Claudette Fernandez
Director, Office of Block Grant Assistance
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Washington, DC
Claudette Fernandez serves as the Director of HUD’s Office of Block Grant Assistance where Consolidated Planning, Community Development Block Grants, Neighborhood Stabilization Program, Section 108 Loan Guarantees and Disaster Recovery Supplemental Funds are managed and administered. Prior to joining HUD in October 2018, Fernandez served as the Chief Innovation Officer for USDA Rural Development. In this role, Fernandez managed strategic partnerships, regulation reform, and evidence-based policies to advance rural infrastructure priorities such as recovery support for communities impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. She also served as Deputy Administrator for USDA’s Business Programs overseeing grants, revolving loan funds, and guaranteed loan programs where she implemented public-private partnerships to leverage resources and increase access to capital for businesses and cooperatives in rural and tribal communities. Fernandez has also served as Assistant Administrator for Water & Environmental Programs financing over 30,000 rural water, wastewater, and solid-waste utilities to ensure access to clean drinking water particularly in unserved and underserved rural communities. Prior to joining USDA, Fernandez served as Senior Program Manager for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) where she led and managed multi-hazard grants and cooperative agreements in support of community preparedness and mitigation. She also worked for South Georgia Regional Development Commission, Prince George's County Department of Housing & Community Development and the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Claudette has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration from Valdosta State University. She also received a Master of Engineering Science in Emergency Management from George Washington University.