Housing Affordability 2026: A Community Development Summit
Tuesday, 09/22/26
11:30 AM
Registration Opens
12:00 PM
Lunch
12:30 PM
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Welcome Remarks
Suchi Saxena, Vice President and Community Affairs Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
12:45 PM
Panel Discussion: Listening to Communities
Moderator
Jeremy Hegle, Assistant Vice President and Community Affairs Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Panelists
Nick Mitchell-Bennett, CEO, Come Dream Come Build
Margaret Salazar, CEO, REACH
Heidi Reijm, Principal Community Development Specialist, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Guacolda Reyes, Chief Real Estate Development Officer, The Resurrection Project
2:00 PM
Break I
2:15 PM
Panel Discussion: Macro Factors Impacting Housing Affordability
Moderator
Joanna Trotter, Vice President of Programs, Paul Angell Foundation
Panelists
Karen Cuenca, Senior Community Development Specialist, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Daniel Hartley, Senior Economist and Economic Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Domonic Purviance, Banking Supervision Expert, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Libby Starling, Senior Community Development Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Sisi Zhang, Community Development Economic Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
3:30 PM
Break II
3:45 PM
Panel Discussion: Engaging Rural Communities on Housing Affordability
Moderator
Bill Menner, Executive Director, Iowa Rural Development Council
Tracy Choi, Senior Outreach Manager, Community Engagement and Analysis, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
Dustin Ingram, Senior Community Development Specialist, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Shannon Sansone, Rural Investment Collaborative Manager, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
5:00 PM
Reception
Wednesday, 09/23/26
8:00 AM
Breakfast
9:00 AM
Welcome Remarks
Welcome Remarks
Hue Nguyen, Assistant Vice President and Community Affairs Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
9:05 AM
Keynote & Fireside Chat
Moderator
Karen Leone de Nie, Vice President and Community Affairs Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Speaker
Michael S. Barr, Governor, Federal Reserve Board
10:00 AM
Break I
10:15 AM
Panel Discussion: Understanding Rental Markets
Moderator
Elizabeth Kneebone, Assistant Vice President, Community Development Research, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
Panelists
Pearse Haley, Quantitative Research Analysis Specialist, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Dustin Ingram, Senior Community Development Specialist, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Matt Klesta, Senior Policy Analyst, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
Maxine Xu, Data Scientist, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
11:30 AM
Discover Fed Communities: Resources to Inform and Inspire Your Work
Speaker
Whitney Felder, Marketing Communications Specialist, Fed Communities
11:45 AM
Lunch
1:00 PM
Panel Discussion: Homeownership and Homebuying Affordability and Readiness
Moderator
David Jackson, Vice President and Community Affairs Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
Panelists
Mariah Allen, Community Development Research Analyst, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
Steven Howland, Senior Researcher, Community Development, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Lizzy Mattiuzzi, Research Advisor, Community Engagement and Analysis, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
Rocio Sanchez Moyano, Senior Researcher, Community Engagement and Analysis, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
2:15 PM
Break II
2:30 PM
Panel Discussion: Financing Housing Development: A Complex Landscape
Moderator
Rob McGhee, Senior Vice President and Community Impact Territory Manager, Fifth Third Bank
Panelists
Kassandra Huhn, Outreach Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
Jonathan Kivell, Director of Community Investments, Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Amanda Nunnink, Managing Director, Multifamily, Pritzker Realty Group
Rachael Surmick, Community Development Economic Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
3:45 PM
Closing Remarks
Speakers
Kseniya Benderskaya, Assistant Vice President and Community Affairs Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
Suchi Saxena, Vice President & Community Affairs Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
4:00 PM
Coffee Hour
Housing Affordability 2026 Community Development Summit
Participants learned how community development research and engagement initiatives at the Federal Reserve illuminate the housing affordability challenges and strategies at play in neighborhoods nationwide.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, September 22 and 23, 2026, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago hosted Housing Affordability 2026: A Community Development Summit, an event for community leaders and Federal Reserve community development experts from across the United States to share insights, analysis, and tools related to this vital topic.
In regular conversations with stakeholders around the country, Fed community development staff heard an urgency about housing affordability. Their work on this issue helped the Federal Reserve serve the public and advance its dual mandate of price stability and maximum employment.
