New York (December 2, 2009) – The New York Housing Conference (NYHC) and the National Housing Conference (NHC) will present two complimentary symposiums for attendees at the NYHC and NHC Annual Awards Luncheon on December 10 at the Hilton New York, just prior to the main event and keynote speech by Shaun Donovan, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The Federal Housing Policy Symposium, sponsored by Yuco Real Estate Company, Inc., will evaluate the federal housing policy landscape, including the status of current legislative proposals and those likely to come to the table in 2010. Featured panelists for this symposium include Conrad Egan, NHC; Richard S. Goldstein, NHC Member Partner Nixon Peabody LLP; Michael Kelly, New York City Housing Authority; and Shekar Narasimham, NHC Member Partner Beekman Advisors.
Additionally, the Young Leadership Council Symposium, sponsored by NHC Member Partner the Reznick Group, will feature New York State and New York City housing agency representatives who will discuss the challenges and achievements from 2009, as well as issues the industry should be mindful of in moving forward. Panelists for this symposium include Sean Fitzgerald, New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal; Richard M. Froelich, New York City Housing Development Corporation; Holly Leicht, NHC Member Partner the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development; and Marian Zucker, NHC Member Partner nyhomes.
The seminars will be conducted simultaneously from 9:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
This annual event honors those who have made New York a better place to live and work and is one of the largest gatherings of housing professionals in the nation – attracting more than 1,300 attendee. As the keynote speaker, Secretary Donovan, formerly commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), will not only help celebrate the success of this year’s honorees, but he will also focus on responding to the national foreclosure crisis, the future of HUD and addressing the affordable housing needs of families in New York and nationwide.
The 2009 Luncheon is particularly significant because it marks the inauguration of the Clara Fox Award for Outstanding Achievement. Named in honor of the legendary founder of NYHC, this first annual award will be bestowed upon Felice Michetti, who is the CEO of Grenadier Realty, one of the city’s largest private owners and managers of affordable housing. Ms. Michetti, who was HPD Commissioner during the Dinkins Administration, is widely credited with implementing many of the housing development goals set by Mayor Dinkins’ predecessor, Edward I. Koch.
Additional award recipients include: