The industry veteran has overseen billions of disaster recovery funding
IEM, a global homeland security, and disaster management consulting firm, has hired former Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) deputy secretary Pamela Patenaude as senior community liaison.
Patenaude resigned from HUD in December after 35 years in the housing sector.
The firm also appointed Patenaude as senior advisor for its housing and disaster recovery projects. IEM said she would work with client stakeholders, elected officials, disaster victims, and state agency representatives to help address and integrate their different housing needs.
Patenaude was the chair of HUD’s Disaster Management Group, where she oversaw $37 billion in funding for disaster recovery efforts. Before IEM, she also served as assistant secretary at the Office of Community Planning and Development, as well as the president of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation for Housing America’s Families, and as the former director of housing policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
“As disasters and emergencies evolve, our response and recovery to these events must evolve as well. We know that a one-size-fits-all solution does not work and that collaborative relationships must be forged to ensure that no one is left behind,” said Madhu Beriwal, president and CEO of IEM. “Pam has the diverse and well-rounded expertise to help us craft recovery and housing solutions that work best for each individual community. This, paired with her intimate understanding of the complex policies that guide our work, will help communities rebuild safer and stronger.”
