HUD swore in a Virginia-based publisher with British credentials as deputy secretary Wednesday.

Confirmed by the Senate in late March, Maurice Jones stepped up to serve as the federal agency’s second senior-most official.

“Maurice has one of the strongest public and private sector track records I’ve seen for building consensus and solving big problems,” HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said in a statement. “As we continue to confront our current housing challenges, HUD will certainly benefit from Maurice’s intellect, his proven management experience and his great people skills.”

Jones arrives at his new position

with considerable credentials. Graduating from Hampden-Sydney College, he snagged a Rhodes scholarship to study and later pick up a degree from the University of Oxford. He later graduated from the University of Virginia with a juris doctor.

He recently led Pilot Media as its president in Norfolk, managing The Virginia-Pilot – of which he also served as publisher – as well as Pilot Interactive and Targeted Publications and Media. He climbed the ladder from a previous role as VP of the Landmark Publishing Group, which included a variety of other news publications.

His public service record includes stints in Virginia, where he also played the roles of commissioner of a state social services agency and deputy chief of staff to Virginia Gov. Mark Warner. Before these roles, he worked as a special assistant to general counsel and as legal counsel to the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund during the Clinton administration.

What does the new official have to say?

“President Obama and Secretary Donovan have blessed me with the opportunity to join HUD during this critical period when we continue to support a fragile recovery from an historic housing crisis,” Jones said in a statement.

“I’m ready to help continue transforming an organization charged with moving beyond the yesterday’s experiences to tackle today’s challenges and those we’ll face tomorrow,” he added.