Scott Turner – HUD

Scott Turner

Summary

Eric Scott Turner (born February 26, 1972) is an American businessman, motivational speaker, politician, and former professional football player who served as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council from 2019 to 2021. Prior, he served as state representative for Texas’ 33rd House District, which includes part of Collin County and all of Rockwall County, from 2013 to 2017. Before entering politics, Turner played cornerback for the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons.

In November 2024, President-elect Trump announced his intent to nominate Turner as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in his second administration.

Source: Wikipedia

OnAir Post: Scott Turner – HUD

News

What to know about Scott Turner, Trump’s pick for housing secretary
Associated Press, Adriana Gomez LiconNovember 23, 2024

Scott Turner, President-elect Donald Trump choice to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, is a former NFL player who ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term.

Turner, 52, is the first Black person selected to be a member of the Republican’s Cabinet.

During offseasons, he worked as an intern then-Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif. After Turner retired in 2004, he worked full time for the congressman. In 2006, Turner ran unsuccessfully as a Republican in California’s 50th Congressional District.

Turner joined the Texas House in 2013 as part of a large crop of tea party-supported lawmakers. He tried unsuccessfully to become speaker before he finished his second term in 2016. He did not seek a third term

About

Source: HUD page

Scott Turner 1Scott Turner currently serves as the Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council. The Council’s core mission includes leading joint efforts across Federal executive departments and agencies to engage with State, local, tribal, and territorial governments to find ways to better use public funds to revitalize urban and economically distressed communities.

Prior to joining the Federal government, Mr. Turner served in the Texas House of Representatives from 2013-2017, where he represented House District 33 (encompassing all of Rockwall County and portions of Collin County). Mr. Turner’s time in the Texas House was preceded by a successful business career in which he served as the Chief Inspiration officer of Systemware, as well as a Senior Advisor to the National Football League’s (NFL) Executive Vice President of Football Operations.

In 1995, he was drafted into the NFL where he enjoyed a 9-year career playing for the Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers, and Denver Broncos. A fourth-generation Texan who graduated from the University of Illinois, Mr. Turner also received an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Dallas Baptist University in 2016 for his outstanding Christian Leadership. Mr. Turner and his wife Robin have a son Solomon, who is currently a freshman student-athlete at Baylor University.

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More Information

Wikipedia

Eric Scott Turner (born February 26, 1972) is an American businessman, motivational speaker, politician, and former professional football player who served as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council from 2019 to 2021. Prior, he served as state representative for Texas33rd House District, which includes part of Collin County and all of Rockwall County, from 2013 to 2017. Before entering politics, Turner played cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons.

In November 2024, President-elect Trump announced his intent to nominate Turner as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in his second administration.

Early life and education

A fourth-generation Texan,[2] Turner grew up in the Dallas area.[3][4] As a child, he attended Mount Pisgah Baptist Community Church, where members of his family have been active since 1898.[4] At the age of 10, Turner’s parents divorced.[4] He told his mom that he was going to play in the NFL.[5]

Turner attended Pearce High School,[6] where he played football and ran track[5] and graduated in 1990.[4] In high school, he worked as a dishwasher at Spring Creek Barbeque in Richardson, Texas.[4]

Turner earned a full academic and athletic scholarship to the University of Illinois.[6] In football, he initially played wide receiver and switched to cornerback his senior year,[6]
wearing number “21” and compiling forty-eight tackles for the 1994 Liberty Bowl champions.[7] In track and field, Turner specialized in the 200 and 400 meters,[7]
winning Big Ten Indoor Freshman of the Year in 1991,[8] and a pair of Big Ten 400 meters indoor titles in 1992 and 1993.[7] He was named Big Ten Athlete of the Month (January) in 1993,[9] and earned First Team, All-Big Ten honors in 1992, 1993, and 1994.[3][10] As part of the Illinois men’s 4×400 meter relay indoor team (1991) and outdoor teams (1993 and 1994), Turner received All-America status in track and field.[11]

Turner graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in speech communications in 1995.[5]

Football career

Turner was drafted in the seventh round of the 1995 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins.[4][3][12][13] He signed a three year deal with the team,[5] played cornerback for the Redskins from 1995 to 1997.[14] After three years, Turner was cut by Redskins coach Norv Turner.[4]

He then played four seasons (1998-2002) for the San Diego Chargers.[13][14] He was cut by the Chargers,[5] and did not play in the 2002 NFL Season. Turner was the last Charger to wear #21 before Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson wore the number.[15]

Turner signed with the Denver Broncos in 2003.[13][14] A 2004 leg injury during training camp ended his professional football career.[5] He played in 101 NFL games, recording 89 tackles, five interceptions (including one for a touchdown),[7] and two sacks.[14][7]

Since his playing career ended, Turner has served as a coach for the NFL’s Legends Community transition program,[13] and as a senior advisor to the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations.[16][2]

Political career

During the 2003 NFL off-season, Turner worked as an intern for Congressman Duncan Hunter.[13][4] After retiring from football, he accepted a full-time job in the congressman’s office. In 2006, he ran for the vacated seat of California’s 50th congressional district in the 2006 special election to replace Duke Cunningham. In the blanket primary election held April 11, 2006, Turner finished eighth out of 17 candidates.[17] After losing the election, Turner moved back to Frisco, Texas.

In 2012, Turner announced his candidacy for the newly created 33rd District of the Texas House of Representatives. Turner defeated Jim Pruitt in the Republican primary and defeated Libertarian candidate Michael Carrasco in the November 6 general election.

He was sworn into the Texas Legislature on January 8, 2013.[18] That same year, he was named by GOPAC to their list of Emerging Leaders in the Republican party.[19]
Turner challenged Joe Straus for role of Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives in January 2015, the first recorded Speaker vote since 1976.[20] Though backed by the Tea Party Caucus, Turner lost to Straus by 127 votes to 19.[21] [22]

Turner served two consecutive terms in the Texas Legislature, representing the 33rd District from January 2013 to January 2017.[18][2]

Turner in 2019 at The White House Opportunity Zones Conference with President Donald Trump (right)

In 2019, President Donald Trump appointed Turner as the director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, created by Executive Order 13853.[23][24][16][2][25]

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Nomination

In 2024, Trump nominated Turner for the position of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in his second administration.[26][27]

Business career

From 2007 to 2023, Turner worked at Systemware, a content management software company, where he served in various capacities, including chief inspiration officer.[2][5][13]

Turner is the founder and president of Community Engagement & Opportunity Council (CEOC), an organization that supports children living in poverty.[16][6] CEOC is credited with renovating the Literacy Lab in Bonton, a section of Dallas.[6]

In 2023, Turner was named Chief Visionary Officer of JPI, a national developer, builder, and investment manager of Class A, attainable and affordable multifamily assets across the U.S.[28][16]

Turner and his wife, Robin Turner, own Statesman Clothiers, a custom men’s clothing company.[13][7]

Personal life

Turner is married to Robin Turner,[13][2][4] a Champaign, Illinois native and an University of Illinois alumna.[7] The couple raised his nephew, Solomon,[2][4] who played football for and graduated from the University of Illinois in 2024.[24]

Turner and his family are members of Prestonwood Baptist Church, where he serves as an associate pastor.[29][16][4]
He received an honorary doctorate from Dallas Baptist University in 2016.[2][13]

References

  1. ^ “Scott Turner”. Pro Football Archives. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Hon. Scott Turner. Executive Director, White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, WHITE HOUSE. U.S. Department of Justice.
  3. ^ a b c Football (March 10, 2006). Catching Up with Former Illini Gridder and Sprinter Scott Turner. University of Illinois.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Prestonwood Baptist Academy (October 9, 2024). From the NFL to the White House | The Life of Scott Turner | The Journey Podcast (transcript). Youtube.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Batheja, Aman (December 17, 2014). In Bid for Speaker, Turner Looks to Beat the Odds. Texas Tribune.
  6. ^ a b c d e Xavier, Diane (October 9, 2021). Former NFL athlete gives back to communities that helped him along the way. The Dallas Examiner.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Pearson, Mike (February 25, 2017). Illini legends, lists & lore: Scott Turner. The News-Gazette.
  8. ^ Masters, Chris (February 22-23, 2019). 2018-19 BIG TEN CONFERENCE MEN’S AND WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS RELEASE. 2018-19 BIG TEN RECORDS BOOK, p. 449.
  9. ^ Masters, Chris (February 22-23, 2019). 2018-19 BIG TEN CONFERENCE MEN’S AND WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS RELEASE. 2018-19 BIG TEN RECORDS BOOK, p. 476.
  10. ^ Masters, Chris (February 22-23, 2019). 2018-19 BIG TEN CONFERENCE MEN’S AND WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS RELEASE. 2018-19 BIG TEN RECORDS BOOK, p. 472.
  11. ^ Huth, Jeff (April 8, 1998). Illinois 4×400 relay team continues winning tradition. The News-Gazette.
  12. ^ “1995 NFL Draft Listing”. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i Zimmerman, Lisa (2016). Former DB Scott Turner’s post-NFL accomplishments are vast and impressive. NFL Enterprises.
  14. ^ a b c d “Scott Turner”. espn.com. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  15. ^ “Trump Will Introduce Scott Turner As The Executive Director Of The White House Opportunity And Revitalization Council :: The Pavlovic Today”. Trump Will Introduce Scott Turner As The Executive Director Of The White House Opportunity And Revitalization Council :: The Pavlovic Today. April 4, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  16. ^ a b c d e JPI (June 7, 2023) JPI ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF SCOTT TURNER AS CHIEF VISIONARY OFFICER.
  17. ^ “Special Primary Election – April 11, 2006”. Secretary of State of California. April 21, 2006. Archived from the original on April 24, 2008. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  18. ^ a b Scott Turner (E. Scott Turner. Legislative Reference Library of Texas.
  19. ^ “GOPAC Announces 2013 Emerging Leaders”. April 29, 2013.
  20. ^ Batheja, Aman (November 25, 2014). “Last Contested Vote for Texas House Speaker Was in 1975”. Texas Tribune. Austin, Texas. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  21. ^ “San Antonio Republican Joe Straus re-elected speaker with all El Paso votes”. El Paso times. January 13, 2015. Archived from the original on January 18, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  22. ^ Tribune, The Texas; Svitek, Patrick (June 25, 2015). “Rep. Scott Turner Not Running for Re-election”. The Texas Tribune. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  23. ^ “Scott Turner Named White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council Executive Director”. April 17, 2019.
  24. ^ a b Solo Turner. University of Illinois Athletics.
  25. ^ “Trump Names Scott Turner as Head of Opportunity and Revitalization Council”. www.novoco.com. April 4, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  26. ^ Delouya, Samantha (November 26, 2024). “Trump’s pick to lead HUD faces home affordability woes and possible budget cuts | CNN Business”. CNN. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  27. ^ “Trump picks Scott Turner to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development”.
  28. ^ “Scott Turner | JPI | Building What Matters”.
  29. ^ “Prestonwood.Live Sunday Service 12/27/20”. YouTube. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021.


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