Karen Romaine Thomas

MBA, Chief Executive Officer

Karen Romaine Thomas serves as Chief Executive Officer of National Housing Compliance (NHC), a 501(c)(4) that provides professional training and compliance services to the affordable housing industry throughout the nation as well as serves as the performance-based contract administrator (PBCA) for the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development in the states of Georgia and Illinois.

With a career in finance spanning more than three decades in both the public and private sectors, Ms. Romaine Thomas has vast experience in devising and executing strategic business initiatives that drive growth and operational performance. Since joining NHC in 2008, she has built an impressive record of results leading administrative and operational functions while driving integrated business process improvements and automation initiatives that enhanced PBCA activities.

In her current role as CEO, Ms. Romaine Thomas sets the strategic direction and coordinates the activities of a talented, dedicated executive leadership team charged with the oversight and compliance of approximately 900 federally assisted multifamily properties in Georgia and Illinois.

Prior to taking the helm as CEO, Ms. Romaine Thomas was the Chief Financial Officer of NHC. In this role, she was instrumental in establishing and maintaining financial and operational controls that enabled the efficient administration and contractual compliance of affordable housing programs for HUD. She overhauled the organization’s processes and technology to streamline workflows and increase accuracy and efficiency. She also regularly reported to the Board of Directors on the organizational performance.

Ms. Romaine Thomas joined NHC in 2008 after a 12-year tenure with Schwan Food Company, one of the largest manufacturers of frozen foods in the U.S. She held a series of senior and executive leadership roles, culminating in her serving as Senior Vice President – Finance, Corporate Shared Services.  During her time at Schwan, she completed a European assignment, in which she led the financial operations in England, Germany and France.

Throughout her career, Ms. Romaine Thomas has been an active member of several industry organizations, including the Southeastern Affordable Housing Management Association (SAHMA), the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) and National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO). Additionally, she sits on the board of the Local Housing Administrators Coalition (LHAC). Her hard work and diligence in creating a pricing model for NCSHA and HUD exemplifies the extraordinary contributions she has made to the industry through her service.

Ms. Romaine Thomas graduated summa cum laude from Mercer University with a Master of Business Administration in International Marketing and Finance. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Washburn University.

Serving as a caretaker for her mother for many years inspired Ms. Romaine Thomas to become a senior care advocate. She serves on the Board of Labor of Love Adult Care, a senior care organization headquartered in North Georgia.

You may reach Karen by e-mail at nhcceo@nhcinc.org.