News

Registration will open soon for the 20th Annual Ohio Housing Conference, one of the nation’s largest housing conferences, hosted by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) and the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing (OCCH). This year’s conference will take place at the Greater Columbus Convention Center November 6-8, 2018.

This year’s conference, Laying the Foundation for a Better Future, addresses the latest and most pressing issues in housing with speakers from across the United States. Over 1,700 industry professionals attend and participate in interactive sessions and workshops regarding affordable housing, economic policy and more.

The conference will feature keynote speaker Byron Pitts, a journalist and author working for ABC News and former chief national correspondent for The CBS Evening News.Pitts was raised in Baltimore, Maryland by his single mother and professed himself to be “functionally illiterate” until the age of 12. He graduated from the Ohio Wesleyan University and went on to become an Emmy Award winner for his news reporting of the September 11 attacks on America.

In addition, the Ohio Housing Conference will feature the following speakers:

• Leonard Carl Kiefer, Deputy Chief Economist, Freddie Mac
• Dr. Edward “Ned” Hill, Professor at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University
• Stockton Williams, Executive Director, National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA)
• Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, United States House of Representatives.
• Michael Novogradac, Managing Partner, Novogradac & Company LLP

An annual highlight of the conference is the presentation of the William J. Graves Ohio Housing Excellence Award. This honor is given to the individual or organization who continually dedicates their time and work to our shared mission to increase the quality and availability of affordable housing opportunities for Ohio citizens.

To provide attendees with more opportunities to connect and share expertise, the conference also includes a Networking Reception on Wednesday, November 7, at the Columbus Museum of Art. The conference will also shuttle attendees to various developments where they can tour sites that represent themes discussed at the conference, including Columbus’s Scholar House development, Poindexter Village neighborhood and the Near East Side, the Career Gateway and South Side, and more. Plenary sessions will also provide updates on federal, state and local policy changes.

For more information, visit the conference website: http://ohiohome.org/ohc18/default.aspx