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HB854 Statewide Housing Study:
Current Efforts, Future Needs, New Strategies

11 Experts and power users

This chapter provides readers with a summary of the additional experts and practitioners who provided testimony to the SAG, steering committee, and HousingForward Virginia during the HB854 study process.

Rental assistance experts

To provide the rental assistance subgroup with information on national best practices and lessons learned, HousingForward Virginia spoke with or invited the following individuals to speak to the subgroup:

  • Danilo Pelletiere, Washington, D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development
  • Hammere Gebreyes, District of Columbia Housing Authority
  • Maxwell Ruppersburg, Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
  • Cecilia Woodworth, Massachusetts Office of Community Development
  • Steve DiLella, Connecticut Department of Housing
  • Dan Threet, National Low Income Housing Coalition
  • Jillian Fox, Corporation for Supportive Housing

Utility experts

To provide the utility rate reduction subgroup with a clear understanding of the regulatory environment and scope of existing public and provider-based assistance programs, HousingForward Virginia spoke with or invited the following individuals to speak to the subgroup:

  • Kyle Rosner, Deputy Broadband Advisor, Commonwealth of Virginia
  • Tommy Oliver and Nick Banka, Roanoke Gas
  • Petrina Jones Wrobleski and Bryan Stogdale, Columbia Gas
  • Morgan Whayland and Tyler Lake, Virginia Natural Gas
  • Todd House, Andrew Lawson, and Scott McGeary, Washington Gas
  • Lisa FaJohn and Elizabeth Rhyne, Dominion Energy
  • Arlen Bolstad and Kim Pate, Virginia State Corporation Commission

Bond financing experts

To provide the bond financing subgroup with information on the legal framework and scope of bond activities by Virginia’s state and local governments, HousingForward Virginia spoke with or invited the following individuals to speak to the subgroup:

  • Kyle Flanders, Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development
  • Megan Martz Gilliland, Kauffman & Canoles, P.C.
  • Hil Richardson, Virginia Housing
  • Mike Urban, Virginia Housing

Property tax expert

To provide the real property tax reduction subgroup with information on the legal framework and scope of bond activities by Virginia’s state and local governments, HousingForward Virginia invited the following individual to speak to the subgroup:

  • Lane Pearson, Fleckenstein & Associates, P.C.

Existing program experts

To adequately understand the strengths, challenges, and opportunities for current state housing programs, HousingForward Virginia spoke with or invited the following individuals to speak to the existing programs subgroup:

  • Andy Kegley, HOPE, Inc.
  • Ari Severe, TM Associates
  • Dianna Bowser, Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation
  • Jake Powell, Community Housing Partners
  • Jennifer Jacobs, Albemarle Housing Improvement Program
  • Jillian Fox, Corporation for Supportive Housing
  • John Bolton, LISC Virginia
  • Kelly King Horne, Homeward
  • Linda Melton, Fulton Bank
  • Matthew Morgan, project:HOMES
  • Meghann Cotter, Micah Ecumenical Ministries
  • Samantha Brown, Community Housing Partners
  • Sunshine Mathon, Piedmont Housing Alliance
  • Tonya Irizarry, Virginia Credit Union