December
05, 2016 • Making News
For Immediate Release
December 5, 2016
Media Contact: Media@ptt.gov
(New
York, NY) - President-elect Donald J. Trump today announced his intent
to nominate Dr. Ben Carson to serve as Secretary of the United States
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Dr.
Carson is a distinguished national leader who overcame his troubled youth in
the inner city of Detroit to become a renowned neurosurgeon who served as
the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in
Maryland.
“I am thrilled to nominate Dr. Ben Carson as our next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development," said President-elect Trump. "Ben Carson has a brilliant mind and is passionate about strengthening communities and families within those communities. We have talked at length about my urban renewal agenda and our message of economic revival, very much including our inner cities. Ben shares my optimism about the future of our country and is part of ensuring that this is a Presidency representing all Americans. He is a tough competitor and never gives up.”
“I am thrilled to nominate Dr. Ben Carson as our next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development," said President-elect Trump. "Ben Carson has a brilliant mind and is passionate about strengthening communities and families within those communities. We have talked at length about my urban renewal agenda and our message of economic revival, very much including our inner cities. Ben shares my optimism about the future of our country and is part of ensuring that this is a Presidency representing all Americans. He is a tough competitor and never gives up.”
“I am
honored to accept the opportunity to serve our country in the Trump
administration,” said Dr. Carson. “I feel that I can make a significant
contribution particularly by strengthening communities that are most in need.
We have much work to do in enhancing every aspect of our nation and ensuring
that our nation’s housing needs are met.”
Ben
Carson was born in Detroit, Michigan on September 18, 1951. While his mother
lacked access to a quality education, she encouraged her sons in their
scholastic pursuits and instilled the value of hard work. Carson graduated with
honors from Southwestern High School, where he also became a senior commander
in the school's ROTC program. He earned a full scholarship to Yale University and
graduated in 1973 with a B.A. degree in psychology.
Carson
then enrolled in the School of Medicine at the University of Michigan, choosing
to become a neurosurgeon. Dr. Carson became the director of pediatric
neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital at age 33 and earned fame for his
groundbreaking work separating conjoined twins.
Twenty
years ago, Carson and his wife Candy started the Carson Scholars Fund, which is
now active in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It has provided more
than 7,300 scholarships since 1994 to students from all backgrounds that
achieve at the highest academic levels and community service. It also
encompasses the Reading Room program and reading rooms have been placed
throughout the country to stimulate a love for reading, especially in those who
are underserved.
In 2000,
the Library of Congress selected Dr. Carson as one of its "Living
Legends." The following year, CNN and Time magazine named
Dr. Carson as one of the nation's 20 foremost physicians and scientists. In
2006, he received the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the NAACP.
In February 2008, President George W. Bush awarded Dr. Carson the Ford's
Theatre Lincoln Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
