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NAHRO's 2008 Summer Conference
Building Communities Together -- Not Just the Same 'Ole Song
July 25-27
Nashville Convention Center/Nashville Renaissance Hotel
601/611 Commerce Street, Nashville, TN 37203

During these challenging times we need to work together to build better communities. In order to survive, we can't rely on the same old way of doing things. We must learn to embrace new ideas, techniques and concepts if we are going to improve communities and the lives of the people we serve. Nashville, known as "Music City" since it is home to almost every kind of music genre, is the perfect venue for you to learn to sing a different song and embrace new ideas, tools and techniques to help you not only manage your day-to-day operations, but to position your agency for future success.

The Summer Conference features general sessions with informative and engaging speakers; a Washington Update (find out what's happening in DC and at HUD); concurrent sessions on a variety of topics; an Awards Showcase that will give you a first-hand look at innovative programs and services that agencies are developing throughout the country; study tours that showcase Nashville and the surrounding areas; and pre- and post-conference professional development seminars.

If you are a music fan, than Nashville is the place for you. On any given night there are more than 100 live music clubs where you can see and hear performers from jazz to country to gospel to rock and roll and everything in between. Come reacquaint yourself with this vibrant, exciting city, while you network with your colleagues, discover new ideas and information, and see innovative and successful housing and community development activity.

We look forward to seeing you in Music City, USA!

Schedule of Events
(Subject to change -- as of 5/9/08)

Pre-Conference Professional Development Seminars and Activities
(Separate registration required. Pre-Conference Seminars will take place at the Nashville Renaissance Hotel.)

Day I: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m./Day II: 8:00-12:30 p.m.
Commissioners Fundamentals

Daily: 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Understanding the Basics of Tax Credits

Daily: 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Resident Leadership Seminar

9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
HOME Underwriting and Foreclosure Intervention Workshop

7:45-9:15 a.m.
Legislative and Regulatory Briefing for NAHRO Committee and BOG Members

9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
Housing Committee

9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
Professional Development Committee

9:30-10:45 a.m.
Commissioners' Committee

9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
International Committee

9:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Community Revitalization and Development (CR&D) Committee

9:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Member Services Committee

10:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Public Housing Subcommittees

10:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Professional Development Subcommittees

10:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Commissioners Subcommittees

11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Transpire, Inc. Board Meeting

12:30-1:30 p.m.
Board of Ethics and Credentialing Trustees (BECT)

1:30-2:30 p.m.
Joint Meeting: Professional Development Commissioner Program Implementation Subcommittee and Commissioners Professional Development Subcommittee

1:30-3:00 p.m.
International Subcommittees

1:30-5:00 p.m.
Commissioners Full Committee Reconvenes

1:30-5:00 p.m.
Budget & Administrative Committee Meeting

3:00-5:00 p.m.
Housing Full Committee Reconvenes

3:00-5:00 p.m.
Professional Development Full Committee Reconvenes

3:00-5:00 p.m.
International Full Committee Reconvenes

4:30-5:30 p.m.
Regional, Chapter and State Association's Presidents Meeting

5:15-6:15 p.m.
Board of Ethics and Credentialing Trustees (BECT)

Summer Conference Activities
(Most Summer Conference activities will take place at the Nashville Convention Center.)

11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
Early Bird Registration

5:00-6:00 p.m.
Briefing for First Time Attendees
This special orientation for first time summer conference attendees will provide you with tips on how to get the most out of your conference experience.

6:00-7:00 p.m.
Welcome Reception
Take some time to reconnect with your colleagues at the Conference Welcome Reception.

7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Registration

7:30-9:00 a.m.
Continental Breakfast

7:30-9:30 a.m.
Legislative Network

8:00-9:45 a.m.
Opening General Session
Featuring an address from the NAHRO President, a Washington Update and a Keynote Speaker.

10:00-11:45 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions

• Evaluating the Performance of Your Portfolio
  If your public housing agency comprises more than one property, you will not want to miss this panel! Representing a medium-sized PHA that is currently in the midst of a portfolio assessment, David Baldwin, Executive Director of the Bristol, Virginia, Redevelopment and Housing Authority, will share his motivation and thinking on embarking on that process. Dennis Mobley, of Housing-SolutionsSM, will offer a number of tools and resources available exclusively to PHAs seeking to reposition their assets and reinvent their organizations. Margarita Maisonet, Managing Director of the Federal Practice Group, LLC, will share insights from the perspective of someone who focuses primarily on the performance of privately owned, HUD-assisted properties and portfolios, commenting specifically on lessons relevant to the public housing community.
  
  
• NAHRO's Professional Development System (NPDS) and the HOME Investment Partnership Program -- What Are They and What Can They Do for Me and My Agency?
  Learn about the NAHRO Professional Development System (NPDS) building-block career paths through meaningful certifications for occupancy, inspection, maintenance, operations and executive agency staff, as well as commissioners' certification. Now, NAHRO's training and certifications go well beyond the traditional realm of just addressing programmatic tasks and processes. They are designed with an emphasis on building skills and developing high performance management based on professional ethical practices. NAHRO's graduates will be recognized professionals in the global housing and community development industry! NAHRO, as a recipient of HOME Community Development Technical Assistance funds, can provide FREE training to HOME grantees. The HOME trainings are designed to complement NAHRO's Professional Development System.
  
  
• Going Green: A Toolkit for Affordable Housing
  NAHRO and Enterprise are working together to highlight best practices and provide tools and resources to assist local agencies in advancing healthier, more energy efficient and environmentally sustainable homes for low-income families. Join representatives from Enterprise and NAHRO as they discuss their initial findings.
  
  
• Additional Sessions To Be Announced
  

11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
Lunch on Your Own

1:15-3:00 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions

• Finishing Strong in 2008 with High Voucher Lease-up and Budget Utilization Rates
  With five months left before the end of the calendar year, PHAs' leasing and budget decisions will prove instrumental to their successes in 2008 and 2009. This session will focus on important ways for PHAs to maximize use of their Housing Assistance Payment budget authority, net restricted HAP assets as well as ongoing administrative fees, to help PHAs position themselves well for 2009. Among other topics, panelists will explore their analysis of and creative usage of voucher payment standards, households' income to rent burdens, waiting list and voucher issuance management, and allocation of staff.
  
  
• HUD Update: Community Planning and Development
  Join local CPD staff and representatives from NAHRO's Community Revitalization and Development Committee for the latest news impacting CDBG, HOME, IDIS, and the use of CPD funds to address the ongoing foreclosure crisis.
  
  
• Hot Topics in Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
  In addition to Housing Act requirements, local housing agencies are expected to carry out HUD's duty under the Fair Housing Act to "affirmatively further fair housing" and to comply with other applicable civil rights protections. At HUD this responsibility rests with the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO). In this session, senior HUD officials and others will discuss current issues involving HUD-FHEO, including, among others, matters relating to access for disabled persons under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, implementation of HUD guidelines concerning Limited English Proficiency, and Section 3 compliance.
  
  
• Ethics -- It's Not Just for Commissioners
  
  
• Additional Session To Be Announced
  

3:15-5:00 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions

• Local Housing Authorities and State Housing Finance Agencies -- How to Work Together to Revitalize Communities
  This panel will consist of representatives from the Tennessee Housing Finance Agency, a local attorney who works with PHAS and non-profits on tax credit deals, and housing authority representatives who will discuss what PHAs and HFAs need to know about each other to structure successful deals. While the presentation will feature Tennessee speakers, the focus will address universal, national themes such as the intersections of different requirements, the tax credit deadlines, the qualified allocation plan process, property tax considerations, and more.
  
  
• Property Acquisition Strategies: A Systematic Approach for Large-scale Pursuit of Neighborhood Revitalization
  This session outlines an approach to land assembly within the context of a Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, stressing the importance of both a sound real estate strategy as well as being respectful of existing homeowners and institutions. Specific examples of the speakers' experience in large-scale acquisition efforts will be given, including the Jefferson Square Revitalization project in South Philadelphia for which over 270 properties were acquired. The session will cover the following topics: conducting property conditions and ownership analysis to shape your acquisition strategy, fundraising for acquisition, land assembly entities and management, and land and assembly methods and strategies.
  
  
• Housing Assistance for Our Nation's Veterans
  This session will focus on direct service and housing assistance programs designed to help veterans with self-sufficiency and prevention programs that identify vulnerable veterans and service members. Panelists will share information about their respective programs that have helped prevent and mitigate homelessness among veterans.
  
  
• This Just in from Washington
  
  
• Additional Sessions to Be Announced
  

7:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Registration

7:45-8:45 a.m.
Housing America State Coordinators Meeting

8:00-9:30 a.m.
Awards Showcase
The Awards Showcase, featuring NAHRO's 2008 Awards of Merit recipients, will give you a firsthand look at some of the innovative programs and services that agencies are developing throughout the country.

9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Board of Governors Meeting

9:45-11:30 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions

• Emerging Best Practices in Project-Based Accounting, Management and Budgeting and Using Information Technology in this New Paradigm
  Housing authorities are in transition with the new project based accounting, management, and budgeting requirements. This session will introduce how housing authorities have been changing their systems and internal operations to prepare for the new requirements and how technology can assist in these new requirements. Areas explored will include accounting, housing operations/management, and maintenance and what strategies have been used to better prepare for this new environment.
  
  
• New HUD Procurement Rules -- The Revisions of the HUD Procurement Handbook
  This session will provide a brief overview of the recently revised HUD Procurement Handbook 7460.8 REV-2, which was re-issued in a revised form in early 2007, with particular emphasis on the revisions, especially as they pertain to project-based issues and continued compliance with HUD regulations. For even more information on procurement issues, it is recommended that you attend the Getting On-line and In-Step with NAHRO e-Procurement session scheduled for Sunday following the Closing Plenary Session.
  
  
• It's More than Housing: Spurring Economic Growth and Community Revitalization through the Development of Affordable Housing
  In communities in need, economic revitalization is often the highest priority and affordable housing is just one need. Unemployment, poverty, and economic stagnation are pressing, inter-related problems. More communities are rightfully asking that economic benefits from housing developments channel back to neighborhoods. This session will discuss innovative economic development strategies that can be applied on every affordable housing development project: job fairs, profit-sharing partnerships, on-the-job training, apprenticeship programs, the mentoring of minority development firms, and more.
  
  
• Additional Sessions To Be Announced
  

11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Lunch on Your Own

1:00-2:45 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions

• The CDBG Formula: GAO's Report and Consequences for Communities
  The Government Accountability Office has committed to releasing its long-awaited report on the CDBG formula in May. Join NAHRO policy staff and invited GAO representatives for a review of the study and its potential impact on housing and CD activities in your community.
  
  
• Avoiding Sticky Situations: Key Points to Successful Development by PHAs and PHA Instrumentalities
  This session will discuss key elements to conducting successful self-development, including identifying ownership structures, PHA affiliate/instrumentality issues, funding considerations, building development capacity, selecting development partners and other issues to assist PHAs transition from regulator and overseer to developer and owner. The presentation will discuss helpful practices and potential pitfalls during self-development. Presenters will review deal structuring, financing, negotiation issues, key differences in operations after self-development and will include time for questions to troubleshoot self-development issues.
  
  
• Large Agency Forum
  
  
• Small Agency Forum
  
  
• Medium Agency Forum

3:00-4:30 p.m.
Study Tours
The Study Tours will provide an in-depth look at some of the innovative and successful housing and redevelopment activities in the Nashville area. The Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA) have developed the following tours. There is a small fee associated with the tours. A sign-up sheet will be available on-site.

• MDHA Contemporary Housing Communities
  In 1998 the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency embarked on a mission to improve their portfolio of affordable housing and to enhance the quality of life for the families they serve. They have been successful in securing Hope VI funding and have acted as their own developer and manager of their properties. They have closed three Hope VI grants and are currently involved with a fourth Hope VI grant initiative. They are very proud of being one of the first entities to install a geothermal heating and cooling system in one of their properties and continue to be innovators and leaders in these endeavors. This tour will showcase these achievements.
  
  
• Innovative Housing Concepts
  Join staff from the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency for a tour of innovative housing concepts across the city of Nashville. These include the original Bicentennial Neighborhood known as Hope Gardens near downtown and other new housing initiatives in adjoining neighborhoods. It also will include public/private housing ventures utilizing Metro Tax Increment Financing in various redevelopment districts and examples of permanent supportive housing and transitional living facilities serving the homeless.
  

7:00-10:30 p.m.
Evening Event
Join us for a relaxing evening of fun and entertainment.

8:30-10:15 a.m.
Closing General Session
Featuring an address by the NAHRO Senior Vice President and a keynote speaker.

10:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Getting On-line and Instep with NAHRO e-Procurement
NAHRO developed the e-procurement system to provide agencies a more efficient and cost-effective approach to procurement that also assisted with compliance issues. With more and more agencies getting on-line, now is the time to learn the ins and outs of getting around. Come see how easy it really is!

Post-Conference Professional Development Seminars and Exams
Separate registration required. Post-Conference exams will take place at the Nashville Renaissance Hotel. Post-conference seminars will take place at the Nashville Convention Center.)

12:30-3:00 p.m.
NAHRO Proficiency Exam Retakes

12:30-3:00 p.m.
NAHRO Certification Exam Retakes

Day I: 12:00-5:00 p.m.
Day II: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Ethics for the H/CD Commissioner

Day I: 12:00-5:00 p.m.
Day II: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Workshop for Executive Directors

Day I: 12:00-5:00 p.m.
Day II: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Strategic Planning, Agency Development, and Policy for Commissioners (Just Added)

8:00 am.-4:30 p.m.
Commissioners' Guide to Agency Operations and Programs

General Information
Conference Fees
The following fees apply to the Conference registration only. For pre- and post-conference Professional Development Seminars fees, please click here.

Hotel Information
In partnership with Passkey, NAHRO is committed to providing high quality, one-stop shopping for hotel accommodations. All reservations must be made using a credit card through either the Hotel Online Reservation Site or by calling 1-800-266-9432. A credit card is required to reserve your room. All rooms require a $175 deposit which will be processed prior to your arrival and credited against the balance at your confirmed hotel. Hotel reservations will be accepted through June 25 or until the room blocks are sold out. Please note the credit card may not be charged until NAHRO releases its room block in late June, so please make sure that the card you provide for the deposit will not expire before the start of the Conference. The card provided will ONLY be charged the $175 deposit with the balance for your entire stay due and payable on-site. Checks will not be accepted for deposits, but may be used on-site to satisfy balance.

• Renaissance Nashville Hotel
  611 Commerce St
  Nashville, TN 37203
  Room Rate: $159 Single/Double plus 15.25% tax plus $2.00 city tax per night, per room.
  

Hotel Changes/Cancellations
Name changes, arrival/departure changes and or cancellations may be submitted via the passkey reservations system until June 25, 2008. Deposits will be refundable for cancellations received on or before June 25. Deposits will be forfeited for cancellations and/or confirmed hotel assignment changes made after June 25. Please note changes to your confirmed hotel assignment made prior to June 25 will incur no penalty. Changes to your confirmed hotel assignment made after June 25 will result in a forfeit of your hotel deposit.

Hotel Acknowledgment/Confirmations
You will receive an acknowledgment of your hotel reservation from the online Passkey Reservation System upon completion of your reservation. Rest assured if you have received a confirmation number from the reservation system the hotel will honor your booking. All reservations will be downloaded from the Passkey Reservations System to the hotel on June 25, 2008 and deposits will be charged at that time. Please allow 72 hours for this process before contacting hotel to make any changes.

Travel Information
The Nashville Renaissance Hotel and Nashville Convention Center are located approximately 15 minutes from Nashville's Airport (airport code: BNA), which is serviced by most major airlines including American, Delta, Frontier, Northwest, Southwest, United Express, and US Airways. The Gray Line Airport Express runs shuttle service to the downtown hotels from the airport for approx. $12 one way. Taxi fares from the airport to downtown are approx. $22. An airport customer service stand is located curbside on the ground level to help with transportation needs.

Motorized Scooters
NAHRO has arranged for scooter rentals through ScootAround, Inc. To reserve your equipment please call toll-free 1-888-441-7575 or visit them at http://www.scootaround.com/rentals/n/nahro. ScootAround accepts Visa and MasterCard for all rentals.

What's New in Nashville?
Want to learn more about what Nashville has to offer? Visit the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau at http://www.visitmusiccity.com/