Former HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge becomes a partner at law firm Taft

About two months after resigning as the 18th secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Marcia Fudge has joined law firm Taft as a partner and chair of public policy, the company announced this week.

Fudge will “dedicate a portion of her time to the firm’s ongoing efforts to combat the harmful effects of forever chemicals” and bolster the firm’s relationships with “governmental and corporate leaders both in her home state of Ohio and across the United States,” the law firm stated. 

Two other former HUD staffers will also join the law firm. Imani Edwards will be a director of public affairs based in Cleveland, and Garrett McDaniel will be the director of public affairs based in Washington, D.C. Fudge is tasked with bringing other talent to the company. 

“My top priority as a leader has always been to develop effective solutions and results for the people and communities I have been called to serve,” Fudge said in a prepared statement. “In my transition to life as a private citizen and attorney, it was important for me to land among professionals who are similarly dedicated to solutions-driven work.”  

Taft has approximately 875 attorneys in eight major Midwest markets (Chicago; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Columbus; Dayton, Ohio; Detroit; Indianapolis; and Minneapolis), as well as Washington, D.C. According to Am Law 100, it is the 83rd largest firm in the U.S. by revenue.

“Bringing someone of Secretary Fudge’s stature and caliber is highly strategic for Taft” as her “service-oriented leadership and vast experience will have an extremely positive impact on our clients and the communities we serve,” Taft chairman and managing partner Robert J. Hicks said in a statement.

Fudge left HUD on March 22 after leading the agency for about three years, including through portions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, she spent 12 years in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Ohio’s 11th Congressional District, which encompasses parts of Cleveland and Akron.

Fudge earned a law degree from Cleveland State University and entered politics in 2000 after being elected mayor of Cleveland-area suburb Warrensville Heights. She was the first female and first African-American mayor of the city.

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