Brown and Caldwell appoints VP of strategic funding

Seema Chavan has been appointed vice president and senior director of strategic funding at Brown and Caldwell, an environmental protection engineering agency headquartered in Walnut Creek, California. Chavan will lead the agency’s funding and finance group to help clients secure financial aid for public water infrastructure projects. 

At Brown and Caldwell, Chavan will review projects to identify funding mechanisms, advise on project scoping to maximize funding opportunities and work directly with clients to select and apply for financial assistance. Further, she will provide counsel on how federal, state and local funding could increase clients’ financial capabilities.  

“I am thrilled to welcome Seema to Brown and Caldwell,” says Geoff Grant, chief growth officer at Brown and Caldwell. “Her expertise will play a key role in helping water and wastewater agencies understand and position for outside project funding while reducing the financial burden on their customers.” 

Chavan holds a master’s degree in environmental engineering, a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and has a 20-year background in the water and wastewater industry. Brown and Caldwell says she is skilled in partnering with public utilities to identify, strategize and secure federal, state and local low-interest loan and grant opportunities. Chavan has helped obtain $800 million in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Reclamation, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Agriculture, Clean Water/Drinking Water State Revolving Funds and various state programs for multimillion-dollar capital improvement programs.