Steve Rudman is the executive director of the Housing Authority of Portland, Oregon, HAP, an independent public corporation that assists Multnomah County’s most vulnerable residents. HAP has a $95 million operating budget and serves more than 14,000 low-income households throughout Multnomah County with public housing, rent assistance, and affordable, or workforce, housing. The agency is widely regarded in the industry as one of the highest performing housing authorities in the country. 

Under Rudman’s leadership, HAP led the award-winning revitalization of Oregon’s largest public housing community into a neighborhood that provides a mix of rental and for sale housing for residents at different income levels. At 82-acres and 864 units, New Columbia is the largest neighborhood redevelopment in Portland’s history. It is a model of new urbanism and features a community campus that includes a new public elementary school. Other key initiatives since Rudman took the helm in 2001 include shifting the management of the agency’s public housing operations to a more cost-efficient site-based model and expanding HAP’s programs that help residents achieve economic independence.          

Rudman’s public service career spans 25 years in community systems, planning and development. Before joining the housing authority, he was director of the city of Portland’s Bureau of Housing and Community Development for nine years.  He lectures at Portland State University’s School of Urban Studies, serves on the board of Worksystems, Inc. and is a past chair of the board of directors of Portland Youthbuilders, Portland Housing Center and REACH Community Development, Inc. He attended Harvard University’s JFK School of Government program for senior executives in state and local government as a Fannie Mae Foundation fellow, has a master’s degree in public policy studies from Claremont Graduate School and a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University.