Session Descriptions & Speaker Bios

Speaker & Panelist Bios:

Aaron Watkins
Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC)

Anne Hollander
Strategic Advisor, The Strategic Edge
Anne is a seasoned strategic advisor at The Strategic Edge with over two decades of experience in the rental housing sector, specializing in strategy and technology development across real estate, technology, and financial services. She began her career in multifamily & affordable marketing and leasing in Dallas in 2010, pioneering digital marketing and leasing technologies to enhance occupancy and resident satisfaction. During her tenure at RealPage, she launched the Renter Engagement Suite, introduced AI-driven screening, and provided analytics and business intelligence solutions to major real estate investment firms. In addition, Anne has previously founded and sold two technology companies, managed strategic planning for an $18 billion affordable housing portfolio, and established the Institute for Rental Housing Data, Analytics, and AI to support talent development in the industry.

Dan Gould
Director of Training, The Inspection Group






Desi Payne
Desi loves to motivate employees by helping them adjust their attitudes to create a positive work environment. Desi has over 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur, patient advocate, customer service and leadership trainer, and award-winning entertainer. She is also an international speaker with the John Maxwell Team. She is known as “The Attitude Adjuster” and helps employees reduce negativity and stress in the workplace. She is the author of Do You Work with the Living Dead?


Gwen Volk
President, Gwen Volk INFOCUS, Inc.
Since 1983, Gwen Volk has assisted developers, owners, agents, and on-site staff in navigating the complexities and challenges of the many programs that provide housing opportunities for low and moderate-income families. She has served as vice president, president and chief executive officer of a Midwest affordable housing development and management company, chief compliance officer for a Dallas-based firm, and provided training and consulting services from coast to coast through Gwen Volk INFOCUS, Inc. She has extensive knowledge and experience in Section 42 low income housing tax credit, tax-exempt bond, HOME, Section 8, 236, 202 PAC, 202/811 PRAC and Rural Development programs.

Gwen has volunteered countless hours with local and regional Affordable Housing Management Associations (AHMAs) , the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) and the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM). She has twice served on NAHMA’s board of directors, and chaired its Certification Review Board, Education and Training, and Fair Housing committees. She has been a member of the Specialist in Housing Credit Management Technical Advisory Committee, responsible for development and quality control of the SHCM certification exam; served on the board of the NAHMA Education Foundation and is a director on the AHMA East Texas Scholarship Foundation board. Since 2009 Gwen has served on IREM's Affordable Housing Advisory Council /fka Federal Housing Advisory board. Gwen holds a BA in English, an MS in Business and is a CPM, NAHP-e, SHCM, HCCP, CPO, FHC and RAM. She is a NAHMA-certified trainer for the Certified Professional of Occupancy (CPO), Fair Housing Compliance (FHC) and Blended Compliance Designation (BCD) courses and a frequent presenter of CEU webinars for SHCM designees. A lifetime learner and teacher, Gwen’s classroom and virtual trainings are interactive, informative and in demand.

Jaron Blandford
Attorney, McBrayer PLLC

Jeff Hutton
Owner, ETS Group, Inc.

Jill Conway
Director of Provider Strategy and Community Engagement, Bluegrass Care Navigators
Jill Conway is the Director of Provider Strategy and Community Engagement for Bluegrass Care Navigators.  Conway has been connecting seriously ill patients and families to care for the last 15 years.  In her role, she provides PACE, hospice and palliative care education to the medical community and general public across Kentucky.  Conway received her degree from the University of Kentucky in 2000.  Since that time, Jill has worked in marketing, management, and education positions and serves on numerous boards and committees.  Her passion for connecting families to the right care, at the right time has led her to advocate for Kentuckians to make informed healthcare choices and prepare with advanced care plans.

Joseph Caminiti
Cosponsorship Community Engagement Manager, Kentucky Refugee Ministries, Inc.
Joseph Caminiti is the Cosponsorship Community Engagement Manager at Kentucky Refugee Ministries (KRM) in Louisville, Kentucky. His work centers around building community volunteers that extend privilege to new refugee arrivals, helping them thrive in a new culture. He offers training events to volunteers who pair with new refugee family arrivals, helping them assimilate to a life in the U.S. These volunteer groups support refugee families by providing them with furniture, grocery store navigation, home visitation, and community integration aid. Joseph also establishes initiatives to complement the refugee and asylum services KRM provides. Initiatives address basic needs such as clothing and household products, seasonal aids like blankets and basic home tools. He prioritizes creative solutions that attend not only to material refugee needs, but also to cultural longings lost in the resettlement process. Lawn mower programs and home gardening initiatives are among such endeavors. Partnerships with the established Louisville community are a key part of Joseph’s success at KRM. Partners include faith organizations, local businesses, political and civic associations and humanitarian groups.
Chiefly important to Joseph is the privilege of learning daily from the heroic population of refugees and asylees. 

Joseph Henry
Owner/Trainer, Professional Compliance Solutions, LLC
Professional Compliance Solutions, LLC is owned by Joseph Henry. Joseph is a Certified Property Manager (CPM) and Housing Credit Certified Professional (HCCP). He began his career in the Affordable Housing industry in 1986. Since this time, he has brought about significant insight into training and how to help people understand and learn about regulations that will assist the Housing Professionals in all aspects of the job. Beginning his career as a maintenance person, Joe has a real world perspective on what we do and why we do it! Whether you are a seasoned professional or just beginning your career in Affordable Housing, Joseph Henry will deliver the best training possible. 

Karen Graham
CEO, Karen A. Graham Consulting, LLC
Karen has worked for more than 30 years in the same roles that many in her audience do today. There's no better person to make LIHTC and Affordable Housing compliance training real-world, relevant, easy to understand, and actionable. She engages people of every level of experience, providing you with the knowledge you need and the confidence to put it to use.

Karen's expertise focuses on directing partners, owners, and managers in the successful management of tax credit housing and LIHTC compliance. Her years of on-site experience give her a comprehensive view of the compliance process. She knows what you're facing, and she believes in providing "less-stress” solutions to bring you peace of mind. When you collaborate with Karen, you will find a true partner in creating the results that work for you. She is certified to train the HCCP Exam, is a Board member for numerous associations and advisory committees, is an advisor for federal and state housing agencies, is a Founder of the “My Compliance Support” resource portal, and is a developer of online LIHTC training courses. 

Leah Brewer
The Leasing Queen, Full House Marketing, Inc.
Leah Brewer, CALP, CAM, CAS, is affectionately known as “The Leasing Queen” for her creativity in filling apartment vacancies in her 35+ years from a leasing consultant to a consultant for leasing. Leah established Full House Marketing® in 1995, supporting the apartment industry with the services that help apartments have their own “full house” through customized consulting and training solutions. Leah ensures that the skills she teaches have been tested and tried first-hand. Her humor and industry anecdotes, passionate presentations and learning activities inspire attendees to learn, believe, retain and implement successful new ideas.

Lynn Huckleberry
Trainer & Community Engagement Specialist, Board Treasurer, KY Harm Reduction Coalition (KyHRC) 
Lynne Huckleberry is currently the Training and Community Engagement Specialist for the Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition (KyHRC).  She retired from a 32-year teaching career in middle school math. Lynne was trained to distribute naloxone/Narcan by Louisville Public Health and Wellness. She started with this organization in 2015 as a volunteer doing naloxone/Narcan trainings at the Syringe Service Program mobile sites and for various groups throughout Kentucky. She became an advocate for harm reduction after her son developed a substance use disorder. Lynne’s goal is to engage communities and educate people about harm reduction - including the use of naloxone/Narcan and fentanyl and xylazine test strips – to empower them with the tools needed to help reduce the number of overdose deaths in Kentucky.

Melissa Corbett
PBCA Assistant Director, Tenant Assistance Programs, Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC)

Melissa Harris
Director of Government Affairs, American Association of Service Coordinators
Melissa Harris serves as Government Affairs Director for the American Association of Service Coordinators, where she is responsible for the organization’s legislative and regulatory advocacy efforts at the state and federal levels. She also promotes recommended standards of practice for service coordinators and provides technical assistance and training on service coordination fundamentals and policies. She holds a journalism degree from Kent State University and worked as a news reporter for more than a decade before joining AASC in March 2018.

Michelle List
Community Health Supervisor/KY Senior Medicare Patrol Director, Louisville Metro Government, Department of Public Health and Wellness
Michelle has served as the Director of the Kentucky Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) for over 15 years, with more than 30 years of experience in gerontology and non-profit organizations. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Gerontology from Concordia University Chicago. Michelle’s expertise in aging services, combined with her passion for educating communities, has made her a key advocate in the fight against Medicare fraud.

Will Carroll
Attorney, McBrayer PLLC