| 7:30 AM – 3:00 PM |
| 9:00 – 10:00 AM Providence has become a national example of how local leadership, cross-sector partnerships, and community-driven investment can help address housing challenges while strengthening neighborhoods and expanding opportunity. Join Providence Mayor Brett Smiley for a conversation with Melina Lodge, Executive Director of the Housing Network of Rhode Island. They will explore the city's approach to increasing housing supply, supporting neighborhood revitalization, partnering with nonprofit developers, and building a more inclusive future. Hear how local government and community organizations are working together to tackle complex challenges and create lasting change in Providence. Speakers:
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| 10:30 – 11:45 AM Leadership transitions are inevitable, but they don't have to be disruptive. This practical workshop explores how community development associations can prepare for leadership change through effective succession planning. Participants will discuss approaches, tools, and real-world practices that support leadership continuity, preserve organizational knowledge, and build long-term resilience. You will leave with concrete tools to apply within your own organizations. Speaker:
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| 10:30 – 11:45 AM Hear directly from national policy experts on the federal developments that matter most for community development associations. This session breaks down the latest federal priorities, funding developments, and emerging issues — with a focus on what they mean to your networks and the communities you serve. Leave better equipped to plan, advocate, and respond in the months ahead. Speakers:
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| 10:30 – 11:45 AM Community development associations strengthen small business ecosystems in all kinds of ways — by providing direct services and programs, coordinating resources, convening partners, advancing policy, and more. In this peer-learning session, a panel of COA members will discuss successful initiatives, explaining how they carved out particularly impactful roles for their associations. Then, during a structured discussion with peers, you’ll reflect on your organizations’ role in your ecosystem and envision new ways to support small businesses. Speakers:
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| 12:15 – 1:30 PM When emerging professionals and established leaders are in real conversation, the most effective ideas for career development rise to the surface. That's exactly what this session is designed for. Through a series of structured small group discussions, you'll explore practical strategies for embedding career development into everyday organizational practice — even when resources are limited, staff time is stretched, and career paths are not always clear. First, you'll connect with peers at a similar career stage, then mix across experience levels to broaden the conversation. Leave with fresh perspectives and at least one concrete action you can bring back to your organization. Speakers:
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| 12:15 – 1:30 PM Insurance costs continue to rise, coverage is becoming harder to secure, and the impacts are being felt across affordable housing and community development. This session will bring together leaders from across the field to discuss the latest trends, emerging strategies, and policy developments affecting insurance for housing providers and community development organizations. Building on previous Community Opportunity Alliance conversations, participants will share recent experiences, explore practical responses, and identify opportunities for continued collaboration on one of the field's most pressing challenges. Speakers:
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| 12:15 – 1:30 PM Heirs' property and tangled title issues are emerging as major barriers to preserving affordable homeownership, preventing displacement, and protecting generational wealth in communities across the country. Community development organizations are increasingly confronting challenges: tax foreclosure, title remediation, speculative acquisition, and neighborhood instability. This session will highlight how community development ecosystems in Detroit, Cleveland, and Baltimore are advancing cross-sector strategies that connect policy reform, legal infrastructure, neighborhood stabilization, and equitable wealth-building. Speakers:
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| 2:15 – 3:00 PM Speaker:
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