Mary Barrett Brewer ‘86, Chief Counsel at the U.S. Dept. Of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), received the HUD Secretary Award for Distinguished Service.
The award honors the work, sacrifice, and professional excellence of employees within the agency. A single winner among HUD’s roughly 10,000 employees is selected every two years by the HUD Secretary.
Ms. Brewer began her stellar career as a HUD attorney in 1991. Throughout those 34 years of dedicated service, she has become an invaluable member of the Office of General Counsel (OGC). She has worked for all three branches of the federal government. Most recently, she has served as the Chief Counsel for the State of Tennessee since 2010. Initially, Ms. Brewer worked on affirmative civil litigation, she was designated as a SAUSA for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. DOJ sent attorneys to Nashville to work alongside Ms. Brewer to recover defrauded HUD funds under the Deficiency Judgment Act successfully recovering a significant amount of money. Her integrity, practical approaches to problems, and legal acumen ensures that her outstanding relationship with the U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to this day.
Mary Barrett Brewer could be said to have the largest client ratio of any attorney in Region IV. She provides legal counsel to three Tennessee Field offices, two Tennessee PIH HUB offices that serve 85 Housing Authorities, two MF Program areas, CPD, Admin, LEAN, and the Office of Recapitalization. She works collaboratively with staff in Atlanta and Jacksonville on MF Tennessee matters. She enjoys an excellent working relationship with State and Community partners in Tennessee. It is notable that for the period from FY2010 to mid FY2024, Ms. Brewer worked on financial transactions totaling over 13 billion dollars.
Ms. Brewer has been commended for her efforts to recruit and retain outstanding attorneys for OGC. Ms. Brewer’s strong work ethic combined with her perseverance and a willingness to go above and beyond is a testament to her continuing commitment to excellence. She is beloved by her OGC colleagues, the Tennessee HUD staff, and respected by program clients and external partners.
