NALHFA 2026 Conference Presentations & Slides

8:00 am - 9:00 am 

Opening General Session: Housing Policy and Road Ahead

Speaker: Mark Thiele, CEO (National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials)

Session Sponsor:

Concurrent Sessions

Policy Track: A State of Play: Latest from Washington, D.C. - NO SLIDES

Speakers: Josh Brandwein, Director of Government Affairs (NALHFA), Xavier Arriaga, Policy Director (Enterprise Community Partners), Megan Cheney, Senior Director of Policy & Research (NAAHL) and Peter Lawrence, Chief Public Policy Officer, (Novogradac)

Single Family Track: Strengthening Partnerships and Combating DPA Myths

Speakers: Sue Denihan, Vice President (eHousingPlus), Angel Romero, HFA Relationship Manager (Down Payment Resource), and Lauren Ruppel, Executive Director (Jefferson Parish Finance Authority)

Multifamily Track: Recycled Bonds in a 25% Test World: Expanding Multifamily Resources

Speakers: Ben Killion, Executive Director – Public Financing Housing (Wells Fargo), Annie Lee, Director, Public Finance Investment Banking (BofA Securities), Tinru Lin, Senior Vice President of Capital Markets Group (NYCHDC), and Alex Zeltser, Partner (Tiber Hudson)

Concurrent Sessions

Policy Track: Building Community Support for Housing Finance and Development - COMING SOON

Speakers: Nick Emenhiser (Mercy Housing) Nicole Joslin, Housing and Community Development Officer, (City of Austin), Aaron Thomas, Senior Managing Director (Standard Communities), and Quianna Wasler, Chief Housing Officer (Urban Redevelopment Housing
Authority of Pittsburgh)

Single Family Track: The Future of HFA lending: Utilizing Traditional Bond Structures and the TBA Market

Speakers: Helen Hough Feinberg, Managing Director (RBC Capital Markets), Kathryn Driver, Executive Director (HFA of Pinellas County, Florida), Timothy Nelson, Senior Managing Director (Hilltop Securities Inc.), and Tim Wranovix, Director (Raymond James)

Multifamily Track: Innovative Solutions for Multifamily Preservation: Tackling HFA Challenges

Speakers: Joshua Canan, SVP, Originations (Merchants Capital), Lauren Connors, Senior Vice President (NYCHDC), and Ferdinand Perrault, Vice President & Senior Credit Officer (Moodys)

Concurrent Sessions

Policy Track: Expanding Opportunity: HFA Strategies for Rural Housing - COMING SOON

Speakers: Bill Brewer, Executive Director (Nevada Rural Housing), Mark Kudlowitz, Senior Policy Director (LISC), Robbye Meyer, President (Rural Rental Housing Association), and  Erin Persons, Director, Duty to Serve Affordable Lending | Seller Engagement (Freddie Mac)

Single Family Track: Hot Topics in Single Family – Navigating Uncharted Territories

Speakers: Mike Airhart, Managing Director (Stifel Public Finance), Rachel Sanchez, Vice President, Affordable Housing Group (Morgan Stanley), and Ken Silverman, Vice President of Government Affairs (Housing Opportunities Commission)

Multifamily Track: Unshelving Public Housing: Unlocking Capital through Restore-Rebuild

Speakers: Melissa Taphorn, Executive Director (Washington County CDA), and William Wilcox, Housing Finance Manager (Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development, San Francisco) 

9:00 am - 10:15 am

NALHFA University Presents: Concurrent Training Workshops: Part I

Rising Stars: So You Want to Be a Houser? Part 1: Advocacy 101

Facilitators: Josh Brandwein, Director of Government Affairs (NALHFA), Katie Coleman, Communications Director (Nevada Rural Housing), and Yolanda McCutchen, Vice President, Public Relations (DCHFA)

Emerging Leaders: From Collaboration to Scale: Replicable Local HFA-PHA Partnership Models

Facilitators: Tanya Dempsey, Co-CEO (CSG Advisors), Teresa Galicia, Director, U.S. Public Finance Community Development & Social Lending (Fitch Ratings), Ann McKenzie, Sr. Vice President (Atlanta Housing), and Vickey Roberts, Vice President of Multifamily Housing (Invest Atlanta)

Executive Leadership: Supporting Innovation and Sustainability: Through Applying CDFI Funds, Implementing Lending Programs, and Community-Based Multifamily Financing Innovation

Facilitators: Damian M. Busch, Senior Vice President – Municipal Finance (Jefferies) and Valerie White, Head of National Housing Strategic Initiatives & Senior Executive Director (LISC)

10:45 am - 12:00 pm

NALHFA University Presents: Concurrent Training Workshops: Part II

Rising Stars: So You Want to Be a Houser? Part 2: Putting Advocacy into Action

Facilitators: Damon Burns, CEO (Finance New Orleans), Yolanda McCutchen, Vice President, Public Relations (DCHFA), and Todd Kercheval, Executive Director (TALHFA)

Emerging Leaders: Maximizing Capital Stacks: Leveraging Federal and State Resources

Facilitators: Dawn Arnold, Executive Vice President & COO (Invest Atlanta), Aaron Eaquinto, General Manager (Dallas Housing Finance Corporation), and Nicole Johnson (Tucson IDA)

Executive Leadership: Navigating the Evolving World of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cybersecurity

Facilitators: Paul Cackler, Chief Information Officer (NYCHDC), Joslyn Hatfield-Eng, VP of Digital Engagement (NMHC), and Elizabeth Moya, Executive Director (El Paso Housing Finance Corporation)