PHADA President Mark Gillett.
PHADA held its annual Commissioners’ Conference earlier this month in Miami, FL. We were delighted to host more than eight hundred attendees in our first gathering of 2025, providing an opportune time to focus on key issues while also learning from informative presentations.
Most of the association’s committee meetings occur on the conference’s first day, which was Sunday, January 5. Typically, before our committees get underway, members participate in a briefing conducted by our policy staff. Every time we do this, more people attend because this is one of the most valuable aspects of our conferences. Given all that is occurring in Washington right now, the briefing was particularly helpful.
PHADA staff covered the latest on the Continuing Resolution, the changes we expect in the second Trump Administration and other issues such as the final rule on 30-day notice for non-payment of rent, and ongoing NSPIRE inspections. A key takeaway from our committee and board meetings was that PHADA plans to be more aggressive in trying to convince Congress and the new Administration to reverse burdensome regulations. With this in mind, please see the related PHADA letters on the 30-day notice, NSPIRE V, the federal budget, and some of our other policy-related priorities in this edition of the Advocate.
As always, the conference featured workshops on other timely topics including sessions on Build America Buy America (BABA), HUD’s new interest income reporting requirements, the Housing Choice Voucher shortfall situation, and disaster preparedness. Staff and Trustees also did an excellent presentation of our Local Flexibility Option, which is designed to deregulate HAs and provide them with more local discretion, something we believe is essential in the present budget environment.
PHADA appreciated Tom Davis’s attendance and presentations on the Rental Assistance Demonstration. Davis is with HUD headquarters and went out of his way to be at our meeting despite a massive snowstorm that hit much of the eastern part of the USA. He did a good job covering the information in a general session and responding to members’ questions and concerns in a separate “office hours” format.
Graduates from the Rutgers University-PHADA Executive Director Education Program (EDEP) were honored in a special luncheon. There were more than forty graduates this year. As an EDEP alumni myself, I can confidently say they are now in a better position to lead their agencies into the future.
We were pleased to be joined by scores of executive directors, staff and commissioners attending their first PHADA meeting. Our membership committee, Board of Trustees and staff took the opportunity to meet and greet them in a nice gathering Monday morning, January 6.
Leaders from CLPHA, the MTW Collaborative, NAHRO, and PHADA. (L–R): Crystal Wojciechowski, PHADA Deputy Director; David Weber, PHADA Sr. Policy Analyst; Tim Kaiser, PHADA ED; Mark Thiele, NAHRO CEO; George Guy, NAHRO President; Sunia Zaterman, CLPHA ED; Mark Gillett, PHADA President; Josh Meehan, MTW Collaborative President; Sheri Lee, PHADA Sr. VP; John Mahon, PHADA VP Housing; and Georgi Banna, NAHRO Counsel.
I must recognize and thank Miami Dade CEO Alex Ballina and his talented team at the local housing agency for their invaluable assistance during the conference. We really appreciated their help in making the meeting a success.
In Miami, the nominating committee also agreed on a slate of candidates for officer and Trustee terms that begin in mid-May. There is a separate announcement on that available on PHADA’s website.
Lastly, I was delighted that leaders from CLPHA, the MTW Collaborative, and NAHRO joined us for a special joint meeting. The groups strategized on the FY 25 and FY 26 budgets and coordinated our positions for consideration of the Trump Administration and incoming HUD Secretary Scott Turner. Our joint transition letter was published in the last Advocate and can be found here.
For those of you who were unable to attend, I would remind you that you can access the presentation materials on the PHADA website. We encourage you to join us in Seattle, May 13–16, for our Annual Convention & Exhibition. Registration opens in late January. More information about that meeting can be found on our website.