Antonio Riley was sworn in yesterday as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Regional Administrator for the six states in HUD’s Midwestern Region which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

As the Regional Administrator, Riley serves as HUD’s liaison to mayors, city managers, elected representatives, state and local officials, congressional delegations, stakeholders and customers. He will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of HUD programs and services to communities, as well as evaluating their efficiency and effectiveness. Riley is one of 10 Regional Administrators in the United States.

Antonio Riley - Photo courtesy of the WHEDA

“I am honored to be a part of the team that is putting America back to work and stabilizing communities and thankful to the president and Secretary Donovan for the opportunity of a lifetime,” says Antonio Riley. “Many of the successful housing and economic strategies we implemented in Milwaukee and Wisconsin mirror the vision that this Administration is hard at work implementing nationwide.”

Prior to his new role, Antonio Riley served as Executive Director of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA). As the first African American to head the agency, Riley oversaw what is considered the second largest bank in the state, with a $3 billion mortgage portfolio.

“Antonio is an experienced, dedicated public servant who has been intimately involved in economic development and housing issues in the low to moderate income communities for years,” said Shaun Donovan, HUD Secretary. “His skill set and the fact that his most recent focus was to develop new strategies that increase jobs, make homeownership sustainable and affordable, renew and invigorate depressed neighborhoods, make him the perfect pick for this region at this time.”

Under Mr. Riley’s leadership, WHEDA focused its energies to capture the inherent relationship between housing and economic development by developing new strategies that increase jobs, making homeownership affordable, and renewing and invigorating depressed neighborhoods. Another of Riley’s goals has been on creating greater opportunities for minority-owned businesses.

In 2009, Riley’s peers elected him to a two-year term on the Board of Directors of the National Council of State Housing Authorities. He was re-elected in 2010. Before joining WHEDA, Mr. Riley served 10 years in the Wisconsin Legislature representing Milwaukee’s 18th Assembly District. Earlier he worked for Milwaukee’s Department of City Development under Mayor John Norquist.

Throughout his career, Riley has earned numerous accolades and awards including the Legacy Foundation’s exclusive Legacy Award. Riley earned the 2009 Legacy Award for being a person who passionately promotes, supports and invests in efforts that increase entrepreneurial opportunities; and, consistently reflects passion through his actions in bold and innovative ways creating wealth-building opportunities for everyone.

Mr. Riley has also served on the boards of the YMCA of Milwaukee, Transcenter for Youth, the Greater Milwaukee American Red Cross, and the Center for Policy Alternatives. He was chairman of the board of Milwaukee’s Westside Health Care Association. He is also the former commission chairman for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.