Trump picks Scott Turner to be in charge of HUD

President-elect Trump nominated former NFL player Scott Turner as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Turner, who chairs the Center for Education Opportunity, previously served as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC).

“Scott is an NFL veteran who, during my first term, served as the first executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC), helping to lead an unprecedented effort that transformed our nation’s most disadvantaged communities,” Trump said in a statement Friday.

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Scott Turner, former executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, attends the America First Policy Institute’s America First Agenda Summit in Washington, DC, on July 25, 2022. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“These efforts, working with former HUD Secretary Ben Carson, were maximized by Scott’s guidance in overseeing 16 federal agencies that implemented more than 200 policy actions that promote economic development,” he added. “Under Scott’s leadership, Opportunity Zones received over $50 billion dollars in private investment!”

Turner, a graduate of the University of Illinois, played cornerback for the Washington Redskins before winning a state house race in Texas. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017.

During Trump’s first term, Turner served as executive director of the WHORC — aimed at helping the country’s “distressed communities across America,” according to its website.

White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council Executive Director Scott Turner speaks at the invitation of then-President Trump during the National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week conference at the Renaissance Hotel, in Washington, DC, on September 10, 2019. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“Scott is the founder and CEO of his Family’s Foundation, the Community Engagement & Opportunity Council (CEOC), which works to revitalize communities across America through sports, mentorship and economic opportunity,” he said. “He is also on the board of the American Cornerstone Institute and an Associate Pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church.”

“Scott will work with me to make America Great Again for EVERY American,” Trump said. “Congratulations to Scott, his wonderful wife, Robin, and his son, Solomon!”

On X, Turner thanked Trump and said he was “humbled” by the nomination, and former HUD chief Dr. Ben Carson, whom he called a mentor.

White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council Executive Director Scott Turner speaks as then-President Trump and senior adviser Jared Kushner listen during a meeting. (Getty Images)

“Few people are as compassionate and gracious as him, and I realize I have big shoes to fill,” Turner wrote. “The forgotten men and women of this great country over the past four years will be honored in the Trump administration.”

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“We have an important mission ahead,” he added. “To God be the glory. Let’s get going!”