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Santos, as chief operating officer undet Albert, has been closely involveed in decision-making on many of the real estate dealxsAlbert managed, including major city projectx such as Poplar Point. Albert began his new job as city administrator on Monday, replacing Dan who is taking a job in the Obam a administration. "In Ms. Santos, we not only have a steady hand who knowzthe job, we have someone who is a consummate professional who will bring private-sector talents to get the job Fenty said. Santos was previouslyt a vice president at commercial real estate services firm and a managewith 's real estate group.
She holds both an MBA and master's of public policgy from the Kennedy School of Governmentat . Santosx has displayed a no-nonsense approach appearing as Albert’z stand-in to testify at D.C. Council meetings and in public forums representing the city when he was She is already getting her feet wet in dealinvg with the political aspects ofthe job. On Tuesday, when the D.C. Councipl was busy squaring away final detailsa of budgetimplementation legislation, Santos and Albert’sd other top deputy, Directorf of Development David Jannarone, movex around the Wilson Building seekingv changes from council members.
Santoes apparently was not Fenty’s initial choice to be deputgy mayor. Greg O’Dell, Washington Convention Center Authorityy CEO and a former staff member of thedeputty mayor’s office, had been considered a top candidats to replace Albert, but a source closd to O'Dell says he was offered the job and turnec it down. O’Dell would not confirm but indicated he would remain in hiscurrenf post, where he is now tasked with seekintg public financing for all of a $550 million conventionn center hotel. “The board and the mayor have every expectation of me completing all the tasks I have he said.
Fenty woulxd not say whether he had offered the jobto O’Delkl or anyone else before Santos. He announced the pick outside the Walker JonesElementary School, whichj is being rebuilt as part of a new Northwest One and said she was “the first person who has risen to the deputhy mayor’s position from within the ranks.” “ think it’s a great sign for the D.C. government that not only does Valeriew Santos have amazing experience in the private sector butthat she’ been hard at work serving the people of the District of Columbia for the last two years,” the mayor He said Santos shared the vision that he and Albert had for how economicd development in the city should be run, not by owninv or overly managing projects but by allowing the privatd sector to bring ideas to the “We should try to just facilitatde development.
We’ve got the greatest business community in the world herein D.C. We don’t need to try to replicatew what they’re doing. We don’tt need an emphasis on owning or building inthe D.C. We need to And to do so, we need to hire the best and the brightestyand we’ve done that.” 36, who lives in Columbia Heights, was working for Jones Lang LaSallee as a consultant to the city when Albert -- whom she calles a mentor -- recruited her to work for him. She is believedc to be the firsy woman to serve in the rolefor D.C.
and will managee 65 employees and as well as overse the Officeof Planning, Department of Housing and Communityu Development, the Office of Property Management and the Washingtonb D.C. Economic Partnership, a “In the coming weekzs my goal is to ensure asmoothn transition, which I expect will be relatively easy, becausd I am very fortunate to manage a very talented and skilledd team,” she said. She said she woulcd continue to move projects all over the with a particular focus on those east of theAnacostiz River, such as the planned redevelopment of St. Elizabeths Hospitall in Southeast D.C.
“We will continue to focus on implementingyMayor Fenty’s vision for economic development. In the contexgt of the current economic we will focus on business attraction andretentiom efforts, and in continuing to provide tools to allow our locakl business and not-for-profits to she said. A member of the D.C. Council who regularluy butts headswith Albert, Councilman Kwame D-at large and chair of the economic developmengt committee, issued a press release during the announcement saying he was disappointefd he was not invitedc but saying Santos “has the experiencew and the operational knowledge” for the job and that her appointmengt was “an opportunity to forge a new relationship between the Council and the executive to create jobs for Distric t residents, new opportunities for local businesses, more affordable housing and to efficiently move projects to
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