Derrith Watchman-Moore serves as Regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Region VII in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.

Derrith Watchman-Moore was recently selected by President Obama to serve as HUD's Regional Administrator for the four Great Plains states - Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska. In her new position, Watchman-Moore will serve as HUD's liaison to mayors, city managers, elected representatives, state and local officials, congressional delegations, stakeholders and customers. She will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of HUD programs and services to communities, as well as evaluating their efficiency and effectiveness.

Prior to her appointment with HUD, Ms. Watchman-Moore served as the Chief Operating Officer for the Navajo Housing Authority. Her responsibilities included overseeing and refining work flow processes for housing development, construction and management of 8000 public housing units on the Navajo Nation. She also worked to change new housing designs and improve infrastructure planning processes toward energy efficiency, green building, conservation, Navajo cultural relevancy, and affordability needs.

Prior to her position with the Navajo Housing Authority, Ms. Watchman-Moore was appointed Governor Bill Richardson's Deputy Cabinet Secretary and Senior Policy Advisor for New Mexico's Environment Department. While there, she designed an award winning public information gathering process on Environmental Justice with continuing executive leadership toward enhancement of public participation in Government decision making. She also developed policy recommendations regarding energy and uranium development, environmental justice, and potential environmental impacts in New Mexico rural and tribal communities.

In 2004, Watchman-Moore was temporarily appointed to the position of Secretary of New Mexico's Department of Indian Affairs, becoming the first woman to ever hold the position. Ms. Watchman-Moore has held numerous other senior policy positions including serving as the chief of staff to the president of the Navajo Nation and the Executive Director of the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency.

Her work in the environmental field has included working in private industry as an environmental and safety engineer for Packard-Hughes Interconnect, a General Motors subsidiary, and serving as Deputy Director and Superfund Program Manager for the Pueblo Office of Environmental Protection.

Ms. Watchman-Moore's commitment to public and community service is attributed to her late father, the long serving New Mexico state representative, Leo Watchman, Sr., who was first elected in the 1960s. Her reputation as a knowledgeable, passionate advocate for the environment and tireless warrior for the less fortunate and underserved has made her a well-respected leader in the business, labor and educational communities.

She has served on the board of directors for numerous civic organizations. During the 2009/10 School Year, Ms. Watchman-Moore was named "Coach of the Year" for coaching the Navajo Pine High School's Lady Warriors Basketball Team to the New Mexico's North Basketball School District 2A State Championship game, a journey and honor she is extremely proud of.

She earned her undergraduate degree from Colorado State University in Fort Collins and her MBA from the University of Phoenix in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Ms. Watchman-Moore, a native of Crystal, New Mexico, is a member of the Navajo Nation. She is married to Henry, a police lieutenant, and the two have five children.

Contact the Office of the Regional Administrator