Harry Finger already had a distinguished career before he arrived at the Department of Housing and Urban Development in 1969. An aeronautical nuclear engineer, Finger was seminal in NASA's pursuit of rocket propulsion technology for deep space missions to Mars and beyond.

After an "out of the blue" offer, he jumped abroad HUD. His work there was critical to building a strong foundation for the agency, rising to Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology. He offers a fascinating story from his time supporting World War II in the U.S. Army Air Corps to innovative ideas in boosting affordable housing policy.