Jon L. Gant, Director of Office for Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control
In 2006, Jon L. Gant was named Director of the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control, an office composed of scientists, environmental policy analysts and public health professionals working together with Federal, State and local agencies and other stakeholders to ensure that America’s children grow up in healthy and safe homes free from hazardous substances that cause preventable diseases. His office administers about $700 million in grants for research, training and capacity building in addition to producing over 14,000 lead safe homes annually and has been instrumental in reducing lead poisoning in children by over 75% over the past ten years. Under his leadership, HUD issued its Healthy Homes Strategy in conjunction with the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Healthy Homes in order to transition the lead hazard control program into a broader healthy homes approach and ensuring new policies and programs benefit vulnerable families.
From 2003-2006, Mr. Gant served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Programs, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, responsible for enforcing the civil rights statutes nationwide. His office also administered approximately $50 million in grants through the Fair Housing Initiatives Program and Fair Housing Assistance Program and served as the primary liaison with the Department of Justice on civil rights matters.
From 1999-2003, Mr. Gant was the Director of the Departmental Enforcement Center (DEC), and served as the Department’s sanctioning official for suspension and debarment. During his tenure, the DEC centralized enforcement authority into a focused organization that restored more than one million rental units for low-income families and recovered more than $200 million in settlements and civil money penalties. The success of the DEC was cited as an important reason for removing HUD from GAO’s “high risk” list.
From 1990-1998, Mr. Gant was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern and Eastern Districts of Texas. He was a member of the Justice Department’s Bank Fraud Task Force, which prosecuted the majority of Savings and Loan cases in the 1990’s. A veteran criminal prosecutor, he has tried more than 100 jury trials in Federal court.
Prior to 1990, Mr. Gant served on active duty in the United States Marine Corps and continued in the Marine Reserve until retiring in 2008. He served as Deputy Director for Reserve Affairs, Judge Advocate Division, the top judge advocate job in the Marine Reserve and as a military judge. He deployed to Iraq in 2006. Other assignments include Marine Corps Congressional liaison and chief criminal trial counsel in both Europe and the Far East. He also served in an artillery regiment and a Marine Air Group.
Mr. Gant is married with two children, ages 13 and 11. His wife is a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is a graduate of Stetson University Law School, Georgetown University and Berry College.
