Event program and presenter bios - Berkshire Taconic Community ...

WelcomeOur communities are destinations for visitors from all over the world. We ourselves areproud of the landscape that so vividly defines our towns and our way of life. Our quaintNew England villages and upstate farm towns tie us to a past that is deeply seated inthe American imagination. People move here to participate in the small town sense ofcommunity they miss in their urban lives, to move freely in our magical landscape andto visit our world class cultural institutions. Tens of thousands of tourists annually passthrough to feast on our resources.But all is not well…many families struggle to live here. Their children don’t have jobsthat pay enough to allow them to secure a mortgage, buy a house and start a family.Their parents can no longer take care of the big houses they’ve had for decades andthere is nowhere for them to move. A healthy community is home to people of widerangingtalents, backgrounds and ages. The rich and diverse fabric of our communitiesis in grave danger of unraveling: the lack of reasonably-priced housing options is oneof the reasons.BerkshireThis afternoon, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation is hosting aconversation that will shine some light on these delicate and importantissues and provide opportunitiesTaconicfor exchange of important informationabout what our community leaders might do to solve them.CommunityFoundationWe welcome you to this conversation and invite you to askquestions during the formal presentation and of courseregion servedat the break. Do stay for the reception…there will be moretime then to talk further.HancockWilliamstownNewAshfordLanesboroughCheshireStamfordClarksburgNorthAdamsAdamsFloridaWindsorSavoyThank you for your good work and pleasebe sure to sign up to join the HousingUsnewsletter list if you’d like to remain intouch with our work.New LebanonValatieStuyvesantChathamCanaanKinderhookRichmondRed RockWestStockportStockbridgeGhentAusterlitzcolumbia, nyStockbridgePittsfieldLenoxLeeDaltonHinsdale PeruWashingtonBecketCummingtonHudson PhilmontGreenport ClaverackLivingstonGermantownTaghkanicHillsdaleCopakeAlfordTyringhamGreatBarringtonOtisMontereyEgremontberkshire, maJennifer DowleyPresidentClermontMountNewWashington Sheffield Marlborough SandisfieldGallatinAncramNorthCanaanSalisburyPine PlainsNorfolkCanaanMillertonNorth EastStanfordChristopher KennanChair, Board of Directorsdutchess, nyMillbrookWashingtonAmeniaSharonKentCornwall Goshenlitchfield, ctWarrenDover PlainsOUR REGION243,135 population2,267 square miles2,000 nonprofits3 cities and 67 towns

A Place For Everyone:Housing Options in Rural CT, MA, NYNew ideas and innovative strategies to createaffordable housing options in our small townsWednesday, September 19, 2012 • 1:00-4:30 PM12:30 Registration1:00 Jennifer Dowley – Welcome from Berkshire TaconicCommunity Foundation1:05 Bill Dunlaevy – Introduction to Housing Issues in the Region1:15 Barbara Fields: Keynote Speaker, Regional Administrator,Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentBuilding and Preserving Affordable Housing in RuralCommunities: A federal perspectiveQuestions and comments1:50 Local Context: Realities of Housing Development in Small TownsPresenters: Elton Ogden, Mollye Wolahan, Lea Davies,Blair SebastianModerator: David RichCommunities’ housing needs present and future; obstaclesto building housing in small towns; successesQuestions and comments2:40 Break: refreshments in the downstairs lobby3:00 Funding Opportunities: New Ideas and Innovative StrategiesPresenters: Susan Elliot, Jay Healy, Aaron Gornstein,Nick Lundgren, Matthew NelsonModerator: Bill DunlaevyPrograms and strategies for small towns in their efforts tocreate more affordable housing optionsQuestions and commentsAGENDA4:15 Jennifer Dowley – Closing remarks4:30 Please join us for a reception on stage

SpeakersLEA DAVIESFormer Executive Vice President of Human Resources, Verizon CommunicationsLea Davies retired in April 2004 after a 27 year career in telecommunications. Leais currently President of the Chore Service Board which helps elderly and disabledresidents live safely and independently in their homes across seven towns in theNorthwest Corner of CT and Vice-Chair of the Sharon Housing Authority which providesaffordable rental housing. He is a 1976 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Randolph-MaconCollege in Ashland, Virginia. He has had a home in Sharon, CT for over 30 years.J. WILLIAR DUNLAEVYVice Chair, Board of Directors, Berkshire Taconic Community FoundationJ. Williar “Bill” Dunlaevy retired in 2011 as chairman and CEO of Legacy Bancorpand Legacy Banks, concluding a forty-two career at the Bank. In addition to BerkshireTaconic, he is chairman of the Berkshire Bank Foundation – Legacy Region, anda director of Literacy Network of Southern Berkshire. Other civic leadershipresponsibilities have included Berkshire Community College, Berkshire BusinessRoundtable, Berkshire Health Systems, Berkshire Regional Competitiveness Council,The Colonial Theatre Restoration Campaign, Pittsfield Boys’ & Girls’ Club, PittsfieldMunicipal Airport Expansion Task Force, Berkshire Economic Development Corporation,and Lenox (MA) Town Government Study Committees. He is a director of BerkshireHills Bancorp and Berkshire Bank, and the Savings Bank Life Insurance Company ofMassachusetts (SBLI), and was a past director of the Depositors Insurance Fund, andMassachusetts Bankers Association.JENNIFER DOWLEYPresident, Berkshire Taconic Community FoundationJennifer Dowley has been President of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation since1999. The Foundation distributes over $7 million annually through its 500+ funds withassets of $100 million. Berkshire Taconic plays a leadership role in developing funds forthe region’s public schools and building community endowments throughout the tri-stateregion. The Foundation has developed a Center for Nonprofit Excellence, HousingUsto support towns’ efforts to build affordable housing, and it is newly embarking on aninitiative to support the healthy development of young children. Prior to moving to theBerkshires, Jennifer was Director of Museums and Visual Arts at the National Endowmentfor the Arts. She was executive director of Headlands Center for the Arts in the Bay Areaand directed public art programs in Sacramento, CA and Cambridge, MA. Jennifer is anadvisor to the Andy Warhol Foundation and Civitella Ranieri Foundation.SUSAN ELLIOTExecutive Vice President/ Chief Business Officer, Federal Home Loan Bank of BostonSusan Elliott has been involved in working with Federal Home Loan Bank memberfinancial institutions and nonprofits in meeting the affordable housing and communitydevelopment needs throughout New England for over 30 years. She is also responsiblefor Member Services, Corporate Communications, Legislative and Community Relations.Susan received her undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire,received an MBA from Babson College and attended the Advanced ManagementProgram at Harvard Business School.

BARBARA FIELDSRegional Administrator, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentBarbara Fields was sworn in as the U.S. Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment’s New England Regional Administrator on April 25, 2011. Prior to joiningHUD, Barbara served for 20 years as the Executive Director of the Rhode Islandoffice of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the nation’s leading communitydevelopment intermediary. LISC has invested over $9 billion in urban and ruralrevitalization efforts nationwide. Barbara has served in leadership positions on manyprofessional and community boards, including serving as Vice Chair of the ProvidenceHousing Authority and Chairwoman of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s AdvisoryCommission on Lead Paint.AARON GORNSTEINUndersecretary for Housing and Community Development, MassachusettsAaron Gornstein oversees the Department of Housing and Community Development,which administers nearly $1 billion in state and federal funds for a variety of programsfor affordable housing production, community development, municipal assistance,local and regional planning, energy conservation, rental assistance, public housing, andothers. He serves as the chief housing policy advisor to the Secretary of Housing andEconomic Development and to the Governor, and serves as Chairman of the CommunityEconomic Development Assistance Corporation. From 1990 to 2012 Aaron servedas the Executive Director of Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA).Aaron has been a neighborhood planner for the City of Cambridge, Massachusettsand the director of housing for the Tri-City Community Action Program in Malden,Massachusetts.JAY HEALYState Director for Rural Development in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode IslandJonathan “Jay” L. Healy served as the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Departmentof Food and Agriculture. During his tenure, the Department's dual missions wereprotection and preservation of farmlands and promotion of farm and food products.He also created the Farm Viability Enhancement Program. Jay served as the staterepresentative from Charlemont (1970-1993). While in the legislature, he sponsored orcosponsored legislation such as the APR program, the Dairy Stabilization Act, and theWater Management Act.NICK LUNDRENDirector of the Office of Housing and Community Development, Connecticut Department ofEconomic and Community Development (DECD)Nick Lundgren oversees DECD’s financial assistance programs and other policies andinitiatives to support and expand affordable housing statewide. Prior to joining DECDin April, Nick served as Senior Counsel at the New York City Economic DevelopmentCorporation where he worked on behalf of the city on a broad array of projects,including public/private mixed-used projects, infrastructure projects, investment funds,green initiatives and brownfield redevelopment. Nick has also been in private practicein real estate finance and development, most recently in the Hartford office of Robinson& Cole LLP. Earlier in his career, at the Legal Aid Society of New York, he representedsmall businesses, non-profits and housing cooperatives.MATTHEW L. NELSONPresident, New York State Office of Community Renewal, NYS Homes and Community RenewalMatthew L. Nelson oversees community revitalization and economic developmentprograms including the Community Development Block Grant program, New YorkMain Street program, and other locally administered programs. Matthew has a long

and distinguished history of public service. Since 1999, Matthew has held a variety ofpositions in both State and Federal government, most recently serving as a memberof the Senior Staff to Governor Cuomo in the NYS Executive Chamber. Prior to that, hehad served in the Chamber under Governor Paterson, handling a range of high-levelresponsibilities, including intergovernmental affairs and planning. He has also heldsenior positions in Offices of U.S. Senators, as well as in the Clinton White House.ELTON O. OGDENPresident, Berkshire Housing Development CorporationElton Ogden has worked in the nonprofit sector for 25 years spending the majority ofthat time working on housing and community development issues. In December 2006he was hired as President and CEO of Berkshire Housing Development Corporation,a private nonprofit housing and community development organization that servesBerkshire County through the development and management of affordable housing,delivery of rental assistance and housing stabilization resources, providing housingcounseling and education, and carrying out community development projects.DAVID RICHExecutive Director, Fairfield ‘08David Rich leads Fairfield 08, an alliance of eight leading permanent supportive housingproviders whose mission is to eliminate chronic homelessness in Connecticut. He hasalso worked to provide affordable housing as the Executive Director for the MutualHousing Association in New Haven, CT, as well as Chair of HousingUs—BerkshireTaconic's regional affordable housing initiative. His professional career has focusedon the creation of social enterprises and sustainable business initiatives in India,Belize, and the US, advising and developing worker-owned companies, cooperatives,and community-based organizations. He graduated from Yale University with a BA inPolitical Science in 1984, and later received a Masters in Urban Studies from SouthernConnecticut State University and a Masters in Management from the J.L KelloggGraduate School of Management at Northwestern University. David is also secretary ofBerkshire Taconic Community Foundation’s Board of Directors.BLAIR SEBASTIANExecutive Director, New York State Rural Housing CoalitionBlair Sebastian has served as a spokesperson in Albany and Washington on housingand community development issues as they affect rural communities in New York Statesince 1997. Blair also directs the Rural Housing Coalition’s Training and TechnicalAssistance efforts aimed at supporting a network of nearly one hundred nonprofit,community based organizations that are working to address the housing and communitydevelopment needs of rural communities and small towns throughout New York State.MOLLYE WOLAHANDeputy Director of Housing, Women's Institute for Housing and Economic DevelopmentMollye Wolahan serves as the Deputy Director of Housing at the Women's Institute forHousing and Economic Development. She has over twenty years of experience in thereal estate and community development fields. Joining the Women’s Institute in 2011, sheoversees the development pipeline, asset management and marketing functions for theorganization. Before joining the Women’s Institute, Mollye was Principal of CommunityDevelopment Resources, a real estate development services consulting firm. Prior tothat, she was Director of Community Development for the resort community of MountainVillage, Colorado. Mollye is a graduate of Bowdoin College and holds a Master in CityPlanning and Master of Science in Real Estate Development from the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology.

HousingUs, An initiative ofBerkshire Taconic Community FoundationHousingUs is a collaborative effort of nonprofit organizations and community leaders topromote broad–based affordable housing options in towns throughout the northwestcorner of CT, northeast Dutchess and Columbia Counties in NY and southern BerkshireCounty MA.The mission of HousingUs is to dramatically increase the rate of affordable housingdevelopment in the region by:• Securing funding resources (local, state and national) to support local housinginitiatives;• Providing advice and support where needed to promote, package and buildaffordable housing;• Sharing information and provide training for the acquisition of new skills; and• Cultivating a broader public awareness of the need for affordable housing.PROGRAMS• Accessory Apartment Program: Town specific guides on how to create anaccessory apartment; a revolving loan fund for CT home owners, and directhomeowner assistance.• First-time homebuyer and homeownership counseling services• Newsletters and annual meetings to share information among housing groupsand new housing resourcesADVISORY BOARD MEMBERSMichael Citrin, ChairSheffield Housing CommissionTim Geller, Executive DirectorCDC of South BerkshireEileen Halloran, TreasurerCity of HudsonMs. Diane Monti-Catania, PastorCongregational Church of Salisbury, UCCEd Murphy, Executive DirectorHudson River HousingHolly Nelson, BTCF Board MemberDavid Rich, Executive DirectorFairfield ‘08Mollye Wolahan, Deputy Director-HousingWomen’s Institute for Housing &Economic DevelopmentSTAFFJocelyn Ayer, Program DirectorSam Busselle, NE Dutchess County InitiativesFOR MORE INFORMATIONVisit our website: www.housingus.orgOr contact Jocelyn Ayer at 413-229-0370 x105 or jayer@housingus.org

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation would like to thankBerkshire Bank for underwriting this Symposium and ourcosponsors: Greylock Federal Credit Union, Lee Bank,Litchfield Bancorp and Salisbury Bank.Board of DirectorsBerkshire County, MAColumbia County, NYJ. Williar Dunlaevy, Lenox Sally Berg, AncramEdward Hoe, RichmondEileen Halloran, HudsonEllen Kennedy, Williamstown Vera J. Weintraub, GermantownDavid McCarthy, StockbridgeVirginia Stanton Smith, PittsfieldJohn Stookey, SheffieldAndrew Vickery, LenoxNorthwest Litchfield County, CTAnn Goodbody, SharonDiane Monti-Catania, SalisburyHenry Putzel, SharonThomas Quinn, SalisburyDavid Rich, LakevilleNortheast Dutchess County, NYGloria Callen, MillbrookChristopher Kennan, Chair, MillertonHolly Nelson, MillertonSarah Stack, MillbrookBerkshire Taconic Community Foundation celebrates 25 years ofbuilding stronger communities and helping donors make a differencethrough charitable giving in northwest Litchfield County, CT;Berkshire County, MA; and Columbia County and northeast DutchessCounty, NY. Each year, the foundation distributes over $7 millionthrough grants and scholarships to nonprofits and individuals in thearts and education, health and human services and environmentalprotection. Berkshire Taconic is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity.You can make a difference. We can help.25 Years of Making A Difference800 North Main Street, PO Box 400 Sheffield, MA 01257-0400t: 413.229.0370 f: 413.229.0329 e: info@berkshiretaconic.org www.berkshiretaconic.org