Former Deputy Assistant to President Obama, Director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs, & NY/NJ Regional Administrator for the US Department of Housing & Urban Development Joins CSA Group, the Largest Hispanic-owned Architecture & Engineering Firm in U.S.

Adolfo Carrion, Jr. joins CSA Group as Senior Advisor for Corporate Development

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Mar 22, 2012, 03:48 ET

NEW YORK, March 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Adolfo Carrion, former Deputy Assistant to President Obama and Director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs, and former Region II Regional Administrator for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development has joined CSA Group as Senior Advisor for Corporate Development.

"We at CSA Group are very excited and honored that Adolfo has agreed to join our firm," stated JJ Suarez, Chairman and CEO, CSA Group. "Adolfo's proven track record in empowering urban communities throughout the United States, coupled with his economic development experience, will be of vital importance as we continue to position CSA Group as a first-in-class, full service project delivery firm in the Infrastructure and Building markets."

CSA Group, is the largest Hispanic-owned architectural, engineering, environmental services, consulting, and construction and program management company in the United States. The firm is staffed with over 550 professionals. It is consistently ranked among the largest firms in the industry in many of its services, with offices in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, including: Puerto Rico; Florida; Pennsylvania; New York; New Jersey; Illinois; Colorado; Brazil; Mexico; Panama; Peru; Argentina; and Haiti.

CSA Group is the only architectural/engineering firm in the country with a Corporate Plus designation from the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC).

For the past three years, Mr. Carrion served as a Presidential Appointee in the Obama Administration. Most recently, as Regional Administrator for Region II of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He was responsible for overseeing nearly $6 billion in HUD investments in New York and New Jersey. In this capacity he worked with members of Congress, mayors, city managers, and local public and private sector stakeholders to ensure HUD's policies and programs worked to create economically competitive, environmentally sustainable, and opportunity-rich communities. Mr. Carrion also served as intergovernmental relations advisor to HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan.

Prior to his HUD appointment, Mr. Carrion served as Deputy Assistant to President Obama and Director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs, where he was charged with coordinating the policies of cabinet agencies into an effective agenda for cities and metropolitan areas in the US.

Adolfo's work at the White House resulted in the establishment of a White House Urban Policy Working Group and the first comprehensive interagency review in 30 years of federal government approaches and funding in urban and metropolitan areas. His work launched a set of policies and initiatives that aligned the work of federal agencies to offer place-based competitive opportunities for stakeholders throughout the country. These include, among many others, Regional Planning and Sustainability Grants, Promise Neighborhoods, Choice Neighborhoods, The Interagency Partnership on Sustainable Communities, The White House Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative, the Strong Cities/Strong Communities Fellowship to assist troubled cities, a coordinated effort to end veterans' homelessness, and a proposal to Congress for a National Infrastructure Bank included in the American Jobs Act.

At the time of his White House appointment, Mr. Carrion was serving his second term as Bronx Borough President and President of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO). As Borough President, Mr. Carrion ushered in an era of building and growth in The Bronx that increased annual investment in the borough from $361 million in 2002 to almost $1 billion in 2008, including the development of 40,000 new housing units, 50 new schools, and two million square feet of office and commercial space. Working with his colleagues in the NYC Council and the NYS Assembly, Mr. Carrion shepherded the plan for a new Yankee Stadium and the stadium area redevelopment.

Adolfo is an Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow alum, has served on numerous governing boards of not-for-profit and governmental entities, and is a renown speaker on issues related to urban policy, smart growth, demographics, metropolitan and regional planning. He is also known for his motivational speaking skills. Adolfo holds a master's degree in urban planning from Hunter College in New York City.

Mr. Carrion, 51, was born and raised in New York City and is married to Linda Baldwin, Director of the U.S. Department of Justice S.M.A.R.T. Office. He is the proud father of three daughters and a son.

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