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Press RoomNAHRO's M. Justin Herman Award Given to Maria Lourdes Seman Ada
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 -- The National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials has selected Maria Lourdes Seman Ada as the recipient of its 2005 M. Justin Herman Award in recognition of her outstanding achievements and innovation in the housing and community development field. The award will be presented Oct. 8 at NAHRO's National Conference and Exhibition in Chicago, IL. Ada has served as Executive Director of the Northern Marianas Housing Corporation (NMHC) since its inception in 1994, and also oversees its parent corporation, the Commonwealth Development Authority. Through her outreach to public, private and non-profit organizations, Ada has helped diversify NMHC's programs, and the number of houses built, financed, and/or renovated has increased significantly during her tenure. Ada's notable achievements at NMHC include: expanding loan programs so that families in the Commonwealth could build fully-concrete homes in an area subject to typhoons; the passing of the Commonwealth's Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing practices; and a partnership with the Marianas Public Land Trust (MPLT) to aid first-time homeowners by providing NMHC with MPLT's loan seed funds derived from proceeds of public land leases. Ada is lauded for her dedication and commitment to housing, homeownership and community development programs. Her individual accolades include the Developmental Disabilities Council's Public Policy Advocate of the Year in 1999 and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Government Advocate of the Year in 2004. "NAHRO is honored to recognize Ms. Ada for her dedication and achievements in providing affordable housing, homeownership opportunities and community development programs in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands," said NAHRO President Jim Inglis. "The goal of expanding affordable housing transcends all political and territorial borders. NAHRO embraces her fine work and extends our most prestigious award." The M. Justin Herman Award is NAHRO's highest honor and most prestigious award,
and was established to provide a living acknowledgement for the standard of
excellence M. Justin Herman established in the field of housing and community
development. It recognizes an exceptionally qualified person who has made outstanding
contributions to the quality of life through service in the field of housing
or community development.
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