CHICAGO, May 21, 2010 – Top policymakers and legal experts will gather to explore the latest in sustainable community development, green building initiatives, tax credits, new markets, and foreclosure solutions when the American Bar Association Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law hosts its 19^th annual spring conference, “Restoration, Revitalization and Resiliency,” from Wednesday to Friday in Washington, D.C.

With headquarters at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the conference will provide three days of networking, continuing legal education and more than 20 affordable housing workshops. Scheduled speakers include policymakers and stakeholders from the U.S. Treasury, the Internal Revenue Service and Capitol Hill, such as:

• Jean Whaley, Office of Tax Policy, U.S. Department of Treasury
• Chris Tawa, Multifamily Housing, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Sindy Spivak, president, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Affordable Housing Investors Council
• Rich Froelich, New York City Housing Development Corporation
• Lisa Hodges, District of Columbia Housing Authority
• Susan Dorn, U.S. Green Building Council

In addition on Wednesday a joint set of specialized programs established by the forum and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will be offered at HUD headquarters, 451 7th Street S.W., Washington, D.C. The programs offer housing lawyers, government lawyers and ABA members the opportunity to exchange information and gain cross practice knowledge about the latest trends in affordable housing litigation, housing regulations, HUD procedures and affordable housing funding streams.

Related programming includes:

Wednesday

• Combining FHA Multifamily and Tax Credits: A Historic Tax Credit Case Study, 1:15 – 2:45 p.m.
• Use of Nontraditional Funding Sources for Development by Public Housing Authorities, 3 – 4:30 p.m.

Thursday

• The View from Capitol Hill, 8:45 – 9:45 a.m.
• Building Healthy Communities, 12:45 – 2:15 p.m.
• Small Business Development Opportunities in Community Revitalization Efforts, 3:30– 5p.m.

Friday

• The Future of Equity Markets, 8:30 – 9 a.m.
• Maximum Green: Using Tax Credits to Optimize Energy Investments, 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.
• Public Housing/Section 8 Hot Topics, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Interested reporters may access the complete program here.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

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Note to Editors: Complimentary press passes are available to accredited reporters by contacting Rachel Estrada at 312/988-6148 or estradar@staff.abanet.org. On-site registration is also available.