Michael Gerber

What position do you hold, besides being a HousingWorks Austin board member?

In addition to serving as President of the Housing Authority of the City of Austin, I chair the Strategic Planning Committee for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), serve on the Affordable Housing Advisory Council of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, serve on the Board of Children’s Optimal Health, and as Treasurer and Vestry Member of St. David’s Episcopal Church.

Where did you grow up and attend school?

I grew up mostly in Houston, and earned a BA at George Washington University and an MBA from Marymount University.

What are your major career accomplishments?

After college, I served on the staffs of U.S. Senators Phil Gramm and Kay Bailey Hutchison. I did a tour of duty in the Bush 43 Administration at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and then moved to Austin to work for Governor Rick Perry in his office of Budget and Policy.  I am most proud of the 5 years I served as Executive Director of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, where I led the effort to build more than 40,000 new affordable housing units across Texas, as well as provide homeownership opportunities and an array of programs to help Texans recover from recent hurricanes.

What are some interests of yours not related to your work or HousingWorks?

Top interests are anything involving my two amazing daughters, which currently means I have become quite knowledgeable about soccer, building bottle rockets, serving the homeless, violin concertos, Taylor Swift, and the many joys of frozen yogurt.   I also enjoy pretending to be a runner.