City Of Pasadena Announces Acting Director of Housing

[Link] PASADENA, Calif.- Mr. James (Jim) Wong has been selected to be the Acting Housing Director with the City of Pasadena effective Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. He will oversee a department with an annual budget of $46.3 million and 91 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, of which 67 employees participate in the highly successful Municipal Assistance, Solutions, and Hiring (MASH) program. MASH is a unique temporary fulltime paid job training program for dozens of adult participants that provides services to homeowners as well as City departments. Mr. Wong will act in the Director role until the recruitment for a permanent Director is completed in early Spring of 2025.

Mr. Wong has 40 years of experience in housing programs and administration, most recently serving as a Senior Project Manager with the City of Pasadena since 2004. He has been with the City of Pasadena Housing since 1990, when he began as a Program Coordinator III where he administered a homebuyer assistance loan program.

Mr. Wong has a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and a Master's Degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from UCLA.

"Jim will be a tremendous asset to our City as an acting director due to his strong background in housing administration, a proven track record of delivering critical housing programs, and being a respected presence within the housing community. I am confident he will build on the exceptional work established by Bill Huang, our retiring Housing Director. Jim works effectively with both the community he serves and his team, leveraging their expertise to develop creative solutions to the housing challenges ahead." said City Manager Miguel Márquez.

"I feel fortunate to have sustained a career in affordable housing and am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving the City of Pasadena in this new capacity," said Wong.