Pamela Hughes Patenaude (born January 20, 1961) is a former

United States Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development The deputy secretary of housing and urban development, in the United States government, is the chief operating officer of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. The most recent deputy secretary is Adrianne Todman, who was ...

, having served from September 2017 to January 2019, under President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

Early life and education

Patenaude was raised in

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

and attended

Saint Anselm College Saint Anselm College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire, United States. Founded in 1889, it is named after Saint Anselm of Canterbury. As of 2024, the college's enrollment was 2,094 students. History ...

, graduating in 1983. She later received a master's degree (M.A.) in community economic development from

Southern New Hampshire University Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private university between Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire, United States. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, along with ...

Career

Prior to her position at HUD, she served as president of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation for Housing America's Families and as director of housing policy at the

Bipartisan Policy Center The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank that promotes bipartisanship. The organization aims to combine ideas from both the Republican and Democratic parties to address U.S. policy challenges. History BPC w ...

. She served as Housing and Urban Development Assistant Secretary for Community, Planning and Development during the

George W. Bush administration George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following his narrow electoral college vict ...

Trump administration

She was proposed as a candidate for

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development The United States secretary of housing and urban development is the head of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and thirteenth in the presidential line of succession. The ...

in the

Trump administration Presidency of Donald Trump may refer to: * First presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration from 2017 to 2021 * Second presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration since 2025 See also * ...

, but was ultimately nominated for the role of Deputy Secretary under eventual Secretary

Ben Carson Ben Solomon Carson Sr. (born September 18, 1951) is an American retired neurosurgery, neurosurgeon, academic, author, and government official who served as the 17th United States secretary of housing and urban development from 2017 to 2021. A pio ...

. Patenaude's nomination was praised by the Senate delegation of her home state of New Hampshire, both of whom are Democrats. Senator

Maggie Hassan Margaret Wood Hassan ( ; ; born February 27, 1958) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator for New Hampshire since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Hassan was the 81st governor of New Hampshire, ...

stated that "I am confident that she will continue to be an advocate for affordable housing opportunities in New Hampshire and across America." This nomination was confirmed by an 80–17 vote of the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

on September 14, 2017. She resigned at the end of 2018 after a series of disagreements with Carson and the Trump White House, including addressing

racial segregation Racial segregation is the separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, ...

and the Trump administration's effort to withhold congressionally appropriated money to

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

for

Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria was an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that affected the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, which accounted for 2,975 of the 3,059 deaths. It is the ...

relief.

Photos

File:Pam Patenaude is sworn in as the new HUD Deputy Secretary by Vice President Mike Pence.jpg, Patenaude being sworn in as Deputy Secretary by

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

Mike Pence Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

in 2017 File:Pam Patenaude and Family Members.jpg, Patenaude with family members in 2005 File:Pam Patenaude.jpg, Patenaude's official photo during the Bush administration in 2004 File:Secretary Mel Martinez, Deputy Secretary Alphonso Jackson, office staff.jpg, Patenaude with

Mel Martinez Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to: Biology * Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL) * National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL People * Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (including ...

and

Alphonso Jackson Alphonso R. Jackson (born September 9, 1945) is an American politician who served as the 13th United States secretary of housing and urban development (HUD) from 2004 to 2008. He was nominated by President George W. Bush on August 28, 2004, an ...

in 2002

References

External links

* } {{DEFAULTSORT:Patenaude, Pam 1961 births Living people Politicians from Pittsburgh Saint Anselm College alumni Southern New Hampshire University alumni George W. Bush administration personnel First Trump administration personnel United States deputy secretaries of housing and urban development