Executive Counsel, Louisiana Office of Community Development – Disaster Recovery Unit
Dan Rees has served as legal counsel for the State of Louisiana’s Office of Community Development – Disaster Recovery Unit for more than nine years, since hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck in 2005.
At OCD-DRU, Rees’s responsibilities include providing legal representation and counsel on policies and procedures for the agency’s housing, economic development and infrastructure programs. These programs are funded by more than $15 billion in Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery funds made available by HUD for recovery from hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike and Isaac.
In larger agency projects involving multiple financing sources, Rees’s efforts have established bridges between the often inconsistent regulatory requirements of various funding sources. His work has allowed critical projects to move to completion, including funding use of CDBG-DR as leverage for New Market Tax Credits and HUD’s 242 Loan Program, among others.
Prior to Hurricane Katrina, Rees operated a state-wide private practice encompassing real estate transactions, insurance law and litigation, along with representation of local political subdivisions.
Rees holds a Juris Doctorate degree and Bachelor of Arts in English from Tulane University in New Orleans.