Anna Maria Farias

Early life and education

Farias grew up in the housing projects of Crystal City, Texas. She was high school valedictorian and earned a scholarship to attend Boston University, where she received a B.A. with honors. Farias has a J.D. from Temple University Beasley School of Law and was a fellow at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Career

From 1980 to 1985, Farias was an attorney with the United States Merit Systems Protection Board. From 1985 to 1988, she worked for United States Secretary of Education William Bennett. Farias served as counsel to a member of the National Labor Relations Board from 1989 to 1992. From 1992 to 1993, she was a member of the Wage Appeals Board and Board of Service Contract Appeals at the United States Department of Labor. From 1993 through 2000, Farias was executive director of the Housing Authority of Crystal City, Texas, her hometown.

From 2001 to 2008, Farias served as senior counsel to former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Mel Martínez and as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Initiatives, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grant Programs, and Director for the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Farias serves on the board of directors for the One Star Foundation in Austin, Texas. She was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 2000. Farias served as vice chair of the Republican Party of Bexar County, Texas from 2015 to 2017, when she was confirmed by the United States Senate as Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. She is the current chairwoman of the Board of Regents at Texas Woman's University.