Dr. Ben Carson
Detroit native Dr. Ben Carson, who was a front-runner for a time during the GOP presidential primaries, may be joining the administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump announced on his Facebook page Monday morning that he was nominating Carson for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
“I am thrilled to nominate Dr. Ben Carson as our next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development," Trump said in a statement. "Ben Carson has a brilliant mind and is passionate about strengthening communities and families within those communities. We have talked at length about my urban renewal agenda and our message of economic revival, very much including our inner cities. Ben shares my optimism about the future of our country and is part of ensuring that this is a Presidency representing all Americans. He is a tough competitor and never gives up.”
In the same announcement, Carson, 65, says:
“I am honored to accept the opportunity to serve our country in the Trump administration. I feel that I can make a significant contribution particularly by strengthening communities that are most in need. We have much work to do in enhancing every aspect of our nation and ensuring that our nation’s housing needs are met.”
Carson was born in Detroit in 1951. His bio issued by the Trump campaign says that he graduated Southwestern High School, where he also became a senior commander in the school's ROTC program.
He earned a full scholarship to Yale University and graduated in 1973 with a B.A. degree in psychology. He enrolled in the School of Medicine at the University of Michigan, choosing to become a neurosurgeon.
Carson became director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital at age 33 and earned fame for his groundbreaking work separating conjoined twins.
