Keynote Speaker
Dr. Farrah Gray has recently been featured by AOL Black Voices as making Black History 2008. He was also named as one of the most influential Black men in America by the National Urban League's Urban Influence Magazine. Ebony Magazine recognized him as an entrepreneurial icon, business mogul and best-selling author. More
State Housing Plenary
The Honorable Richard Cordray was elected Ohio Attorney General in November 2008. He previously served as Ohio Treasurer of State, Franklin County Treasurer, State Representative, and as Ohio's first Solicitor General. More
Federal Policy Plenary
Sheila Crowley is the president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, where she heads a membership organization that is dedicated solely to achieving socially just public policy that assures people with the lowest incomes in the United States have affordable and decent homes. More
Ohio Economic Forecast
The Honorable Kevin L. Boyce was sworn in as Ohio Treasurer of State in January 2009. Prior to his appointment, Boyce served eight years as a member of the Columbus City Council, was elected as President Pro Tempore, and served as Chairman of the Public Finance Committee. More
Stabilizing Neighborhoods Through Lease Purchase
Many communities are considering lease-purchase housing as a neighborhood strategy. This discussion will explore the regulatory, financial and management challenges and provide models for success to session attendees.
Moderator:
Amy Rosenthal (Griffith), Ohio Community Development Corporation Association
Amy Rosenthal (Griffith) has seven years of community development, urban planning, and housing consulting experience. Mrs. Rosenthal joined the Ohio CDC Association in April 2008 with primary responsibility for delivery of training and technical assistance in the areas of affordable housing, microenterprise and community economic development. Her responsibilities include fielding inquiries and assessing the needs of community development organizations, providing and arranging direct technical assistance, the RFP and hiring process for trainers and consultants, evaluation and reporting on training and technical assistance, including quality control for timely production of documentation and reporting. Prior to joining OCDCA, Mrs. Rosenthal worked with the private consulting firms of Urban Solutions Consulting and Property Advisors. She conducted market and feasibility studies resulting in development of multifamily, retail, industrial, office and mixed-use projects. She also has experience in commercial valuation and has consulted development corporations in implementation of redevelopment projects, including the utilization of Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Mrs. Rosenthal has provided assistance in the implementation of a national urban development initiative for the Burger King Corporation. Mrs. Rosenthal is a recent graduate of The Ohio State University with a dual Master's degree in City and Regional Planning and Public Policy and Management and has a Bachelor of Urban Planning from the University of Cincinnati.
Speaker:
Jim Martone, CountyCorp
Jim Martone serves as the Vice President of Housing for CountyCorp in Montgomery County, Ohio since 1996. He began his housing career in 1988 working for CityWide Development Corporation to manage the Urban Homesteading Program and create and implement a marketing campaign to attract homebuyers to the City of Dayton. This position led to the creation of the Office of Housing at the City of Dayton where he eventually became the Superintendent. Throughout his career, he developed rental, homebuyer and homeowner rehabilitation programs using federal, state and local funds. Shifting reliance from traditional fund sources such as CDBG and HOME, he oversaw the development of Affordable Housing Tax Credit projects, obtained the designation as a Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI), and received funding from the U.S. Treasury. He also formed CountyCorp Mortgage Company in 2004 through a joint venture with National City Bank. The overriding goal was to keep lower-income households away from sub-prime and high-risk lenders. In 2007, the Lending Pool was established with $1 million in funding from GE Money to help lower-income homeowners with repairs. CountyCorp also operated a Lease Purchase Program using HOME and lenders' funds that successfully transitioned 99 tenants to homeownership. A most recent endeavor includes the plan to finance and construct 83 units of permanent supportive housing utilizing Affordable Housing Tax Credits for the new River Commons II. In 2009, CountyCorp was chosen by Montgomery County to develop and implement a plan to stabilize property values with $3.3 million of Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Since 2006, Mr. Martone has served as a Board Member for Family Service Association. He also serves as a Board Member for The Other Place and as a member of the Dayton Area Board of Realtors; he Chairs the Housing Opportunities Committee.
