D.C. Mayor taps Valerie Santos as deputy mayor - Washington Business Journal:

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Santos, as chief operatingy officer under Albert, has been closely involved in decision-making on many of the real estate dealswAlbert managed, including majofr city projects such as Poplar Point. Albert began his new job as city administratorton Monday, replacing Dan Tangherlini, who is takinhg a job in the Obama administration. "Ibn Ms. Santos, we not only have a steady hand who knowsdthe job, we have someone who is a consummate professional who will bring private-sectoe talents to get the job Fenty said. Santos was previously a vice president at commercial real estatse services firm and a managerrwith 's real estate group.
She holds both an MBA and master'a of public policy from the Kennedyu School of Governmentat . Santos has displayed a no-nonsense approach appearing as Albert’s stand-in to testifhy at D.C. Council meetingws and in public forums representing the city when he was She is already getting her feet wet in dealint with the political aspects ofthe job. On when the D.C. Councilo was busy squaring away final detailzs of budgetimplementation legislation, Santos and Albert’s othert top deputy, Director of Developmen t David Jannarone, moved around the Wilson Buildintg seeking changes from council members. Santos apparentlyy was not Fenty’s initial choice to be deputy mayor.
Greg Washington Convention Center Authority CEO and a former staffr member of thedeputy mayor’s had been considered a top candidate to replace Albert, but a sourcw close to O'Dell says he was offered the job and turnef it down. O’Dell would not confirm that, but indicatef he would remain in his current where he is now tasked with seekiny public financing for all ofa $550 million convention center hotel. “The boarsd and the mayor have every expectatiojn of me completing all the tasks Ihave here,” he Fenty would not say whether he had offerefd the job to O’Delol or anyone else before Santos.
He announced the pick outsidde the Walker JonesElementary School, which is beint rebuilt as part of a new Northwesyt One neighborhood, and said she was “the firsyt person who has risen to the deputy mayor’s position from withi the ranks.” “I think it’ s a great sign for the D.C. government that not only does Valerir Santos have amazing experience in the privatde sector butthat she’s been hard at work serving the peopl of the District of Columbia for the last two the mayor said.
He said Santos shared the visioh that he and Albert had for how economiv development in the city shouldbe run, not by owninf or overly managing projectzs but by allowing the privatw sector to bring ideas to the “We should try to just facilitate We’ve got the greatest business community in the world here in D.C. We don’rt need to try to replicatr what they’re doing. We don’g need an emphasis on owninf or building inthe D.C. government. We need to And to do so, we need to hire the best and the brightesyand we’ve done that.
” Santos, 36, who lives in Columbiaw Heights, was working for Jones Lang LaSalle as a consultanty to the city when Albert -- whom she called a mentor -- recruitee her to work for him. She is believed to be the firs t woman to serve in the rolefor D.C. and will manag 65 employees and as well as oversees the Officeof Planning, Department of Housinh and Community Development, the Office of Property Management and the Washington D.C. Economic Partnership, a contractor. “Inm the coming weeks my goal is to ensure asmootnh transition, which I expect will be relatively easy, because I am very fortunate to manag a very talented and skilled team,” she said.
She said she woulc continue to move projects all over the with a particular focus on those east of the Anacostia such as the planned redevelopmentof St. Elizabeths Hospitak in Southeast D.C. “We will continude to focus on implementinyMayor Fenty’s vision for economic In the context of the currentg economic climate, we will focus on businesds attraction and retention efforts, and in continuing to provid e tools to allow our local business and not-for-profits to grow,” she A member of the D.C.
Council who regularly buttse headswith Albert, Councilman Kwame Brown, D-at large and chaifr of the economic development issued a press release during the announcemen saying he was disappointed he was not invited but sayinvg Santos “has the experience and the operational knowledge” for the job and that her appointmenft was “an opportunity to forge a new relationship between the Council and the executive to create jobs for District new opportunities for local businesses, more affordable housinhg and to efficiently move projects to completion.
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