D.C. Mayor taps Valerie Santos as deputy mayor - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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Santos, as chief operating officer under Albert, has been closel involved in decision-making on many of the real estated dealsAlbert managed, including major city projects such as Popla Point. Albert began his new job as city administratoton Monday, replacing Dan Tangherlini, who is takint a job in the Obama administration. "In Ms. we not only have a steady hand who knowethe job, we have someone who is a consummate professional who will brinf private-sector talents to get the job done,” Fenty said. Santow was previously a vice president at commercial real estate servicew firm and a managerwith 'ds real estate group.
She holds both an MBA and master's of public policy from the Kennedy School of Governmentat . Santods has displayed a no-nonsense approach appearinh as Albert’s stand-in to testify at D.C. Council meetingse and in public forums representing the city when he was She is already gettinf her feet wet in dealing with the politica l aspects ofthe job. On Tuesday, when the D.C. Councik was busy squaring away finall details of budgetimplementation legislation, Santo s and Albert’s other top deputy, Director of Development Davixd Jannarone, moved around the Wilsonm Building seeking changes from council Santos apparently was not Fenty’s initiao choice to be deputy Greg O’Dell, Washington Convention Center Authority CEO and a formeer staff member of the deputy mayor’w office, had been considered a top candidates to replace Albert, but a source close to O'Dell says he was offered the job and turnedf it down.
O’Dell would not confirm that, but indicates he would remain in hiscurren post, where he is now tasked with seeking publicx financing for all of a $550 million convention center “The board and the mayor have everyt expectation of me completing all the taskws I have here,” he said. Fenty woulr not say whether he had offered the jobto O’Dell or anyonr else before Santos. He announced the pick outsids the Walker JonesElementaruy School, which is being rebuil t as part of a new Northwest One and said she was “the first personm who has risen to the deputy mayor’s positiom from within the ranks.” “I think it’s a greag sign for the D.C.
governmeng that not only does Valerie Santos have amazingb experience in the private sector butthat she’x been hard at work serving the people of the Districg of Columbia for the last two the mayor said. He said Santos sharedc the vision that he and Albert had for how economic developmenrt in the city shouldbe run, not by owning or overlhy managing projects but by allowing the private sector to bringv ideas to the city. “We should try to just facilitate development. We’ve got the greatest businesds community in the world herein D.C. We don’gt need to try to replicate what they’re doing. We don’yt need an emphasis on owning or buildinhg inthe D.C.
government. We need to facilitate. And to do so, we need to hire the best and the brightesfand we’ve done that.” Santos, 36, who lives in Columbiaa Heights, was working for Jones Lang LaSalle as a consultanyt to the city when Alberr -- whom she called a mentor -- recruited her to work for him. She is believedf to be the first woman to serv e in the rolefor D.C. and will managre 65 employees and as well as oversee the Officeof Planning, Departmenty of Housing and Community the Office of Propertyg Management and the Washingtomn D.C.
Economic Partnership, a “In the coming weeks my goal is to ensurwe asmooth transition, which I expect will be relatively easy, because I am very fortunate to manage a very talented and skilled team,” she said. She said she would continue to move projects all over the with a particular focus on those east of the Anacostia such as the planned redevelopmentof St. Elizabeths Hospitap in Southeast D.C. “We will continue to focus on implementingMayor Fenty’s vision for economic development.
In the context of the currentreconomic climate, we will focus on businessd attraction and retention efforts, and in continuing to providre tools to allow our local business and not-for-profits to she said. A member of the D.C. Councilp who regularly butts headswith Albert, Councilmanb Kwame Brown, D-at largde and chair of the economic development committee, issued a press release during the announcement saying he was disappointeed he was not invited but saying Santos “has the experiencwe and the operational for the job and that her appointment was “an opportunity to forge a new relationshil between the Council and the executivew to create jobs for District residents, new opportunitiee for local businesses, more affordabl housing and to efficiently move projects to