Opportunity Zone Update with HUD Secretary Ben Carson

On March 2nd, 2017, Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., M.D., was sworn in as the 17th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. For nearly 30 years, Secretary Carson served as Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, a position he assumed when he was just 33 years old, becoming the youngest major division director in the hospital’s history. In 1987, he successfully performed the first separation of craniopagus twins conjoined at the back of the head. He also performed the first fully successful separation of type-2 vertical craniopagus twins in 1997 in South Africa. Dr. Carson received dozens of honors and awards in recognition of his achievements including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. He is also a recipient of the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Dr. Carson authored nine books, four of which he co-wrote with his wife Candy. The U.S. News Media Group and Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership named him among “America’s Best Leaders” in 2008. Dr. Carson and his wife co-founded the Carson Scholars Fund, which recognizes young people of all backgrounds for exceptional academic and humanitarian accomplishments. The Fund is currently operating in 50 states and the District of Columbia, and has recognized more than 7,300 scholars, awarded more than $7.3 million in scholarships, and installed more than 150 Ben Carson Reading Rooms around the country. Born in Detroit to a single mother with a 3rd grade education who worked multiple jobs to support their family, Secretary Carson was raised to love reading and education. He graduated from Yale University and earned his M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School. He and his wife are the proud parents of three adult sons and three grandchildren.

As Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Falcone Group, Alfonso Costa Jr. oversees the development of multifamily apartment communities and condominium projects, leading public-private partnership opportunities as well as the company’s operational and strategic initiatives. His current pipeline of mixed-use development projects includes more than 2,000 residential units and 200,000 square feet of retail & self-storage, with a total value exceeding $1 billion. Such projects include “Block C-East” at Miami WorldCenter, and the “Horizon of Oakland Park,” a mixed-use public-private-partnership with the City of Oakland Park. Prior to joining the Falcone Group, Alfonso served as Deputy Chief of Staff & Opportunity Zones lead for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), where he oversaw policy for the $50 billion annually-budgeted Cabinet agency, which maintains a wide range of housing and community development programs, a $1.3 trillion mortgage insurance portfolio, and approximately 7,000 employees across 57 offices nationwide. As an expert on the bi-partisan Opportunity Zones program, he held the title of Chairman’s delegate and HUD’s lead representative on the Federal Government’s inter-agency Opportunity and Revitalization Council, and for his efforts he was recognized in the Opportunity Zone Magazine’s “Top 25 OZ Influencers” list for both 2020 and 2021. A former 5th-grade teacher as a Teach for America corps member, Alfonso is now an active social advocate through philanthropic & academic volunteer efforts on both the local and national levels. In his home State of Florida, he is the Program Chair of ULI Florida’s Affordable & Workforce Housing Council (AWHC), Advisory Board Member & recent Chair of the Nova Southeastern University Master’s in Real Estate Development (MSRED) Program, recent Member of the City of West Palm Beach Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, Heart & Spirit Society member for the Boca Helping Hands food-giving non-profit organization, and an In Jacob’s Shoes of Hope Hero member for the shoes/socks/school supplies non-profit organization. Nationally, he serves as a Member of the Harvard Alumni Real Estate Board, National Housing Taskforce, Housing Advisory Council Member of the Bipartisan Policy Center, Board Member of the Home Builders Institute, and Full Member of the Urban Land Institute. He earned his law degree from Harvard University, master’s degree from the University of Oxford, and bachelor’s degree from Yale University, where he played both Division-I basketball and Division-I lacrosse while serving as Chair of the Yale Athletic Department’s Thomas W. Ford Community Outreach Committee.

Scott Turner currently serves as the Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council. The Council’s core mission includes leading joint efforts across Federal executive departments and agencies to engage with State, local, tribal, and territorial governments to find ways to better use public funds to revitalize urban and economically distressed communities. Prior to joining the Federal government, Mr. Turner served in the Texas House of Representatives from 2013-2017, where he represented House District 33 (encompassing all of Rockwall County and portions of Collin County). Mr. Turner’s time in the Texas House was preceded by a successful business career in which he served as the Chief Inspiration officer of Systemware, as well as a Senior Advisor to the National Football League’s (NFL) Executive Vice President of Football Operations. In 1995, he was drafted into the NFL where he enjoyed a 9-year career playing for the Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers, and Denver Broncos. A fourth-generation Texan who graduated from the University of Illinois, Mr. Turner also received an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Dallas Baptist University in 2016 for his outstanding Christian Leadership. Mr. Turner and his wife Robin have a son Solomon, who is currently a freshman student-athlete at Baylor University.

Ja’Ron Smith is currently Deputy Assistant to the President (Office of American Innovation) and previously served as a Special Assistant to the President for the White House Office of Legislative Affairs. As a Special Assistant to the President, Ja’Ron is the President’s liaison to the United States House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, Agriculture Committee, Education and Workforce Committee, Homeland Security Committee, Congressional Black Caucus, and Congressional Hispanic Caucus. In this role, Ja’Ron is instrumental in policy negotiations and remains a catalyst in policy reform. Ja’Ron’s leadership and expertise have been exemplified through the imperative roles that he played in national issues such as the Opportunity Zones Act and the First Step Act. Ja’Ron’s leadership was integral to the bills’ success; from their inception to their implementation. Mr. Smith is often sought after by professionals nationwide for his perspectives on these and other national initiatives. Prior to serving as the Special Assistant to the President in the Office of Legislative Affairs, Ja’Ron served as a Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and served as the Director of Urban Affairs and Revitalization. In this capacity, he was a chief policy strategist, an advisor to the President, along with serving as a manager of HBCU initiatives, crime and reentry, and the manager of the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative. A policy and congressional connoisseur, Mr. Smith has played a dynamic role in policy development and social change in the D.C. Metropolitan Area through his service in the non-profit and political sectors. His extensive knowledge and ability have proven an invaluable asset to Congressmen Scalise, Jordan, and Hensarling, along with Senator Scott and prior Chairman Mike Pence; all of whom Ja’Ron served during his career. As evidenced by his personal and professional commitments, Mr. Smith has been a longtime advocate for economic development, crime prevention, entrepreneurship, and workforce development. Ja’Ron Smith was most recently awarded the 2020 Bipartisan Justice Award. Ja’Ron is a graduate of Howard University School of Business and Howard University School of Divinity.

State of Pennsylvania Mike Kelly was born in Pittsburgh and raised in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he has lived for more than 50 years. After graduating from Butler High School in 1966, Mike attended the University of Notre Dame on a football and academic scholarship. After college, Mike moved back to Butler to work at Kelly Chevrolet-Cadillac, Inc., a company founded by his father in the early 1950s. Mike took ownership of the dealership in the mid-1990s and expanded its operations to include Hyundai and KIA franchises. As The Washington Post put it: Kelly first got the itch to run for Congress in 2009, after the federal government took over General Motors. Kelly Motors has been in his family since his father started the business in 1953. In spring 2009, Kelly said, GM managers reviewed his Chevrolet-and-Cadillac dealership and concluded it was "perfect." "Then they went to Washington and they got fired," Kelly said. Under the government restructuring, he could sell Chevrolets but not Cadillacs. "Wait, wait, wait!" Kelly said he told a GM representative. "This is America. You can't come in and take my business away from me. . . . Every penny we have is wrapped up in here. I've got 110 people that rely on me every two weeks to be paid. . . . And you call me up and in five minutes try to wipe out 56 years of a business?" "'This is a new General Motors,'" Kelly recalled the man telling him. "'That's just the way it is.'" Kelly went to arbitration and eventually won. Fueled by his victory, Mike successfully ran for Congress the following year to take the fight to Washington and the rest, as the saying goes, is history. Back in Butler, Mike's auto dealerships currently employ more than 100 people from the region, and are leaders in the local and national automotive industry. Mike has served as Chairman of the Hyundai Eastern Region Dealer Council, Vice Chairman of the Hyundai National Dealer Council, and has sat on the boards of the Chevrolet Dealers Advertising Association of Pittsburgh and the Cadillac Consultants of Western Pennsylvania. Additionally, Mike is a former Secretary and Treasurer of the Hyundai “Hope on Wheels” initiative, which has donated more than $145 million to childhood cancer research institutions nationwide. He continues to work with the organization as a lawmaker. Prior to entering Congress, Mike served on the Butler City Council and sat on the boards of several local and civic organizations, including the Housing Authority of Butler County, the Redevelopment Authority of Butler County, and the Moraine Trails Council of Boys Scouts of America. In recognition of Mike’s extensive volunteer and charitable work, Catholic Charities awarded him its Mary DeMucci Award. The Mayor of Butler designated October 26, 2001, as “Mike Kelly Day” for his commitment to his hometown. Dedicated to improving education, Mike founded the Butler Quarterback Club and The Golden Tornado Scholastic Foundation, each of which provides unique and innovative educational programs for students in the Butler Area School District. Mike and his wife, Victoria, a former elementary school teacher, also established the Mary McTighe Kelly Creative Teaching Grant for elementary educators and the Lighthouse Foundation’s One Warm Coat Program, which has helped collect hundreds of winter coats for students in need in the Butler community. Mike and Victoria have four children and are the proud grandparents of ten wonderful grandchildren. Mike’s family and friends were with him on January 5, 2011, when he was sworn into office as the U.S. Representative of the Third Congressional District of Pennsylvania. Since January 3, 2019, Rep. Kelly has proudly represented Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District. Mike is constantly honored and humbled to represent the values, interests, and concerns of the 16th District, especially as they relate to his work on the House Ways and Means Committee and his role as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Oversight. He is proud to be considered a leader among his colleagues as he serves as the Republican chairman of the Congressional Korea Caucus, the House Automotive Caucus, the Childhood Cancer Caucus, the House Retirement Security Caucus, the Health Care Innovation Caucus, and the House Small Brewers Caucus. He is also an appointed member on the President's Export Council. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review refers to Mike as a “no-nonsense, straight-talking Republican” and "a true man of the people." According to CQ Roll Call, “Any encounter with Kelly has the potential to erupt into a pep rally” thanks to his “gift for enthusiastic – and rapid-fire – communication.” The popular website Breitbart.com calls Mike "a fierce defender of conservatism on Capitol Hill." Fox News Channel’s Neil Cavuto calls him “a key player” and “a mover and shaker” in the U.S. House of Representatives. Mike’s rousing speeches on the floor of the House and at Ways and Means committee hearings have together earned more than 3 million views on YouTube. When he delivered the weekly Republican address to the nation right before Christmas 2014 (in which he offered President Obama a lump of coal for Christmas), it quickly became the most watched GOP weekly address of all time. During his time in the House, Mike has appeared on numerous national television programs, including ABC’s This Week, CBS’s Face the Nation, CNN’s The Situation Room, and Fox News’ Hannity, The Kelly File, Tucker Carlson Tonight, Fox & Friends, and many others. Opinion features written by Mike have been published by The Wall Street Journal, TIME, USA TODAY, The Washington Times, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Erie Times-News, RealClearPolitics, National Review Online, The Huffington Post, CNN.com, FoxNews.com, and many other newspapers and websites.

Douglas M. Bibby is President of the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC), a national organization of more than 1,100 member firms involved in the multifamily housing industry. Under his leadership NMHC represents the industry on Capitol Hill and before the regulatory agencies, promotes research and the exchange of information, and advocates for rental housing across a broad spectrum of issues. Prior to joining NMHC, Bibby spent 16 years as a senior officer of Fannie Mae, where he served on the company’s Management Committee throughout his tenure. He was part of the top management team that is credited with the remarkable turnaround at Fannie Mae in the book Good to Great. Bibby began his career with the worldwide communications firm J. Walter Thompson where he served a variety of clients both domestically and internationally over his 12-year career with the company. At the time of his departure from J. Walter Thompson, he was Senior Vice President and General Manager of the firm’s Washington, D.C. operations. Bibby has been active in the non-profit community of Washington, D.C. for the past 30 years. Bibby graduated from Denison University with a B.A. degree and was honored with the university’s Alumni Citation Award in 2004. He also holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin.