Santa Teresa HS, Class of 2001
Director, Santa Ana Homeownership Center, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Frederick Griefer is a proud graduate of Santa Teresa High School, where his older brother and sister also attended. While at Santa Teresa, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout in his local Boy Scout troop as well as being selected as the Captain of the Varsity Tennis Team. After graduation, he enrolled at San José State University, where he majored in Political Science with a minor in Business. Frederick earned a Master's Degree in Political Administration (MPA) from California State University at Long Beach in 2006 and was selected for induction into the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society.
After finishing graduate school, Frederick was hired as a grants management specialist in Washington, DC working for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families serving as the lead specialist for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program prior to transitioning over to Grants Policy working in the Office of the Secretary for HHS. Frederick then moved to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) where he served as the Team Leader for Grantee Compliance.
Frederick then was selected to serve as the Director of Grants Management and Field Operations for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Native American Programs where he oversaw a staff of over 100 employees in six field offices across the country. He was responsible for multiple grant programs including one that provided housing assistance as well as wraparound case management services for homeless and at risk of homelessness Native American Veterans in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
After 13 years in Washington, DC, Frederick had the opportunity to move back home to California, where he currently serves as the Director of the HUD Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Santa Ana Homeownership Center. HUD Homeownership Centers develop and oversee regional outreach strategy, insure single family FHA mortgages, assure FHA mortgage quality, and oversee the selling of HUD homes. The Santa Ana Homeownership Center (SAHOC) is a 150-person operation serving the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
In his spare time, Fred has volunteered with the Boy Scouts of America, serves as a mentor to San José State students, and volunteers at the Cal State Long Beach Graduate Center for Public Policy and Administration, where he was recently selected as the 2023 Distinguished Alumni. He and his family live in Mission Viejo, where his son is preparing to enter preschool and daughter is attending kindergarten.