Resources for Housing Counselors

Get the information you need in this full-day session, which is divided into four segments covering a wide variety of foreclosure counseling subjects. Topics include FHA loss mitigation, Save the Dream initiative, future funding, and best practices in housing counseling. Each section provides an overview, relevant information, and successful next steps to help Ohioans facing foreclosure.

Moderator:

William J. Graves, Ohio Department of Development
As an employee of the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) for more than 25 years, William J. Graves has served the department in several positions including: Development Specialist, Development Specialist Supervisor, Office Manager and Assistant Deputy Director. After two years as the Housing Administrator for the city of Columbus, Mr. Graves returned to ODOD as the Community Development Division Director in February 2007. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University receiving a Master of Arts in Public Administration, a Master of Science in Civil Engineering, a Master's degree in City and Regional Planning, and a Bachelor of Arts in Geography. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and the Ohio Planning Conference, and serves as the ODOD representative on the Ohio Housing Finance Agency Board. The Community Development Division coordinates program policy for the following two offices: Housing and Community Partnerships and Community Services. With 110 staff members, the division administers more than $700 million of state and federal funds targeted to improving the quality of life for low- and moderate-income Ohioans. The division designs, develops and implements financial strategies ensuring appropriate internal controls and efficient operation, policies and procedures for the following programs: Community Development Block Grant Program; HOME Investment Partnerships Program; Emergency Shelter Grant Program; Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS Program; Neighborhood Stabilization Program; Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program; Community Services Block Grant Program; Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program; Home Weatherization Assistance Program; Electric Partnership Program (EPP); Percentage of Income Payment Plan; Ohio Housing Trust Fund; and other state-funded programs. The division is also actively engaged in a number of statewide initiatives including the state's Save the Dream foreclosure prevention efforts, the Interagency Council on Homelessness and Affordable Housing, and the Governor's Anti-Poverty Task Force.

Speakers:

Sister Barbara Busch, Working In Neighborhoods
Sister Barbara Busch, SC, founded Working In Neighborhoods (WIN) in 1978 and continues as its Executive Director today. WIN provides financial education and homeownership opportunities to low- and moderate-income residents throughout greater Cincinnati. Originally started with a $14,000 budget, the organization now has an annual budget of $1,168,000 and employs 18 staff members. A Cincinnati native, Sister Barbara has worked for over 30 years to help low- and moderate-income residents shape their communities. She is a member of the Sisters of Charity. Under her direction, WIN has built or rehabilitated and sold 139 homes to first-time homeowners. WIN has also developed relationships with local and national lenders, which has resulted in over 7,000 low-income families owning their homes. Through her leadership, WIN developed the WIN Economic Learning Campus in the heart of South Cumminsville. The Campus features five renovated buildings on the site of the former St. Pius Church and offers financial training and counseling for homebuyers, leadership training, computer literacy, enrichment programs for youth, and 18 apartments for senior citizens. Since 2002, Working In Neighborhoods has led the way to developing a community-wide solution to the foreclosure crisis. WIN helped develop the Hamilton County Home Preservation Group in order to stop foreclosures in our community. WIN has established fair lending agreements with 10 local and national lenders to help families save their homes from foreclosure. To date, WIN has saved 330 homes valued at $28.8 million.

James Cannon, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
James Cannon earned his Bachelor of Arts from Ohio University and his Master of Arts from The Ohio State University. He has worked for the Single-Family Division of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development since 1990, supporting all three Ohio field offices - Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus. Since 1998, he has served as residential FHA's senior field liaison with FHA's Ohio partners in the lending, real estate and appraisal industries and the nonprofit and governmental sectors. In previous assignments, he sold nearly 1,300 foreclosed properties for HUD in the Cleveland and Columbus markets and also served as the Senior Program Advisor for single-family matters in Ohio. Mr. Cannon has taught numerous professional seminars on FHA programs, and frequently speaks at conferences, seminars and industry meetings. He taught as an Adjunct Professor of Real Estate at Columbus State Community College from 2000 through early 2008.

Susan Choe, Ohio Attorney General's Office
Susan Choe is Chief of the Consumer Protection Section in the Office of Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray. The Consumer Protection Section aggressively protects Ohioans' rights as consumers through civil and criminal legal proceedings, public education and outreach. Ms. Choe joined the office in August 2007 as Chief of the Civil Rights Section. She also coordinates the office's efforts for Ohio's Save the Dream program, the state's multi-agency foreclosure prevention effort. Ms. Choe received her Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and undergraduate degrees in Chemistry and Economics from The Ohio State University. Ms. Choe also currently serves on the OSBA Special Committee to Review Gender Fairness Report and on the Advisory Board for the Columbus Chapter of the American Constitution Society. In addition, Ms. Choe is the 2009 recipient of the John C. and Ginny Elam Pro Bono Award for her work on Save the Dream. The award recognizes and encourages exceptional pro bono legal work in the state of Ohio.

Jennifer L. Flatter, Ohio Department of Commerce
Jennifer L. Flatter joined the Ohio Department of Commerce in February 2007 after Governor Ted Strickland appointed Kimberly A. Zurz as Director. Ms. Flatter served as lead staff on Ohio's Foreclosure Prevention Task Force, which Director Zurz chaired. As a Legislative Liaison for the Department of Commerce, she focuses on foreclosure prevention, real estate, financial institutions, securities, and federal policy issues. Ms. Flatter was instrumental in the development and implementation of Save the Dream, Ohio's foreclosure prevention effort, which includes a comprehensive website, hotline, and advertising campaign created to assist Ohioans struggling with their mortgage payments. She also assisted in drafting and negotiating the state's Compact to Help Ohioans Preserve Homeownership, which is the first of its kind in the nation and has been signed by nine mortgage servicers. Prior to joining the Department, Ms. Flatter was the Legislative Aide to former State Senator, now Chancellor of Higher Education, Eric D. Fingerhut. Ms. Flatter serves on the Governor's Interagency Council on Women and Girls where she is a member of the Speakers Bureau. She is also Chair of Membership for Ohio Women in Government. Ms. Flatter is pursuing her Master's degree in Public Administration from Ohio University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Communication from Capital University.

Jacqueline Hagerott, Supreme Court of Ohio
Jacqueline Hagerott is currently the Manager of the Dispute Resolution Section for the Supreme Court of Ohio. In this role she consults with and advises local court staff regarding dispute resolution program planning, implementation and evaluation. She also analyzes problems and trends among court dispute resolution programs; advises mediation coordinators, judges and other court staff regarding dispute resolution policies and procedures; and provides resources to promote efficient and effective program operations. Her experience includes the practice of law, an associate deanship, course design and development and mediation. She has an Associate of Applied Science degree in Business Management, a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, and a Juris Doctor and a Master of Laws degree in Business with a concentration in Dispute Resolution. She is licensed in the State of Ohio, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, and the Supreme Court of the U.S. She is a national speaker and trainer on the topics of foreclosure mediation and preparing clients for mediation and is currently the Chair of the Ohio State Bar Association's Dispute Resolution Committee.

Gail Robinson, Ohio Housing Finance Agency
With over 23 years ensuring compliance and operational efficiency with various housing programs, Gail Robinson is a polished housing professional and serves as the Business Development Manager in the Office of Homeownership. She has managed the day-to-day operations of housing analysts in the tax law compliance review of loan originations. She has also assisted the Director of Homeownership with implementation of strategic plans and program development. Ms. Robinson has processed mortgage loans (FHA, VA and conventional loans) that range in daily production of $1 million to $3 million and currently provides critical technical advice and support to lending institutions throughout loan processing. She has conducted program-specific training seminars providing lenders, real estate agents and homebuyers with detailed information on program regulations and eligibility requirements. Ms. Robinson is an experienced professional whose skills encompass many areas of the housing and lending industries including regulation, business administration, banking, public administration and public relations.

Mark Seifert, Empowering and Strengthening Ohio's People (ESOP)
Mark Seifert began his community organizing career in 1987 when he staffed the Homeless Committee of Low Income People Together (LIPT). In 1991, he became the Lead Organizer at the Union-Miles Development Corporation where he organized residents to get much needed reforms of the FHA housing disposition process. In 1993, he was the Co-Founding Staff of the East Side Organizing Project and became its Executive Director in 1999. Under Mr. Seifert's direction, ESOP has become nationally recognized for its work on predatory lending and foreclosure prevention. In June 2009, ESOP received OHFA's "Sustainable Homeownership Excellence Award" (SHEA) for its efficient foreclosure prevention process and has been cited by Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray as the most efficient foreclosure prevention model in the state of Ohio. Beginning in April 2008, under Mr. Seifert's direction, ESOP began an expansion across the state of Ohio; going from five staff in one office to 62 staff in 11 offices. In 2008, ESOP assisted about 2,700 families avoid foreclosure and is on pace to assist about 8,000 families in 2009. Mr. Seifert has a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Planning and received his Juris Doctor in 1998.

Stephanie Spruill, Ohio Housing Finance Agency
Stephanie Spruill joined the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) in January 2008 as a Public Relations Specialist. Ms. Spruill currently serves as the Housing Counseling Manager. In this position, she is responsible for ensuring the 24 sub-grantees meet their expectations as part of a larger grant from NeighborWorks America through the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling program. She also is the OHFA liaison for the statewide "Save the Dream" and "Save Our Homes" foreclosure prevention initiatives. With many years experience in real estate, Ms. Spruill brings extensive industry knowledge to OHFA. She has worked as an Agency Representative for LandAmerica where she was responsible for approximately 70 independent title agents. She also has worked as a Marketing Representative for Esquire Title Services, as an independent real estate agent and in other real estate related positions. Ms. Spruill earned a Bachelor's degree in Public Relations from Ohio Dominican College and her Juris Doctor from Capital University Law School. In addition, she has taught Real Estate Law and Real Estate Finance at Columbus State Community College.

Toree Stokes, Mustard Seed Development Center

 

 

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