Beyond Four Walls: Conversations on Affordable Housing

In this week's episode, we welcome Debra Still, retired CEO and Vice Chair of Pulte Financial Services and a recipient of NHC's 2026 Housing Visionary Award, which will be presented at NHC's Annual Gala  on June 24 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.   For more than four decades, Debra has been a leading voice in mortgage finance, helping guide the industry through periods of growth, disruption, and...

On April 8, the National Housing Conference hosted its Solutions for Housing Communications convening at the National Press Club. The event brought together policymakers and affordable housing stakeholders to discuss tangible, impactful, and achievable actions to address the nation's most critical housing policy challenges. In today's episode, we revisit the panel, "Communicating Before, During, a...

In this week's episode, we welcome Bill Emerson, Board Member of Rocket Companies and a recipient of this year's Housing Visionary Award, which will be presented at NHC's annual Gala on June 24 at The Anthem in Washington, DC. After more than three decades in the mortgage industry, Emerson joins NHC President and CEO David Dworkin to discuss the lessons he's learned leading through periods of rapi...

In this week's episode, we're joined by acclaimed historian and author Betty Boyd Caroli, a Fulbright scholar whose career has spanned topics from immigration to the lives of America's First Ladies.  Her latest book, "A Slumless America: Mary K. Simkhovitch and the Dream of Affordable Housing," shines a light on a visionary reformer whose name isn't widely known—Mary Kingsbury Simkhovitch. Founder...

In this week's episode, we're joined by Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity, the global housing nonprofit that has helped more than 62 million people build, rehabilitate, or preserve their homes. Under Reckford's leadership, the organization has grown dramatically expanding from serving about 125,000 people each year to reaching more than 3 million annually. Reckford sits down with NHC...

In this week's episode, NHC President and CEO David Dworkin talks with Wendy Penn, Vice President of Affordable Housing Initiatives at the Mortgage Bankers Association, and Anna Teye-Kasongo, Assistant Executive Director at the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio, about CONVERGENCE—MBA's initiative to expand homeownership by leveraging the collective strength of community partners. Penn sh...

I n this week's episode, we welcome Robert Pinnegar, President and CEO of the National Apartment Association, the leading voice for the rental housing industry committed to serving 139 state and local affiliates, nearly 113,000 members representing more than 13.5 million apartment homes.   Pinnegar sits down with NHC's President and CEO David Dworkin to discuss the state of today's rental housing...

I n this week's episode, NHC President and CEO David Dworkin sits down with Sharon Cornelissen, Director of Housing at the Consumer Federation of America, and author of Last House on the Block: Black Homeowners, White Homesteaders, and Failed Gentrification in Detroit Cornelissen joins NHC President and CEO David Dworkin to discuss her new book, which explores what happens when White newcomers mov...

On December 3, the National Housing Conference hosted its Solutions for Affordable Housing convening at the National Press Club. The event brought together policymakers and affordable housing stakeholders to discuss tangible, impactful, and achievable actions to address the nation's most critical housing policy challenges. In today's episode, we revisit the panel, "Ending Homelessness: Successful...

In this week's episode, NHC President and CEO David Dworkin sits down with Kate Rodgers, Chair and Policy Director of the Student HOMES Coalition, to explore the growing student housing crisis and the power of youth-led advocacy in shaping housing policy. Kate shares her journey from legislative advocacy as a UCLA freshman to becoming a leading voice in statewide student housing reform. Together,...

In this week's episode, NHC President and CEO David Dworkin joins NHC Chair Ali Solis and Vice Chair Ralph Perrey to reflect on the key policy priorities and developments that shaped NHC's work in 2025 and discuss what they mean for the housing challenges and opportunities ahead in 2026. Ali Solis, Principal at S3-Solis Strategic Solutions, is a housing industry veteran in Washington, DC, having h...

On December 3, 2025, the National Housing Conference (NHC) hosted our Solutions for Affordable Housing convening at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. In this week's episode, we revisit the convening's fireside chat between NHC's President and CEO David Dworkin and Congressman Mike Flood (R-NE), Chairman of the Housing and Insurance Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee, w...

On December 3, 2025, the National Housing Conference (NHC) hosted our Solutions for Affordable Housing convening at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. In this week's episode, we revisit the convening's fireside chat between NHC's President and CEO David Dworkin and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, where they discus...

In this week's episode, we welcome Wilfred N. Cooper, Jr., President and CEO of WNC, a pioneer in the affordable housing space having acquired over $20 billion in affordable rental properties to create and preserve more than 1,700 communities across 49 states. Cooper is also the co-founder and President of the Cooper Housing Institute, a private foundation that supports innovative research, public...

In this week's episode, we welcome Janneke Ratcliffe, Vice President for the Housing and Communities Division at the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research organization that has been providing data and evidence to help advance upward mobility and equity for more than 50 years. Over a career that spans industry, the nonprofit sector, academic research, and the federal government, her work focuses on...

In this week's episode we welcome Liz Gehringer, President and CEO of Anywhere Franchise Brands, where she leads strategic growth, marketing, and operations for some of the real estate industry's most iconic names—Coldwell Banker Affiliates, Coldwell Banker Commercial, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, CENTURY 21, and ERA Real Estate. Gehringer joins NHC President and CEO David Dworkin to disc...

In this week's episode we welcome Christopher Tyson, President of the National Community Stabilization Trust (NCST), where he leads the organization's efforts to expand affordable homeownership by lending capital to revitalize vacant single-family homes, advocating for policy innovation and reform, and facilitating transactions that strengthen the single-family housing supply and stabilize neighbo...

In this week's episode we welcome Don Mullen, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pretium, a specialized investment firm focused on U.S. residential real estate – including single-family rentals and build-to-rent housing – residential credit, and corporate credit. With a platform managing nearly $60 billion in assets, Pretium's portfolio spans nearly 90 markets nationwide and includes ~90,000 s...

In this week's episode, NHC President and CEO David Dworkin sits down with Joseph Becerra, a true pioneer and changemaker in street medicine and community health, whom he had the privilege of shadowing in the field in Los Angeles. Becerra, the original community health worker and co-founder of USC Street Medicine, recounts his remarkable journey from over fifteen years of homelessness to becoming...

In this week's episode we welcome  Laura Escobar, President of Lennar Mortgage, the lending arm of the nation's largest homebuilder, Lennar Corporation. With more than 37 years of experience in mortgage banking, Escobar has led at every level — from branch management to executive leadership — in both bank-owned and independent mortgage companies and currently serves as the 2025 Chair of the Mortga...

In this week's episode we welcome Sydelle Knepper, Founder and CEO of SKA Marin, a renowned firm recognized for its impactful contributions to real estate and community development across New York and beyond. With more than 30 years of experience, Knepper brings unmatched expertise in both the private and public sectors, having overseen more than a billion dollars in constructed project value.  Kn...

In this week's episode, we welcome Dan Nissenbaum, CEO of the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF), a renowned, national Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that has invested over $3.5 billion in transformative projects creating opportunities for low-income individuals and communities. Nissenbaum joins NHC President and CEO David Dworkin to discuss how CDFIs differ from traditional ban...

In this week's episode, we welcome Patrick Dodd, President and CEO of Cotality, formerly known as CoreLogic. Cotality uses real-time property data and insights to help agents, lenders, insurers, and innovators uncover risks, seize opportunities, and drive meaningful impact across the property ecosystem. Dodd joins NHC President and CEO David Dworkin to discuss how Cotality is redefining its role i...

In this week's episode, we welcome  Michael Novogradac, Managing Partner of Novogradac, a national professional services firm with deep expertise in tax policy, affordable housing, community development, historic preservation, and opportunity zones. He is a recognized voice in national policy discussions, having testified before Congress and contributed insights to agencies like the U.S. Treasury...

In this week's episode, NHC President and CEO David Dworkin talks with Amy Hovey, Executive Director & CEO of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, and Robin Wiessmann, Executive Director and CEO of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, to discuss how housing finance agencies are addressing the affordable housing shortage in their states.  Amy Hovey is the first woman to lead the Mi...