As a member of the President's Cabinet, Secretary Cisneros has set and pursued six clear priorities for HUD in the 1990s: reducing the number of homeless in America by developing a continuum-of-care system; transforming public housing; creating a record homeownership rate in America by the year 2000; reviving economically distressed communities through Empowerment Zones; assuring fairness in the workings of housing markets; and transforming HUD into a "community-first" organization that focuses national efforts on preserving and improving America's communities.
In 1981 Mr. Cisneros became the first Hispanic mayor of a major U.S. city when he was elected Mayor of San Antonio, the Nation's 10th largest city. As a four-term mayor—from 1981 to 1989—he rebuilt the city's economic base, focused on its biomedical sector, attracted high-tech industries, increased tourism, and created jobs through massive infrastructure and downtown improvements. In 1985 Mr. Cisneros was elected president of the National League of Cities. He also has served as chair of the National Civic League, deputy chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, and board member of the Rockefeller Foundation.
Mr. Cisneros received a B.A. and an M.A. in Urban Planning from Texas A&M, an M.A. in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a Doctorate in Public Administration from George Washington University.
