By Reagan Priest | Arizona Capitol Times
Key Points:
- Ruby Dhillon-Williams was narrowly approved by Senate DINO
- Republicans raised concern over past financial mismanagement at ADOH
- Dhillon-Williams’ nomination will go before full Senate for final vote
The Senate Director Nominations Committee (DINO) returned this week after a nearly two month-long hiatus, narrowly approving Gov. Katie Hobbs’ second nominee to lead the Department of Housing.
Three of the committee’s five members voted to recommend the confirmation of Ruby Dhillon-Williams, who has been serving as interim director at ADOH since March 2025. It is a small win for an agency that struggled through intense legislative scrutiny in 2025 following its 2024 sunset review audit. ADOH has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since 2023.
Dhillon-Williams came to ADOH in 2020 after several years working in affordable housing development in the private sector. In addition to having a brief stint as a program manager at the department between 2010 to 2012, Dhillon-Williams started at the department as an assistant deputy director before becoming deputy director under Senate-rejected director Joan Serviss.
Dhillon-Williams’ confirmation hearing was not unlike those of the nominees who came before her. Two Republicans voted against the confirmation after nearly two hours of intense questioning regarding her opinions on the homelessness crisis and the effectiveness of government-funded affordable housing projects.
