On Tuesday, Oct. 2, former U.S. senator and secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Mel Martinez will give the 13th annual John T. Dunlop Lecture, presented by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in Cambridge. At the Dunlop Lecture, Senator Martinez will discuss America's housing policy and what lawmakers must consider as they chart a course for recovery.
Martinez, who currently serves as co-chair of the Bipartisan Policy Center Housing Commission and chairman of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, will share his views on tax and regulatory policy, what has worked with regard to advancing a homeownership agenda, the reforms and initiatives required to address the new American landscape, and what poses an ongoing risk to the housing market and the overall U.S. economy. Martinez will give particular focus to developing safe and affordable multi-family workforce housing, as well as creating a stable environment for a broader number of people to secure home financing outside of government-sponsored entities.
Martinez served as the 12th secretary of housing and urban development under President George W. Bush and resigned in 2003 to run for the open U.S. Senate seat in Florida. During his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Martinez served as a member on numerous committees including Banking, Armed Services, Foreign Relations, Energy and Natural Resources, Commerce and the Special Committee on Aging.
The Dunlop Lecture will take place on Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (48 Quincy Street, Cambridge, Mass.). The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.jchs.harvard.edu or call 617.495.7908.