Seema Thomas is the Deputy Director for the Financial Management Division (FMD) in the Office of Block Grant Assistance in the Department of Community Planning and Development at HUD. Her Division oversees and manages the Section 108 Program, the Loan Guarantee component of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. She works with local governments and states in using HUD’s Section 108 to catalyze private economic activity in underserved areas across the nation or to fill a financing gap in important community projects. She holds a bachelor's degree in engineering, a master's degree in urban planning, and a master's degree in public affairs.