Melinda Lord has 23 years of experience in community development, specializing in affordable housing, homelessness assistance, economic development, budgeting, and grant management. She holds a Bachelor's in Interdisciplinary Studies, focusing on public administration and policy from Georgia Southern University. Melinda joined HCD in 2015 as a Community Development Specialist and was later promoted to Community Development Administrator and Assistant Director. Before ACCGov, she worked in Greenville, SC, as a Program Manager for a transitional housing program for homeless individuals and families. She also briefly worked in 2022 as Program Operations Manager for the City of Atlanta. Melinda has significant expertise in managing grants from federal, state, and local sources, including CDBG, HOME, CoC, ARPA, HOPWA, CARES, ESG, and CPP.