On May 24th, Governor Doug Ducey appointed Arizona Department of Housing Director Michael Trailor to lead the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES). On his appointment, Governor Ducey said, “Michael is a consummate professional, with experience running a government agency also charged with helping Arizona citizens in need . . . I’m pleased that Michael will be bringing his valuable experience to this important agency.” Director Trailor responded to the new opportunity by stating, “The services and programs offered by the Department of Economic Security are vital to thousands of Arizonans, and I take this responsibility seriously. I look forward to working with the DES team as well as clients and stakeholders, and getting started.”

Director Trailor was appointed ADOH Director by Governor Jan Brewer in the spring of 2009. Having spent a career focused on housing development, he was a natural for the position of Housing Director. In his eight years with ADOH, Director Trailor made impressive inroads in encouraging location efficient housing, providing incentives for the development of nearly 2,900 units of low-income housing tax credit-financed rental housing along the Valley’s light rail and Tucson’s streetcar line. Director Trailor also became a champion for implementing changes to the way Arizona has addressed aiding the state’s homeless population, including providing resources and leadership to changes at the Human Services Campus serving Maricopa County, and ensuring the deployment of rapid re-housing resources across the entire state. He also was instrumental in facilitating the Department’s focus on the financing of permanent supportive housing, which supports the Housing First model, in recognition of the fact that Housing First provides the best results in keeping formerly homeless persons housed for the long-term. Director Trailor became a champion of people living with disabilities nationwide, when he challenged and won the right for Arizona to offer housing dedicated to meeting the sensory needs of people living with a hearing impairment.  Director Trailor also played a key role in expanding the Arizona Housing Finance Authority’s (now the Arizona Industrial Development Authority’s) mortgage program, which will issue more than $1 billion in mortgages this fiscal year, which has thankfully generated resources, which are being reinvested into affordable housing. Most recently, Director Trailor has begun to play a key role in a special task force on housing that will compliment and work with the efforts of other state agencies to reduce the state’s recidivism rates. Director Trailor also led ADOH through the first year of implementing the Arizona Management System, a lean based discipline that has changed the way the Department addresses goal setting, problem solving, and every day management of the State’s housing programs.

On June 6, ADOH staff met to recognize Director Trailor’s contribution to the agency, which spanned nearly a decade. ADOH will miss Director Trailor’s day-to-day leadership in the housing arena, but we know we can expect him to remain a great champion of housing and community development in his expanded role with the State. We know our constituents all join us in congratulating him in his new appointment and wish him all of the best with the new challenges that await him in his new role.

Carol Ditmore, ADOH’s Assistant Deputy Director of Operations will lead the agency as Interim Director until the Governor appoints a new Director.