Jessica Handforth Kome

Jessie is a national subject matter expert in federal grant compliance, leveraging nearly four decades of leadership experience at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). As the former Director of HUD’s Office of Block Grant Assistance, she oversaw a multi-billion-dollar portfolio of community development, affordable housing, and disaster recovery programs, including the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Jessie is adept at resolving complex policy issues, developing and implementing program budgets, negotiating grant-management performance metrics, and overseeing major mixed financial/grant performance management IT systems. Jessie provided instrumental in launching and managing significant initiatives such as the CDBG Disaster Recovery and Neighborhood Stabilization Program.