Trump nominates Prestonwood associate pastor to serve in his cabinet
President-elect Donald Trump nominated a Texas megachurch associate pastor to serve as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development in his forthcoming administration.
In a statement Friday, Trump announced his selection of Scott Turner, who is listed as an associate pastor at the multi-campus Prestonwood Baptist Church based in Plano, to serve as HUD secretary.
Trump credited Turner, who served in the first Trump administration as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, with "helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country's most distressed communities."
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"Those efforts, working together with former HUD Secretary Ben Carson, were maximized by Scott's guidance in overseeing 16 Federal Agencies which implemented more than 200 policy actions furthering Economic Development," Trump recalled. "Under Scott's leadership, Opportunity Zones received over $50 Billion Dollars in Private Investment!"
Turner, one of two Southern Baptists nominated by Trump to a cabinet position this year, played in the National Football League for parts of seven seasons. A defensive back, he played for the Washington Redskins and the San Diego Chargers. Turner served in the Texas House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017.
Turner also serves on the board of the American Cornerstone Institute, an organization established by Carson after the first Trump administration to advance the principles of faith, liberty, community and life.
Prestonwood Senior Pastor Jack Graham praised Turner as a "glorious choice" and a "great man" in a statement posted to X Friday.
Graham expressed confidence Turner "will do a tremendous job in this important responsibility."
Carson called Scott a "natural born leader, a man of God, and a truly brilliant individual," calling his selection "phenomenal."
"I am confident he will take this agency to new heights and deliver great results for the American people!" Carson wrote in an X post.
The Community Engagement & Opportunity Council, which Turner founded in 2021, operates Learning Labs, which are as "Christ-centered reading enhancement programs for Kindergarten through 5th grade students" that encourage the children to "have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ" and teaches them Bible verses as they work to help the children gain the reading comprehension skills needed to read at grade level.
The CEOC's First Down Mentorship Program provides student-athletes with interactive sessions about professional etiquette, the difference between role and identity, financial literacy, social media presence, safety and resume building. The program concludes with a summer internship at one of the CEOC's partner organizations.
Turner serves on the board of several additional organizations, including the America First Policy Institute's Center for Education Opportunity, Dallas Baptist University and the Master Cares Foundation, which works in Uganda to "provide the hope that God promises to the poor through aid that goes beyond traditional means."
"We seek to walk alongside the people of Uganda, Africa as they strive to lift themselves out of desperate situations," the Master Cares Foundation website states.
The organization's charitable efforts include the construction and operation of a hospital and a Christian school that serves over 900 students in Uganda and vocational training in the disciplines of sewing and ranching and the drilling of water wells.
Turner's fate now rests in the hands of the U.S. Senate, where Republicans will hold the majority in the forthcoming 119th U.S. Congress that is slated to begin in January. The upper chamber will consist of 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats. As Turner only needs the support of a simple majority of 51 U.S. senators, he is expected to have the votes necessary to secure confirmation assuming that all Republicans support his nomination and the possibility remains that some Democrats could back him.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected]
