US Senate confirms Fil-Am as 2nd top housing official

Obama HUD nominee Nani Coloretti. US TREASURY PHOTO

SAN FRANCISCO – Hawaii-born Nani Coloretti is now the highest ranking Filipino-American and the fourth female deputy secretary in the Obama administration.

The US Senate confirmed 68-28 on Tuesday, December 2 Coloretti’s appointment as deputy secretary, the second most senior official, at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In her new post, Coloretti will manage HUD’s day-to-day operations, including a $45 billion annual budget and about 8,500 employees, according to a HUD news release.

Kaya: Filipino Americans for Progress congratulated Coloretti on her confirmation.

“We are excited to have another prominent Filipino American voice in government,” said Genevieve Jopanda, Kaya national co-chair.  “Ms. Coloretti’s confirmation affirms her abilities and signals the continued growth of Filipino American visibility in the federal government.”

Coloretti, who hails from Kapahulu, graduated from ‘Iolani School in 1987. She was most recently was as Assistant Secretary for Management at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

President Obama in July 2012 appointed her to the Government Accountability and Transparency Board.

Following the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in 2010, Coloretti helped establish the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, serving as its acting chief operating officer.

Before joining the Obama Administration, Coloretti worked in the San Francisco Mayor’s office from 2005 until 2009, most recently serving as budget director.

Coloretti is a recipient of the UC Berkeley Goldman School Award for Policy Innovation, the National Public Service Award, and the Fed 100 award.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and communications from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in public policy from University of California at Berkeley.

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