Mercedes Márquez

Founder & President, Márquez Community Strategy

Mercedes Márquez is founder and president of Márquez Community Strategy, where her primary focus is providing technical assistance to large municipalities seeking to raise their level of data-driven planning and decision making, leverage their assets and networks, expand the impact of their work, and improve their overall performance with respect to community planning and development programs.

Her experience includes serving concurrently as Los Angeles’ deputy mayor for housing and as general manager of the Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department from 2012 to 2013. During this time, she managed housing and neighborhood investment programs targeting issues such as housing finance, homelessness, and neighborhood stabilization. She also served as general manager for the Los Angeles Housing Department from 2004 to 2009.

Between her stints with Los Angeles government agencies, Mercedes worked for three years as assistant secretary of the Office of Community Planning and Development for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. She administered approximately $8 billion annually in programs designed to support community and economic development, affordable housing, and homeless assistance programs. She also oversaw $30 billion in disaster recovery funds and led stimulus programs, including the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. 

Mercedes’ other experience includes serving as vice-president of McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc., a national firm specializing in the development, consultation and management of urban communities, and as deputy general counsel and senior counsel for civil rights and fair housing to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. She also has practiced law, specializing in public interest litigation involving issues such as slumlords, fair housing, public housing, sexual harassment, and employment discrimination.