Session Descriptions & Speaker Bios

SAHMA Affordable Housing Conference: North Carolina Session Descriptions:
Key: HUD: HUD Programs O/A: Owner/Agent TC: Tax Credit G: General M: Maintenance SC: Service Coordinator

A Peer-to-Peer Conversation: Safe Spaces in an Evolving World (SC) (G)
Session Description Coming Soon!

EIV & HOTMA (HUD)
EIV doesn’t go away with HOTMA, but the times and ways in which you use it change dramatically. When to run EIV Income Reports and New Hires Reports will be driven both by HOTMA and by Owner policies.  EIV Discrepancy Reports will be suspended – why and for how long?  The EIV Income Report will be used to verify and to calculate employment income at AR – how exactly will that work?   

Evictions Part 1 (G)
Session Description Coming Soon!

Evictions Part 2 (G)
Session Description Coming Soon!

Fair Housing Hot Topics (G)
Session Description Coming Soon!

HOTMA Overview (G)
Change is Coming. (or maybe it’s already here!) Definitions of income and assets, the asset threshold, calculating asset income, Section 8 asset restrictions, the five deductions, new options for verifying income, annual recerts, interim and “non-interim reexamination transactions” and more. Are you ready for HOTMA?

Income & Assets (HUD)
HOTMA changes the definitions of income and assets as well as the way in which asset income is calculated.  If you have or are about to implement your new HOTMA compliant TSP, this session will show you what to do next.

Legal Hot Topics & Fair Housing (G) (O/A) 
Session Description Coming Soon!

Navigating HUD Program Updates and New Resources (SC)
Each year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development introduces new policies and updates existing policies and procedures that impact affordable housing sites, their service coordinator programs and the residents they serve. Are you aware of the changes taking place and opportunities available in 2024?
 
This presentation will detail the latest news impacting HUD service coordinators, such as a breakdown of the first Multifamily Service Coordinator Program grants in more than a decade, upcoming mental health training offerings, and the results of AASC’s Salary Survey. The presenter will also explain how to take advantage of already existing resources such as Supportive Services Funds.
 
Additionally, attendees will gain an understanding of how HUD policy changes related to HOTMA and NSPIRE will impact residents.

NSPIRE & Tax Credit (TC)
Session Description Coming Soon!

NSPIRE for Maintenance (M)
Session Description Coming Soon!

NSPIRE for Managers (G)
Session Description Coming Soon!

Preventative Maintenance (M)
Session Description Coming Soon!

Refrigerant Transition 2024 R-32 & R-454B Overview (M)
Attendees will learn about what's happened from 2020 to present day with the phase down of R-410A. Also, they will discover key features and benefits of these low GWP refrigerants. Safe handling, transport, and tools will be discussed, along with what to prepare for in 2024.

Tax Credit & HOTMA (TC)
Session Description Coming Soon!

Tax Credit File Review (TC)
Session Description Coming Soon!

The Pancake Principle (G)
Like making perfect pancakes, creating an extraordinary customer experience requires preparation, skill, focus, patience, and timing.
OUTCOMES: In Patrick’s book The Pancake Principle, seventeen sticky ways to make your customers flip for you, Patrick shows how to create excellence in business and in life. We all have customers. Whether we are in sales or education, HR or administration, the ones who rise to the top are the ones who can turn customers into fans.

Your Voice Matters: Advocating for Your Residents & the Service Coordinator (SC)
Decision makers in the White House and Congress are developing policies daily, including ones that impact service coordination and the resources that your residents rely on. It’s important that you understand how their work is tied to yours and the residents you serve. Once you understand the role the federal government plays in service coordination, you can take a more active role in shaping the service coordinator profession and better navigate the federal programs your residents rely on. This session will also provide an overview of the Expanding Service Coordinators Act and an opportunity for attendees to take part in advocacy efforts to advance the legislation.

Speaker & Panelist Bios:

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.

John Emery
NSPIRE Trainer, U.S. Inspection Group, Inc.
Guru might be pushing it, but let’s just say, John is like the Yoda of REAC inspections and training. As one of HUD’s OG Certified REAC Inspectors and Trainers, he’s been dishing out wisdom to USIG and housing agencies across the land. John’s been riding the REAC wave since the ’90s, practically doing the cha-cha with the protocol since its birth. Oh, and did we mention he’s the brain behind our stack of REAC prep guidebooks? He’s not just a certified expert; he’s the Jedi master of all things REAC, and we’re just lucky padawans soaking up his housing inspection wisdom!

Joshua Richards
Vice President, 550 Construction, LLC

Lucinda Williams
Presken Management

Melissa Harris
Director of Government Affairs, American Association of Service Coordinators
Melissa Harris is the Government Affairs Director for the American Association of Service Coordinators, where she leads 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. Melissa’s other priorities include voting initiatives and efforts to engage members in advocacy. She holds a journalism degree from Kent State University and worked as an Ohio Statehouse news reporter before joining AASC in March 2018.

Michael Thornburg
Corporate Trainer for Chadwell Supply / Chadwell University

Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry sees the world through the eyes of a songwriter, and just like writing a song, managing a successful property takes talent, creativity and structure. For ten years Patrick wrote songs for a Nashville based publishing company and became a featured humorist on the SiriusXM Radio Comedy channels. He now travels the country showing audiences how to elevate brands create a work environment people don’t want to leave. When not giving speeches, Patrick is running Monarchchem, a company he started with his college roommate in 2020. They manufacture an ecofriendly herbicide that’s a safe and effective alternative to Roundup. Patrick lives in North Carolina with his wife and three kids who keep graduating and leaving home.

Ronnette Smith
Senior Trainer, Zeffert & Associates

Scott Alexander
Occupancy Compliance Specialist, The Arc of North Carolina

Sonja Horn McGaha
President, DASH Compliance

Sonja Horn McGaha started her career in affordable management almost 30 years ago as an on-site manager. As she progressed in the affordable housing industry, Sonja became an Area Manager, a Regional Property Manager and then Director of Compliance. She has been responsible for overseeing the regulatory compliance for both large and small management companies. Since Sonja has been on site she is uniquely qualified to understand the struggles that managers deal with on a daily basis. In 2010, Sonja decided to create her own compliance consulting firm, DASH Compliance that specializes in file review and training designed to make life simpler for on-site managers. She is a Past President of Southeastern Affordable Housing Management Association (SAHMA). As a member of SAHMA, she also conducts training for state and regional conferences. Sonja is a Housing Credit Certified Professional, a Specialist in Housing Credit Management, a Certified Occupancy Specialist, and certified Fair Housing Coordinator. Sonja is committed to excellence in affordable housing and looks forward to using her knowledge to help further the understanding of others.

Todd Whitlow
Partner, Brownlee Whitlow & Praet, PLLC