SPEAKERS FOR THE 2019 NCDA TRAINING CONFERENCE
October 1-4, 2019
Hyatt Place Knoxville / Downtown
530 South Gay Street
Knoxville, Tennessee
Speaker at IDIS Financial on Wednesday, Oct. 2 from 3:15 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Meeting Place 1 - View Presentation [PDF]
Jean Adcock is the Finance Director for the Office of Housing and Community Development with the City of Clarksville, Tennessee.
She is responsible for the day to day financial transactions, month-end and year-end closings as well as grant financial management. She manages financial tasks in the Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS) for the Annual Action Plan, Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER), closing activities as well as reports such as the Financial Summary Report-PR-26. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Austin Peay State University. She is a Certified Municipal Finance Officer (CMFO) with the State of Tennessee. Jean has been with the City of Clarksville, TN for 16 years, where she has held several positions and has been part of three different department. She is a veteran of the United States Army, in which she served 9 years, attained the rank of Staff Sergeant, was stationed in Korea as part of the Combined Intelligence Operations Center and the 532 Military Intelligence Battalion and deployed with the 101st Airborne Division during the gulf War as part of Desert Shield/Storm.
Speaker at Lead Grant Opportunities on Thursday, Oct. 3 from 10:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Meeting Place 1 - View Presentation [PDF]
Matthew Ammon is the Director of HUD’s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes.
He has worked for over 25 years to develop programs to eliminate childhood lead poisoning and to address housing conditions that threaten the health of residents. Mr. Ammon has led the development of robust grant programs and other initiatives to support local efforts to address environmental hazards in the home. To that end, these efforts have been instrumental in decreasing the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels nationwide.
He has been instrumental in leading the Department to address housing conditions that threaten heath by authoring HUD’s Healthy Homes Strategic Plan, and led a federal interagency workgroup to develop Advancing Healthy Housing – A Strategy for Action, which aligns goals and priorities from numerous federal agencies to create healthier housing.
His contributions are also seen on the Federal Radon Action Plan, the Coordinated Federal Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Asthma Disparities, the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Healthy Housing, and the National Prevention Council’s National Prevention Strategy.
Speaker at A Part 200 Primer on Friday, Oct. 4 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Meeting Place 1 - View Presentation [PDF]
John Callow is a member of NCDA’s training staff, teaching the CDBG Basics course and the CDBG Subrecipient Management Course.
Until his retirement in January 2019, he was Community Development Director for the City of Murfreesboro (TN). He is a past president of NCDA Region IV and served on NCDA’s national board for more than a decade. During his tenure as co-chair of NCDA’s Planning & Professional Development Sub-Committee, the association expanded its training opportunities from a single course to the current sieven. He serves on the state board of the Tennessee Affordable Housing Coalition.
Callow is a graduate of Rhodes College (B.A.) and the University of Memphis (M.A.) He has been the color analyst on the Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raider Baseball Radio Network for 13 seasons.
Speaker at Home Underwriting on Wednesday, Oct. 2 from 1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. in Meeting Place 1 - View Presentation [PDF]
Janna Cecil is the Housing Manager for the Community Development Department of the City of Knoxville.
She is responsible for several HOME and CDBG funded housing programs, including Owner Occupied Rehabilitation, Rental Rehabilitation and Down Payment Assistance, as well as CHDO projects. She also manages the Affordable Rental Development Program, a City funded program designed to incentivize the development of new affordable rental units. Janna started her career with the City in 1993 as a Finance Specialist working mostly with the HOME program and is a HOME Certified Specialist - Regulations and Admin. She has held various other positions in Community Development and spent 2 years as a Codes Enforcement Officer. Janna holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Tennessee.
Speaker at CDBG Primer on Wednesday, Oct. 2 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Meeting Place 2
Wilmur Conyers is the Planning and Performance Administrator in the Community Development Department for the City of Durham, North Carolina.
She has been employed with the city since 2008.
Prior to coming to the City of Durham, Wilmur was the Community Development Administrator with the City of Goldsboro, NC.
She has more than 21 years of experience in community development. She holds a Master of Science Degree in General Administration from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Mount Olive College.
Speaker at Opportunity Zones on Wednesday, Oct. 2 from 10:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Meeting Place 1 - View Presentation [PDF]
Sandra Gober is the Manager of Community Development for the City of Chattanooga.
She has been employed by the City of Chattanooga, Tennessee since October 1991. In addition to her role as Manager of Community Development, which she has held since 1995, she has held the positions of Assistant Director and Fiscal Coordinator in the same office.
Prior to working for the City of Chattanooga, Sandra was a tax auditor for the State of Tennessee for almost nine years. She has undergraduate degrees in Accounting and Finance and an MBA.
Speaker at Luncheon on Thursday, Oct. 3 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Meeting Place 1
Hallerin Hilton Hill is a renaissance communicator who moves people with ideas.
Over the radio and on TV; through music and words; even live, face to face, in front of thousands each year.
His philosophy is to “grow and help others grow,” his mission is to inspire, inform and entertain and was just recognized by TheGrio.com as one of America’s 100 History Makers In The Making, alongside First Lady Michelle Obama and baseball all-star Jason Heyward.
He’s been a top-rated drive-time radio talk show host for more than 27 years, voted Best Talk Show Host by his loyal listeners and was recently named one of America’s top talk show hosts by Talker’s Magazine.
For over a decade he’s produced and hosted the TV talk show Anything Is Possible on East Tennessee’s top-rated station. His guests have included Gov. Bill Haslam, Pat Summit, Chris Whittle and numerous others. Hallerin has worked with the DIY Network and has appeared in national TV commercials and served as narrator/host for several documentaries, including one on the life and work of former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker.
As songwriter/singer/producer, he’s worked with many renowned artists, including Aretha Franklin and the late Whitney Houston. He co-wrote “Who Would Imagine a King,” recorded by Houston for the movie The Preacher’s Wife. His song “Seasons Change” was recorded by Bishop Paul S. Morton and Aretha Franklin. In addition, he’s written for Take 6, Virtue, Darwin Hobbs, and Fred Hammond, and wrote and performed on T.D. Jakes’ Grammy-nominated CD, He-Motions.
He is the author of the best-selling self-help book, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which is also the cornerstone for his wisdom coaching enterprise.
He has spent the last 20 years working with some of America’s top organizations as a speaker and trainer, including Pilot/Flying J, HCA, Mastercraft Boats, JL Audio, Scripps Networks and many others. He speaks to thousands of people each year to help inspire, motivate, and encourage excellence. Most recently, he has been serving as a guest lecturer in the University of Tennessee’s Professional MBA program.
Hallerin is CEO and founder of Wisdom House, a multimedia company focused on inspiring people around the world to grow in wisdom.
Hallerin is a graduate of Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama where he studied Communications. He is married to Nedra (pronounced NEE-DRA), and they have two children, Hallerin II (A University of TN Grad) and Halle Nicole (a rising HS Sr.).
Learn more about Hallerin at
www.hallerinhill.com.
Speaker at Opportunity Zones on Wednesday, Oct. 2 from 10:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Meeting Place 1 - View Presentation [PDF]
Angela Hubbard is the Director of Economic and Community Development for the Greater Nashville Regional Council (GNRC).
She has over twenty years’ experience in state and local government and joined the GNRC in September 2018. She works with a talented team to assist communities in the 13-county, northern Middle Tennessee region to increase economic prosperity and improve quality of life. One of her first accomplishments was leading the creation of the Nashville Qualified Opportunity Zones Network, which launched in April 2019.
Prior to GNRC, Angela spent 10+ years at the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA) in a range of capacities from legal affairs to urban and community development. For the last 6 years of her tenure at MDHA, she served as the Director of Community Development where her responsibilities included the administration and oversight of Federally-funded affordable housing, community development, disaster recovery, and homeless assistance grant programs for Nashville-Davidson County. She led the development of two Analyses of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice and two Consolidated Plans for Housing and Community Development on behalf of Metro Nashville and the establishment of the Nashville Promise Zone. Before joining MDHA, she worked for 10 years for the State of Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury as a legislative performance auditor.
Angela received a bachelor’s degree in political science and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and a J.D. from the Nashville School of Law. She is admitted to the Tennessee Bar. Angela is a member of the Tennessee Affordable Housing Coalition; the Tennessee Bar Association; and Urban Land Institute, Nashville Chapter; and previously represented the Southeast Region as a Board Member of the National Community Development Association. She is currently pursuing Tennessee Certified Economic Developer (TCEcD) designation.
Speaker at Home Underwriting on Wednesday, Oct. 2 from 1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. in Meeting Place 1
Tammy Kilgore is currently the Grants Analyst for the Office of Housing and Community Development for the City of Clarksville, Tennessee.
She has over 36 years of experience in working with the Community Development Block Grant and HOME Programs.
Tammy began her career with the Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Planning Commission as an administrative assistant working primarily with the Community Development Block Grant Program, the HOME Program, the Shelter Plus Care Program and the State funded ESG and HOUSE programs. While at the Planning Commission, she became the Housing and Community Development Coordinator working with clients applying for housing rehabilitation. During the rehabilitation process, she determined client income eligibility and completed loan underwriting for both the CDBG and HOME Programs. Currently as Grants Analyst, Tammy has a wide array of various duties. She researches and plans grants, which includes determining appropriate research methods and developing grant timelines for both the CDBG and HOME Programs. She assists with the Consolidated Plan, the Annual Action Plan and the CAPER. She works with IDIS by setting up activities, drawing down entitlement and program income funds and receipting program income. She coordinates, facilitates, and leads grant meetings, as well as short and long-term grant funding plans. She assists in developing, monitoring, and updating CDBG and HOME grant budgets.
Tammy has completed training to become a Certified HOME program Specialist - Regulations and is also a member of the Government Finance Officers Association.
Tammy has been married to her husband David for 35 years. They enjoy attending and volunteering at their church and spending time with their daughter and son-in-law.
Speaker at Income Verification on Wednesday, Oct. 2 from 2:330 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. in Meeting Place 1 - View Presentation [PDF]
Jenny Stuart is the Housing Finance Supervisor for the Community Development Department of the City of Knoxville.
Her responsibilities include several HOME and CDBG funded housing programs, including Owner Occupied Rehabilitation, Rental Rehabilitation, Down Payment Assistance and CHDO projects. She also manages the servicing of the Community Development loan portfolio.
Jenny has worked for the City of Knoxville in Community Development for 10 years.
Prior to the City, she worked in the mortgage servicing industry for 10 years in Nebraska. She has a Bachelor’s of Art Degree in Psychology from Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. She is a HOME Certified Specialist in Administration and Regulations.
Speaker at Legislative Update on Wednesday, Oct. 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in Meeting Place 1
Vicki Watson is the Executive Director of the National Community Development Association (NCDA).
She has overall management responsibility for the operation of the NCDA to include fiscal, staffing, and operations.
NCDA is a national organization which represents over 400 community development grantees across the country.
Vicki is also responsible for the Association’s policy and legislative work which focuses on the oversight and protection of federal community development, economic development, and affordable housing programs to include the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investments Partnerships Program, Continuum of Care Program, Emergency Solutions Grant, and Section 108, among others. She leads the CDBG Coalition, a 32-member national group that advocates on behalf of the CDBG program.
Vicki has been with the Association since 1998, having served as Assistant Director and Legislative Director. Prior to NCDA, Vicki worked for the Council of State Community Development Agencies (Washington, DC) on homelessness and affordable housing policy. Vicki started her career with the Fairfax County (VA) Department of Housing and Community Development as a financial analyst working directly with CDBG and the County’s affordable rental housing programs.
She holds an MPA from George Mason University, with a concentration in public policy and public management. A native of Virginia, Vicki resides in Fredericksburg, VA.
Speaker at Preparing for Monitoring on Thursday, Oct. 3 from 1 a.m. to 10 a.m. in Meeting Place 1 - View Presentation [PDF]
Calvin R. Whitaker is currently employed as a Senior Community Planning and Development Representative in the Knoxville, Tennessee Field Office of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
He has been a federal employee for over seven years. Previously he served as the Housing Manager for the City of Knoxville’s Community Development Department.
In his capacity at HUD, he supports the State of Tennessee and the City of Clarksville in the administration of Community Development Block Grants, HOME Partnership Program Grants, Disaster Grants, Emergency Solutions Grants, Continuum of Care Homeless Grants, the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, and the Housing Trust Fund.
In addition to these responsibilities, he mentors new employees within Community Planning and Development (CPD) and serves as the local Union Steward. He is a veteran of the Army National Guard. He is married and the father of two daughters. He is actively involved in his community through youth mentoring and peer counseling.
Speaker at HEROS Training on Thursday, Oct. 3 from 8 a.m. to noon in Meeting Place 2 -
View Presentation [PDF]
Liz Zepeda is a Senior Environmental Specialist in HUD’s Office of Environment and Energy and Acting Director of HUD’s Environmental Review Division.
She focuses on HUD’s environmental regulations in Parts 50 and 58, floodplain management, and FHA programs.
Since coming to HUD in 2010 as a Presidential Management Fellow, Liz has been detailed to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and HUD’s San Francisco Regional Office. Liz holds a bachelor’s degree from Mary Washington College and a law degree from Georgetown University.