HCD Creates Additional Division for Financial Assistance Governor Newsom Appoints Division Executive Leadership Governor Newsom has made addressing homelessness and housing affordability top priorities for his administration. At HCD, we continue to ensure our programs are responsive to this agenda by streamlining our funding programs so that we have greater certainty and efficiency in producing, preserving, and protecting more affordable housing. In that effort, the growth of HCD along with significant increases in both state and federal funding have led us to bifurcate our Division of Financial Assistance into focused and dedicated standalone divisions — the Division of State Financial Assistance and the Division of Federal Financial Assistance.   We are also pleased to share that Governor Newsom appointed two excellent and dedicated leaders to head up these divisions. Geoffrey Ross has been appointed as Deputy Director over federal programs and Jennifer Seeger will continue her excellent leadership as our Deputy Director over state programs.

Geoffrey Ross has been with HCD as Assistant Deputy Director in HCD’s Division of Financial Assistance since May 2020 and most recently was instrumental in the successful implementation of the Homekey initiative. Before joining HCD, Ross was Executive Director of the Sonoma County Community Development Commission and, prior to that, served as the Assistant Director of Development and Federal Programs at the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency.

In both roles, his chief responsibilities were utilization and engagement with federal resources. He started his housing career at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and his public service includes serving as legislative staff in the California State Assembly as well as being a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Ross has a Masters in Planning from the University of Southern California and a Bachelors in Political Science and Policy Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Jennifer Seeger has served at HCD for nearly 20 years in numerous leadership roles and will continue serving in her capacity of Deputy Director for the Division of Financial Assistance—State Programs, where she was appointed by Governor Newsom in September 2020. Prior to her appointment, Seeger served as Acting Deputy Director of the Division of Financial Assistance since 2019.

Before that, Seeger served in several positions since 2003, including Assistant Deputy Director of the Division of Financial Assistance, Assistant Deputy Director of the Division of Housing Policy Development, and Senior Housing Policy Manager. Seeger was a Congress-Bundestag Young Professionals Fellow in 1997, where she worked for the City of Leipzig’s Municipal Office of Economic Development. She earned a Master of Public Administration degree in international public administration from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

With continued growth of funding in both federal and state resources anticipated, this creation of two divisions, led by two deputy directors, will allow HCD to provide the accountability needed to successfully serve HCD’s customers and stakeholders as we make bold strides in our mission to promote safe, affordable homes and vibrant, inclusive, sustainable communities for all Californians.

Gustavo Velasquez Director California Department of Housing and Community Development

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