Sixth Annual Native American Housing Conference

NEW! Scheduled one-on-one meetings: Delegates are encouraged to sign up for one-on-one meetings in a designated area with exhibitors. Delegates can sign up at the registration table. Our staff will notify exhibitors via note to your booth and text 

(BONUS: When you sign up and attend a minimum of THREE one-on-one meetings, you are entered into a   drawing to win a $250 AMEX gift card!) 

Justin O’Connor
President
Native Nation Events 

• How gratitude impacts daily performance and behavior.
• Modeling gratitude in the workplace.
• Proactivity vs. Reactivity and its impact on workplace climate.
• Understanding how to create pattern interruptions to disruptive workplace behavior.
• Managing and deepening emotional intelligence in the workplace.
• Strategies for embedding a culture of gratitude within your tribe or organization.
• Organizing around your tribal mission statement.
• Training employees on powerful reactions to difficult situations. 

Jim Stroker
Training Specialist
NNE Leadership Solutions Group

• What does the culture in the U.S. look like today vs. 20 years ago?
• Do any of your Tribal Enterprises, such as casinos, healthcare facilities, schools or government centers have an armed staff? If so, has their training been validated?
• Are your training programs sufficient enough to withstand a lawsuit, and what effect can this have on your insurance premiums?
• What kind of effect can this situation have not only on your people but on the brand of your business enterprise?
• How safe do your employees feel in their workplace?
• What is the advertised response from local or on-site law enforcement, and what has been the collaboration between internal and local security forces?
• Is your organization and its employees prepared and properly trained to effectively respond to an active threat?

Michael Biller
President / Chief Operating Officer
Tomahawk Strategic Solutions
Naval Special Warfare Operator from Naval Special
Warfare Development Group – Retired  

Bryan Schuler
Vice President of Housing Development
Travois

Pete Delgado
Executive Director
Tohono O’odham:Kiki Association

• This panel will feature Housing Directors who have used LIHTC before.
• We will learn what types of projects are on the reservation such as multi-family housing, community buildings and recreation areas.
• Projects from new construction renovations and even an adaptive renovation will be covered.
• What is the process of obtaining LIHTC and are their any hurdles that you should be aware of? What is a reasonable timeline for approvals?
• We will also hear from an investor in these tax credits who has been very active in the market over the years working with almost two dozen tribes and investing well over $100 million. What does the appetite look like in the equity market for LIHTC post-election?

Bryan Schuler
Vice President of Housing Development
Travois

Jeff Ackley
Executive Director
Sokaogon Chippewa Housing Authority

Pete Delgado
Executive Director
Tohono O’odham:Kiki Association

Phil Pavlovicz
Vice President, Development Risk Manager
RBC Capital Markets

• This panel will feature professionals who will illustrate other financing tools available other than LIHTC.
• What are some of these resources?
• We will hear success stories of Tribal Housing projects that have leveraged multiple funding resources to obtain the needed capital.
• What are the differences between Capital Magnet Fund, AHP, ICDBG and Title VI and how does a housing authority agency determine what is the best option for them?
• We will feature Tribal Housing Directors who have used a combination of these resources successfully to address their housing needs and also maximize homeownership opportunities for their members.

Adam Rose
Senior Project Coordinator
Travois

Joe Sazue, Jr.
Executive Director
Eastern Shoshone Housing Authority

• The history of Indian housing and the Federal government’s trust responsibility for Indian Housing.
• Current demographic trends impacting Indian housing.
• Sustainable housing development and the use of alternative energy.
• Funding options for Indian Housing.
• The role of infrastructure in supporting Indian housing and how to prepare for President Trump’s proposed infrastructure initiative.

Kevin Fitzgibbons
Senior Strategist
Bluestone Strategy Group

• This panel will consist of experts who will walk us through this plague that is affecting housing authorities around the Country.
• We will hear first hand from tribes who have developed a proven and effective program to combat the problem.
• How do you learn to identify the contaminated homes and once you have, how do you go about remodeling the home?

Mike Price
Director of Asset Management
Travois

Ken Mitchell
Resident Services and Compliance Manager
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation Housing Department

Tanner Michael
Maintenance Manager
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation Housing Department

General Session in Pavilion 1

The Power of Perception

Jim Stroker
Training Specialist
NNE Leadership Solutions Group

Housing Conference General Sessions in Pavilion 4

• This panel will consist of professionals and Housing Directors discussing and presenting key factors that need to be addressed when designing a project.
• What is the design process? How does it differ between new construction vs. rehab projects as well as single family, multi-family and special needs projects?
• How important is it to get Tribal and Community leadership support while also being able to manage realistic expectations?
• We will also learn how tenant education plays a key role in the entire process from conception to implementation of a program to ribbon cutting.

Ashley Bland
Director of Design & Construction Services
Travois

Lauren DuCharme
Architect
Travois

Jeff Ackley
Executive Director
Sokaogon Chippewa Housing Authority

Cheryl Cloud
Executive Director
Red Cliff Chippewa Housing Authority

• This panel will feature professionals as well as Tribal Housing Directors who have used this approach.
• It will help you create a Primer on how to obtain a comprehensive loan program specific to your tribe’s needs.
• Part of this Primer will include creating a timeline from loan intake to underwriting and funding.
• Creating an organizational needs analysis to determine if you have in house staff capable or require outside assistance.
• We will touch on various loan programs, structures, policies, procedures, processing, underwriting, document creation as well as creating a loan committee and training.

Maria Cohen
Principal & Founder
Native Housing Consulting Services

Housing Conference General Sessions in Pavilion 4

• This panel will discuss in detail what it takes to successfully close a Low Income Housing Tax Credit project in Indian Country by comparing two case studies, one in which a Tribe is succeeding in securing LIHTC tax credits and another where the Tribe lost its LIHTC funding in the 11th hour.
• Attendees will obtain training on the essential elements of how to complete a successful financial transaction in Indian County, with a particular focus on Indian Housing.
• The case study will highlight the tasks needed for a successful LIHTC development and the common pitfalls that often stymie unprepared tribes.
• As part of this panel, the presenters will provide information regarding the team that is needed to successfully complete a low income housing project.
• Sample closing lists will be displayed during the presentation to help attendees prepare for Indian Country financial transactions.

Keith Anderson
Partner
Ceiba Legal

Little Fawn Boland
Partner
Ceiba Legal