Agenda
Guest Arrival & Registration
8:45 AM-9:30 AM
Video: From Vision to Homes
9:30 AM- 9:40 AM
Interacting with State Government:
It’s Easier than you Think
10:00-10:15 AM
Michael Santoro
Executive Director
of Housing & Community Development,
Department of Housing
Senior Program Officer,
CT Housing Finance Authority
Breakout Sessions
10:30 AM- 12:00 PM
When Speed Matters: Modular Homes MythBusters
10:30 AM-12:00 PM
Modular construction is one of the fastest-growing tools for getting housing built in Connecticut, but myths about cost, quality, and durability still hold developers back. This session cuts through them with a look at real state-funded modular projects on the ground and provides a practical overview of off-site housing construction options, explaining the different construction methods, common terminology, and potential benefits.
Moderated by Jocelyn Ayer, Director Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity
Craig Landri
President,
Signature Building Systems
Nonprofit and Private Developers: Finding Synergy
10:30 AM-12:00 PM
Nonprofits bring deep community relationships, mission-driven flexibility, and long-term ownership models. Private developers bring capital capacity, construction speed, and scale. This session unpacks where those strengths overlap and where partnership, rather than competition, gets projects built faster and better
Moderated by Wendy Clarke, Corporate Partner, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
Bobby Christoph Jr.
President,
RCI Group
Reimagining Supportive Housing
10:30 AM-12:00 PM
Connecticut has moved fast on homeless prevention this year. DOH revamped McKinney-Vento supports, expanded supportive housing production, and built out regional HUBs and Coordinated Access Networks connecting people to services before they lose housing. The Interagency Council on Homelessness is preparing its first recommendations. With this infrastructure now in place, the question for providers is, how to plug in. This session covers where partnership opportunities exist.
Moderated by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, Investigative Reporter, CT Insider
Julian Pierce
Deputy Commissioner,
Department of Housing
Lunch
12:15 PM-12:45 PM
Seila Mosquera-Bruno, Housing Commissioner,
State of Connecticut
12:55 PM-1:00 PM
Ned Lamont, Governor, State of Connecticut
1:00 PM-1:15 PM
Building Homes, Building Connecticut’s Future
1:20 PM-2:40 PM
The state passed an omnibus housing bill last year establishing DOH as a Housing Authority for the first time with the ability to build directly. It also required OPM and the COGs to conduct a 10 Year Needs Assessment to estimate how many housing units Connecticut will need. So, what is DOH’s first project? What’s the status of the survey? How will this bill impact the development community? What other relevant changes were implemented in the housing bill? This session will cover these questions and more importantly provide insight the state’s approach in addressing Housing needs now and for the next decade.
Moderated by, Pete Harrison CT Director, Regional Plan Association
David McCarthy
Founder,
Heritage Housing, Inc
Ben Lovejoy
Planning Analyst,
CT Department of Housing
Matt Fulda
Connecticut Metropolitan Council of Governments
Rebecca Augur
CT Office of Policy Management
Justin Elicker, Mayor, City of New Haven
2:45 PM-2:55 PM
Nandini Natarajan, CEO, CT Housing Finance Authority
2:55 PM-3:10 PM
Networking Reception:
Connect with DOH & CHFA Staff for Project Updates
3:15 PM-5:00 PM