional Service Medal in June 2004.

Federal Housing Commissioner

One of Montgomery's primary initiatives since becoming Federal Housing Commissioner has been the creation and promotion of a bill designed to modernize the Federal Housing Administration. The Modernization Bill, which passed the House of Representatives in July 2006, is primarily focused on increasing borrower flexibility through both policy and programmatic changes. Included among them are increased loan limits, updated down payment assistance options, and a risk-based premium structure. The goal of the Modernization Bill was to provide low and moderate-income borrowers a safe homeownership option at a fair price.

Another one of Montgomery's priorities while at the Department of Housing and Urban Development was the preservation of affordable multifamily rental housing, achieved primarily through mortgage insurance as well as flexible refinancing options.

Montgomery's time at the Department of Housing and Urban Development has also been marked by extensive work with Hurricane Katrina disaster victims. He chaired the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Hurricane Recovery and Response Center at Headquarters and helped coordinate and secure temporary and long-term housing for displaced persons.

During Montgomery's tenure as Federal Housing Commissioner, the Department of Housing and Urban Development also launched a campaign meant to educate African-Americans looking to buy their first homes. He was interviewed by National Public Radio on the subject.

Montgomery WAS the 2008 recipient of the Robert J. Corletta Award for Achievement in Affordable Housing. The Corletta Award, presented annually by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the Neighborhood Development Collaborative (NDC), pays tribute to individuals who have shown extraordinary creativity and dedication to the cause of affordable housing.

Acting Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

When Steve Preston, the fourteenth United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, left office on January 20, 2009, with the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States, Montgomery assumed the acting position of secretary until Obama appointee Shaun Donovan was confirmed by the United States Senate on January 22; he was sworn in on January 26.