County Manager's Office
Cynthia W. Curry, Senior Advisor for Economic Development and Housing Initiatives

Cynthia W. Curry was appointed Senior Advisor for Economic Development and Housing Initiatives effective February 21, 2006. Curry is charged with the responsibility of developing and guiding the implementation of critically important housing and economic development strategies that touch every sector of our community.

Curry served as assistant county manager from 1988 to 1995. As an assistant county manager, she provided direct assistance and support to the County Manager in upholding fiduciary responsibilities to the Board of County Commissioners and to the public. She administered the policies and programs of Miami-Dade County government through the oversight of various departments to include: General Services Administration; Department of Business and Economic Development; Office of Development and Facilities Management; Office of Contract Coordination; Office of Community Development; Special Housing Programs; and the Independent Review Panel.

As assistant county manager, Curry established and managed Project C.H.A.R.T. (Coordinated Hurricane Andrew Recovery Team) in South-Dade after Hurricane Andrew working with administrators from Housing and Urban Development, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the State of Florida to coordinate and accelerate the long-term recovery process of cleaning up and rebuilding South Miami-Dade. The basic premise of Project C.H.A.R.T. was to offer citizens a mini-county hall, a single place they could go to have their questions answered and their problems addressed.

In 1995, Curry was appointed vice president of business and finance at Florida International University (FIU).  In this capacity, she provided direct assistance and support to the president of the university as the chief business and finance officer responsible for organizing and managing the divisions of human resources; facilities planning, design and operations; purchasing and central support services; accounting; campus security; environmental health and safety; traffic and parking; auxiliary services; and budget development and planning. During her tenure at FIU, Curry participated with Miami-Dade County and led the application development effort to successfully receive federal empowerment zone designation. During this period, Curry was also appointed by the late Governor Lawton Chiles to serve as a member of the City of Miami Financial Oversight Board.