Karl F. Seidman is an economic development practitioner with 18 years experience in program design and management, the financing and supervision of complex development projects, program evaluation, and the preparation of development plans and strategies. He is also Lecturer at MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning where he teaches Economic Development Finance and Economic Development Planning.

Mr. Seidman served as Deputy Director and Chief Financial Officer of the Massachusetts Government Land Bank (now MassDevelopment), a state agency that finances and manages redevelopment projects, where his accomplishment included:

• Overseeing the financing and management of $60 million in loans to over 70 projects, including industrial parks, multi-family and special needs housing, office buildings, retail centers and small business incubators 
• Designing and implementing the Emerging Technology Fund and the Pre-development Assistance Program 
• Implementing plans for the reuse of Fort Devens and redevelopment of the Gloucester State Fish Pier 
• Securing $72 million in new capital through an asset-backed financing, tax-exempt bonds and taxable bonds

Mr. Seidman also served as Senior Associate at Mt. Auburn Associates, Research Director for the Massachusetts legislature's Joint Committee on Taxation and the Joint Committee on Commerce and Labor, and Economic Development Coordinator for the Town of Watertown.

His consulting experience includes:

• Preparing over a dozen local and regional economic development plans, including a successful federal Empowerment Zone application 
• Evaluating federal, state and local economic and community development programs, including the US Economic Development Administration's Revolving Loan Fund Program, the federal Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community Program, the Massachusetts' Community Development Finance Corporation, and the Pew Charitable Trusts' Neighborhood Preservation Initiative 
• Completing feasibility analysis, market analysis, financing packages, and marketing plans for a dozen development projects, including brownfield sites, mixed used developments, technology/research parks, office buildings, and shopping centers.

Mr. Seidman holds a Master's degree in Public Policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and a Bachelor's degree in political science from Amherst College. He is the author of over twenty-five reports and articles in books or professional journals, the editor of a book on defense conversion for economic development practitioners, and a frequent speaker on economic development at professional conferences.