Program Speakers Program Master of Ceremonies - Joseph R. Kreisher, Jr., The Honorable Mayor James M. Baker New Castle County Board of REALTORS® President The Mayor’s career of service to citizens began in the mid-1960 when he was assigned to Wilmington as a volunteer with the VISTA national Luncheon Master of Ceremonies - Vincent M. White, community service organization. Mayor Baker initially worked with youth Delaware Association of REALTORS® President groups, among them the Wilmington Youth Emergency Action Council (WYEAC) and then held staff and executive positions with a number of private and governmental agencies, including the Model Cities Program, the Northeast Federal Credit Union, the Governor's Office, and Community Action of Greater Wilmington. His decades-long Program Agenda volunteer activity record reflects his commitment to active partnerships between government and the private sector, not only to meet basic needs, but also to improve the Welcome - The Honorable James M. Baker, City of Wilmington Mayor environment, preserve heritage, enrich culture, provide economic opportunity and to Beth Marcus, Director of Workforce Housing - Fannie Mae give citizens a active voice in their government and community. Beth Marcus, Director of Workforce Housing - Fannie Mae Stefany W. Jones, Director of Community Housing- University of PA Beth directs Fannie Mae’s Employer Assisted Housing (EAH) initiative. Under the EAH initiative, Fannie Mae has committed to assist 1,000 Saundra R. Johnson, Director of Delaware State Housing Authority employers by 2010 develop an EAH benefit for their employees; by mid 2005 Fannie Mae has assisted almost 560 employers. Before joining Fannie The Honorable U. S. Senator Thomas R. Carper Mae, Beth was the Chief of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Condominium and Cooperative Branch. Luncheon Stefany W. Jones, Dir. of Community Housing – Univ. of PA Presentations by the United States Conference of Mayors and the Stefany has been with the Office of Community Housing at the University ® of Pennsylvania since its inception seven years ago. As Director of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS largest and most comprehensive Employer Assisted Housing program in the country, she is responsible for managing a $35 million dollar Contingent Liability Keynote Address: Thomas M. Stevens - President-elect, ® Housing Program as a part of the University’s West Philadelphia Housing Initiative NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS Saundra R. Johnson, Director of DE State Housing Authority Special Announcement from The Honorable Mayor James M. Baker, Sandy manages the state’s housing finance agency, public housing, voucher City of Wilmington subsidy, community development and other grant programs. Sandy has previously served in leadership positions in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors as the Director of Housing for New Castle County and as Executive Director at Interfaith Housing Delaware, the largest statewide nonprofit housing Keynote Speaker developer in Delaware. One major program under her tenure has been the Statewide Live Near Your Work Program (employee assisted housing). Thomas M. Stevens - President-elect, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® The Honorable U. S. Senator Thomas R. Carper A REALTOR® since 1972, Tom is Senior Vice President of NRT Inc. He Tom Carper became Delaware’s junior Senator in 2001, after serving two has earned the following designations: Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI), Certified terms as the state's Governor, five terms as its Congressman in the U.S. Residential Broker (CRB) and the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS). He has been House of Representatives and six years as State Treasurer. He has been active on various NAR committees for numerous years. Tom is a past president of the elected to statewide office a record 11 times. During his more than 25 years of public Virginia Association of REALTORS®. He was named “REALTOR of the Year” by the service, Tom Carper has sought to build consensus and work across party lines to find state association in 1991. Active in the community as well, Stevens has been involved practical solutions to real problems. Promising to "make Delaware a model for the with countless organizations to name a few: the Wolf Trap Foundation for Performing nation," he is building upon successes in the First State to help raise student Arts, Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, Northern Virginia Building Industry Association achievement, protect national passenger rail service, continue to reform the nation's and American Cancer Society. welfare system, implement a national energy policy, promote affordable housing, and return a sense of fiscal responsibility to the budget process.