Centering People and Place
HPN’s 62nd Member Meeting brought over 220 attendees from 74 organizations together in Richmond, VA. Welcomed by Better Housing Coalition CEO Greta Harris and Richmond Mayor Dr. Danny Avula, the opening plenary featured a fireside chat between HPN’s CEO Robin Hughes and Tom Barkin, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Between Avula’s focus on increasing supply and preventing displacement, Barkin’s emphasis on the housing market’s underbuilding and unaffordability, and Robin’s reflections on how housing leaders are fighting the “right fight,” the meeting kicked off with an unmistakable message to act now, and together, to advance affordable housing.
Ellis Carr, CEO of Capital Impact Partners/Momentus Capital and treasurer of the HPN Board, opened with a welcome to five new network members: California Community Reinvestment Corporation, Home HeadQuarters, HumanGood, New Hampshire Community Loan Fund and Piedmont Housing Alliance.
Members celebrated longtime colleague Chris Persons, who is retiring after two decades of leadership at Community Roots Housing in Seattle and honored the commitment and legacy of Bobby Calvillo, CEO of Affordable Homes of South Texas, who passed away suddenly at the end of May.
Larry Swanson, former CEO of ACTION-Housing and recipient of the first annual Whittlesey Leadership Award, in honor of HPN’s founder Bob Whittlesey, was pleased to announce Dee Walsh, EVP and COO of Mercy Housing, as the second award recipient, in recognition of her longstanding service to HPN, her commitment to learning and peer exchange among housing leaders, and her exemplary leadership in the affordable housing field.
Learn about the meeting’s many sessions below.
Communities of Practice
During community of practice sessions, colleagues in similar roles came together to share reflections on the myriad challenges of the present moment and identify opportunities to collaborate and problem solve. CEOs, CFOs, COOs and HR leaders, Multifamily Developers, Property Operations + Resident Services leaders, and Lenders + CDFI leaders all joined with their communities, a chance to connect in person after coming together online throughout the year.
One member shared: “It was really nice to be able to share what we're doing and to get feedback from peers.”
Concurrent Sessions
Cross-cutting sessions covered a range of topics, from developing service-enriched housing, operating property sustainably to telling the story of affordable housing and reimagining affordable housing policy. Member voices are always at the center of sessions, leading with their experiences, challenges, and reflections on ways forward.
Another member reflected: “The sharing of information was fantastic, with concrete suggestions on current operational issues and suggestions on ways to improve.”
Closing Plenary
To cap off the final day of the meeting and prepare members for off-sites throughout the city of Richmond, members gathered for a powerful closing plenary led by Greta Harris, who reminded the group: "This industry wouldn’t exist without the painful history of our country. It’s not just about real estate - it’s about our shared humanity." Joined by Todd Waldo of The Shockoe Institute and Bill Martin of The Valentine Museum, these three visionary community leaders reflected on Richmond’s complex past and how housing and community development can be a force for reckoning and repair.
A member summed up the plenary experience:
“Both speakers giving historical context to the city of Richmond was enlightening, informative, inspiring and invigorating: a reminder of why we do this work.”
Off-site Sessions
In a fitting end to the meeting, members headed out on five different off-sites across the city. Members explored innovations in manufactured housing with project:HOMES, public housing transformations with The Community Builders, community-driven, sustainable development in historic city neighborhoods with Enterprise Community Development, and a mixed-use, mixed-income community campus in suburban Richmond with Better Housing Coalition.
HPN is grateful for the generous support of the Spring Member Meeting in Richmond. Longtime HPN supporters IMA Financial Group, AAFCPAs, and SmithNMTC Associates LLC were joined by Richmond-based sponsors Atlantic Union Bank and Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond.
To learn more about the Richmond meeting, take a look at the meeting overview and feel free to reach out to any of the HPN facilitators to learn more about the communities of practice or other sessions of interest. We look forward to seeing you all again in virtual cross-cutting peer exchange sessions this summer and fall, and we hope you will join us for our Fall Member Meeting in San Diego (12/3 – 12/5).
Please reach out to our Membership and Peer Exchange team with questions or suggestions, including ideas for virtual peer exchange or our next member meeting. You can also check out other upcoming Member Events. Thank you, as always, for your commitment to HPN, and more importantly, for your work in communities across the country.