Biography Leila Finucane Edmonds Director, Department of Housing and Community Development Leila Finucane Edmonds assumed the role of Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) in May of 2007. Ms. Edmonds has extensive expertise in financing, community development and housing matters. Ms. Edmonds joined DHCD from HSBC Bank USA, in New York City, where she worked as a vice president in the community development department. Prior to her work at HSBC, Ms. Edmonds worked at Seedco, a national community development intermediary focused on homeownership, workforce and economic development, first as a program manager and then as a senior loan fund advisor. Ms. Edmonds came to the nonprofit sector from the law firm of Willkie Farr & Gallagher in New York, where she practiced commercial real estate law. Before Willkie, Ms. Edmonds worked as a corporate associate at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan. Ms. Edmonds holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, a JD from NYU’s School of Law and a Master of Urban Planning from NYU’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.