Full Name
Diane Shelley
Job Title
Midwest Regional Administrator
Company
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Speaker Bio
Diane M. Shelley was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Midwest Regional Administrator. Regional Administrator Shelley is based in Chicago and oversees HUD operations, seven field offices and federal housing assistance throughout the six-state region, which covers Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. She also is HUD's regional liaison to elected officials, congressional delegations, associations and stakeholders.
As a lifelong social justice advocate working to eliminate poverty and economic insecurity, Shelley joined HUD with a long record of public service. Prior to joining HUD, she served as an elected Illinois state court judge for 15 years, resolving complex business, construction, housing, and employment issues. She conducted more than 100 jury trials and negotiated settlement of many more. The Illinois Supreme Court also appointed Shelley to the Commission on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security, and she was a recipient of the Chicago Bar Association’s Earl B. Dickerson Award for a career devoted to helping others gain equality and justice. Before serving as a judge, Shelley practiced law for nearly 25 years, beginning her career with grassroots nonprofit organizations and going on to head litigation for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, litigating and managing complex construction disputes and environmental issues.
A Chicago native with roots in the city’s Bronzeville neighborhood, Shelley earned a juris doctorate degree from University of Iowa College of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is former president of the Illinois Judges Association and, a former chair of the Illinois Judicial Council, and continues as a dedicated member of several bar associations, including the American Bar Association, National Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association, Cook County Bar Association and Black Women Lawyers’ Association, and civic organizations.
As a lifelong social justice advocate working to eliminate poverty and economic insecurity, Shelley joined HUD with a long record of public service. Prior to joining HUD, she served as an elected Illinois state court judge for 15 years, resolving complex business, construction, housing, and employment issues. She conducted more than 100 jury trials and negotiated settlement of many more. The Illinois Supreme Court also appointed Shelley to the Commission on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security, and she was a recipient of the Chicago Bar Association’s Earl B. Dickerson Award for a career devoted to helping others gain equality and justice. Before serving as a judge, Shelley practiced law for nearly 25 years, beginning her career with grassroots nonprofit organizations and going on to head litigation for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, litigating and managing complex construction disputes and environmental issues.
A Chicago native with roots in the city’s Bronzeville neighborhood, Shelley earned a juris doctorate degree from University of Iowa College of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is former president of the Illinois Judges Association and, a former chair of the Illinois Judicial Council, and continues as a dedicated member of several bar associations, including the American Bar Association, National Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association, Cook County Bar Association and Black Women Lawyers’ Association, and civic organizations.
Speaking At
