Claudette Fernandez is the General Deputy Assistant Secretary for HUD’s Office of Community Planning & Development (CPD) and brings over 20 years of diverse local and federal experiences in strategic leadership, policy development, stakeholder engagement, and program delivery.  

Prior to joining HUD, Claudette served as Director for US Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Secretary where she oversaw farm, forestry, food, energy, and rural policies and actions across over 20 agencies.  Claudette also served as the Chief Operating Officer for the U.S. Forest Service where she led 25 Job Corp Civilian Conservation Centers and 4,000 workforce who helped enable 40K wildland firefighters, researchers, and national forest staff.  She also served in various program executive leadership roles at USDA Rural Development and FEMA where she led multi-billion-dollar grants, loans, and loan guarantee programs that financed thousands of businesses, housing, infrastructure, and disaster resilience projects.  

Before joining the federal service in 2005, her community development experiences with South Georgia Regional Development Center and Maryland’s Prince George’s County Department of Housing & Community Development remain a centering force that has focused her career on effective delivery of federal programs and creating opportunities for those most in need.  

Claudette earned Master of Public Administration and B.A. in Political Science from Valdosta State University and a Master of Engineering Science from George Washington University.  Born in Manila, Philippines, Claudette lives in rural Port Tobacco, Maryland with her husband and three children.

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