A special thank you to our sponsors.

Mobile Workshop – Eastern Maryland

These projects included two of COSCDA’s program areas: Community Development and Housing. Homelessness, Economic Development, and Disaster Recovery.
• Galloway Meadows, Rental Housing Community
• Channel Marker Mental Health and Wellness Support
• Critchlow Adkins Day Care/Shore Up Head Start
• The House on the Hill/Buffalo Soldiers

2023 Annual Training Conference Agenda

Monday, September 11, 2023

Maryland Song – It’s a Maryland Thing, You Wouldn’t Understand

Keynote Presentation – Connecting Housing and Community Development to the Post-COVID World
Andrew Jakabovics, VP, Policy Development, Enterprise Community Partners

Maryland Program Presentation
Jacob R. Day, Secretary, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development

Maryland Smith Island Cake Video

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Washington Overview 
Josh Shumaker, Director of Advocacy and Federal Programs

Living with Rising Water
Jacqueline Guild, Esq., Deputy City Manager, City of Annapolis
Zoe Johnson, Community Planning Liaison Officer, Naval Support Activity Annapolis/United States Naval Academy – Joint Presentation with Johnson
Carl “Bucky” Jackson, City Engineer, City of Cambridge, MD
Lawrence A. White, P.E., FEMA Program Manager, Department of Public Works, City of Cambridge, MD – Joint Presentation with White

Lightning Round
Topic 1 – Public Participation – Alternative Approaches & Digital Engagement
Topic 2 – Connecting with Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Resources and Potential Partners
Topic 3 – Equity in Program Design and Implementation

Heather Paul, Assistant Director, Local Government Assistance, Louisiana Office of Community Development
Mollie Fitzpatrick, Managing Director, Root Policy Research
Pauletta Bourne, COSCDA Board Member and Grants Administrator III, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development
Felicity Lyons Gasser, Housing and Community Development Senior Specialist, California Department of Housing and Community Development

Coffee, Cake, & Community Project Showcase
Brian Murphy, Founder and President, The Smith Island Baking Company
Pat Escher, Former Director of Planning, City of Cambridge Maryland 
Kevin N. Baynes, Director, State Revitalization Programs, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development – Joint Presentation with Escher
Melissa Muntz, Executive Director, SHIP of Frederick County

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

COSCDA Award Winner Presentations

Sterling Achievement Awards
Homelessness – State of Colorado – Liberty View
Housing – State of Connecticut – New Horizon Village & 22 Unit New Construction
Community Development – State of Louisiana – Lafitte Greenway Project
Disaster Recovery – State of Louisiana –Lafayette Bottle Art Lofts Project

Presidential Award for Innovation
State of Massachusetts – CDBG-CV Food Insecurity Program

Update and Presentation from HUD Senior Leadership
Marion Mollegen McFadden, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

2024 COSCDA Training Conference (September 16-18)

2025 Annual Conference Springfield Illinois Video

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Breakout Session A

Working Together/Building Relationships with Subgrantees
Duane Yoder, President, Garrett County Community Action Committee

Cindy Stone, COSCDA Board Member and Director, Community Development Programs, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development

Andrew Hayman, CDBG Director, Kansas Department of Commerce – Joint Presentation with Yoder

Breakout Session B

Coordinating CDBG with Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
Charles Philion, Program Director, New York State Office of Community Renewal
Fenishia Favorite, Policy and Programs Coordinator, Louisiana Office of Community Development
Suzanne Barnard, COSCDA Board Member and Director for Community Development Block Grant Programs, Texas Department of Agriculture

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Breakout Session C

Ethics in Grant Management – Next Steps – Joint Presentation
Robert Peterson, Director, States and Small Cities Division (OBGA), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Cory Schwartz, Deputy Director, State and Small Cities Division, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Briefing with HUD Senior Officials
Robert Peterson, Director, State and Small Cities Division, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Cory Schwartz, Deputy Director, State and Small Cities Division, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Breakout Session A

Health Care Institutions Investing in Affordable Housing
Nora Bloch, Initiative Director, Center for Community Investment
Tracy Kaufman, Senior Advisor/Consultant, National Council of State Housing Agencies
Amy Sechrist, Senior Policy Officer, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency
Andy McMahon, Vice President, Impact Investments, UnitedHealth Group

Breakout Session B

HOME-ARP Implementation – Joint Presentation
Kris Richmond, Senior Manager, ICF Consulting
Elisa Hupp, Senior Manager, Community Development, ICF Consulting

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Breakout Session C

HOTMA Changes and NSPIRE Update – Joint Presentation
Milagro Fisher, Senior Affordable Housing Specialist, Office of Affordable Housing Programs, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Caitlin Renner, Assistant Director, Program Policy Division, Office of Affordable Housing Programs, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Briefing with HUD Senior Officials – Joint Presentation
Virginia Sardone, Director, Office of Affordable Housing Programs, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Henrietta Owusu, Director, Program Policy Division, Office of Affordable Housing Programs, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Peter Huber, Deputy Director, Office of Affordable Housing Programs, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Breakout Session A

Building Capacity of Rural and Small CoCs
Danielle Meister, Director, Office of Community Services, Division of Neighborhood Revitalization, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development

Curtis Stauffer, Managing Director, Housing Contract Administration, Kentucky Housing Corporation

Mary Frances Kenion, Vice President, Training and Technical Assistance, National Alliance to End Homelessness

Breakout Session B

Health and Homeless Partnerships – Getting Started, Next Steps & Data Sharing
Winona Conner, Housing Finance Deputy Administrator, Louisiana Housing Corporation
Andy McMahon, Vice President, Impact Investments, UnitedHealth Group
Robert W. Plant, Ph.D., President, Robert W. Plant, Ph.D., LLC – Behavioral Health and Social Service Consulting

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Breakout Session C

Increasing Housing Capacity:  Housing Search, Landlord Recruitment, and HOME-ARP Opportunities
Kristen Toombs, Director, Office of Homeless Initiatives, Division of Housing, Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Michael Shore, President/CEO, HOM, Inc.
Curtis Stauffer, Managing Director, Housing Contract Administration, Kentucky Housing Corporation

Briefing with HUD Senior Officials
Norm Suchar, Director, Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Breakout Session A

How to Manage DR in Mid- to Late Recovery (including disaster tie-back strategies) – Revised
Patrick Forbes, Executive Director, Louisiana Office of Community Development
David Bowman, Deputy Director, Division of Local Government, Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Jim Klingler, Chief Finance Officer, North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency

Breakout Session B

Unmet Needs Assessments:  FEMA & Alternative Data Sources
David Bowman, Deputy Director, Division of Local Government, Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Kathy Tremblay, CDBG-DR Program Manager, Georgia Department of Community Affairs
Maziar Movassaghi, Chief Disaster Recovery Officer, California Department of Housing and Community Development
Benjamin Rance, Project Lead – Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool (RAPT), Federal Emergency Management Agency

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Breakout Session C

COSCDA Recommendations for Improvement, Brainstorming, and New DR Notice
Heather Lagrone, COSCDA Board Member and Senior Deputy Director, Texas General Land Office

Jenny B. Mason, Director of Disaster Recovery, Nebraska Department of Economic Development

Jenny Cho, Assistant Deputy Director, Division of Federal Financial Assistance, Disaster Relief and Recovery, California Department of Housing and Community Development

Briefing with HUD Senior Officials
Frank McNally, Deputy Director, Office of Disaster Recovery, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

2023 Annual Training Conference Evaluation