Scott Turner, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Developmentis a former NFL player who led the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term.

Turner, 52, is the first black person selected to serve in the Republican cabinet.

Here are some things to know about Turner:

From professional football to politics

Turner grew up in the Dallas suburb of Richardson and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was a defensive back and spent nine seasons in the NFL starting in 1995, playing for the Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos.

During the offseason, he worked as an intern and then a representative. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif. After Turner retired in 2004, he worked full time for the congressman. In 2006, Turner unsuccessfully ran as a Republican in California’s 50th congressional district.

Turner joined the Texas House in 2013 as part of a slew of Tea Party-backed lawmakers. He unsuccessfully attempted to become president before completing his second term in 2016. He did not seek a third term.

Motivational speaker and pastor

Turner also worked for a software company in a position called “director of inspiration” and said he acted as a professional mentor, pastor and advisor to employees and the management team. He has also been a motivational speaker.

He and his wife, Robin Turner, founded a nonprofit organization promoting initiatives to improve children’s literacy. His church, Prestonwood Baptist Church, lists him as an associate pastor. He is also president of the Center for Educational Opportunity at the America First Policy Institute, a think tank created by former members of the Trump administration to lay the groundwork should he win a second term.

Led the council during Trump’s first term

Trump introduced Turner in April 2019 to head the new White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council. Trump credited Turner for “helping lead an unprecedented effort that transformed our nation’s most challenged communities.”

The council’s mission was to coordinate with various federal agencies to attract investment into so-called “opportunity zones,” which were economically depressed areas eligible to benefit from federal tax incentives.

The role of HUD

HUD is responsible for meeting the nation’s housing needs. It is also responsible for fair housing laws and oversees housing for the poorest Americans, housing more than 4.3 million low-income families through public housing, rent subsidies and voucher programs .

The agency, with a budget in the tens of billions of dollars, runs a host of programs that do everything from reducing homelessness to promoting homeownership. It also funds the construction of affordable housing and provides vouchers that allow low-income families to pay for housing in the private market.

During the campaign, Trump focused primarily on housing prices, not public housing. He denounced the high cost of housing and said he could make it more affordable by cracking down on illegal immigration and reducing inflation. He also said he would work to reduce regulations on home construction and make some federal lands available for residential construction.

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