Karen L. Black is an attorney and the CEO of May 8 Consulting, Inc. a woman-owned social impact consulting firm. Black is also a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania and a Senior Research Fellow at Drexel University’s Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation. Black is the author of over a dozen publications discussing strategies to reactivate vacant and deteriorated properties. Most recently Black co-authored a book just released by the American Bar Association called the ABA Vacant and Problem Properties Book: A Guide to Legal Strategies and Remedies. In addition, Black is actively working with dozens of communities across the country to address problem properties in order to revitalize communities and preserve critical housing. In Spring 2020, Black was named by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia as a Reinventing Our Communities Scholar. Black received a Bachelor of Arts from Williams College and a Juris Doctor from UCLA Law School. Prior to starting her own firm, Black was the founding director of the Metropolitan Philadelphia Policy Center, a region-wide policy center founded to research issues impacting the economy, environment and equity within the Philadelphia metropolitan region. Prior to that, Black spent 12 years as a practicing civil rights attorney.

Veronica Cardello is the southwestern field representative for the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors®. Her territory covers six local associations, 2,240 members and 503 municipalities.
In this capacity, she aids her associations in promoting regional planning, growing grassroots efforts, engaging in legislative affairs, RPAC fundraising, advancing communications and media coordination as well as creating partnerships between local associations, local government officials, non-profit organizations and for-profit organizations to promote private property rights. Furthermore, she has acquired over $60,000 of National Association of Realtors® grant funding and $2.25 million dollars of federal and state funding to aid in community revitalization efforts.
Veronica joined PAR’s team in November of 2016. Prior to that, she worked on political campaigns throughout western Pennsylvania. Veronica obtained her bachelor’s degree from Slippery Rock University and then obtained her master’s degree in public policy and public administration from American University in Washington D.C.

Jan Marie Ennenga serves as the executive officer for the Yuma Association of Realtors, a 650+ member organization of real estate professionals committed to protecting the rights of real property ownership, serving their community, and to excellence, integrity, and professionalism.
She has been with YAR since July of 2012 when she and her husband, Fred, relocated to Yuma. She has nearly 40 years of association management experience; the majority spent in California’s San Joaquin Valley in the agricultural and food production industries. While serving at the Manufacturers Council of the Central Valley, and the Stanislaus and Merced County Farm Bureaus, she dealt with a myriad of regulatory and policy issues in the areas of air quality, water supply and quality, land use, energy, transportation, workforce development and career technical education.
She also serves as a board member for Yuma 50, a non-profit community organization formed to develop and advocate for legislation, public policy and government programs to maintain the viability of Yuma’s two military installations, as key drivers for national defense and the Yuma area economy. In addition, she volunteers as chapter and state leader for TWAW Shooting Chapters, Inc. which helps to educate, equip, empower, and encourage women relative to protecting themselves and those in their care. She is also serves on the board of the Arizona REALTORS® Foundation for Housing & Community Outreach.

Liz Kozub serves as the Associate Director of National Leadership and Education for the Center for Community Progress. She manages trainings opportunities that aim to build a common awareness of the problems properties within communities and assist community leaders in determining roles each can play in a comprehensive approach to vacancy and abandonment.
Prior to joining Community Progress, Liz served as the Assistant Director for the Turtle Creek Valley Council of Governments, a multi-municipal agency focused on intergovernmental cooperation and shared services in the Mon Valley of Allegheny County, PA. She worked to establish a multi-municipal code enforcement program and oversaw the development of a data system aimed at increasing officer efficiency and effectiveness. Liz was also a member of the leadership team to form the Tri-COG Land Bank, a multi-municipal, community driven Land Bank.
Liz received a Master of Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International affairs, and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Allegheny College.
Liz is a native of Buffalo, New York, and lives in Wilmington Delaware.

Matt is based in Chicago, Illinois and serves as General Counsel for Community Progress. In addition to serving as the organization’s in-house counsel, Matt focuses much of his time on providing legal and technical support to each of Community Progress’ program areas, including National Technical Assistance, Michigan Initiatives, National Leadership and Education, and Policy and Research.
Prior to joining the Center for Community Progress, Matt spent nearly a decade as an attorney at the City of Chicago’s Department of Law. At the City, Matt focused on identifying, developing and implementing effective code enforcement tools to combat blight and problem properties. Matt was instrumental in the creation and supervision of an in-house group of attorneys and law clerks dedicated to the completion of tens of thousands of annual title reports used to support ownership and due process requirements for the majority of the City’s enforcement of building and sanitation codes. Ultimately, however, it was Matt’s direct interactions with the neighbors and residents most impacted by vacant, abandoned, and dilapidated properties in Chicago that led him to Community Progress, and to focus his practice on helping communities impacted by decades of disinvestment develop more equitable, effective, and efficient systems, laws, and policies to revitalize neighborhoods.
Matt earned his J.D from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and his B.A. from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL.

Laura Lafayette is the Chief Executive Officer of the Richmond Association of REALTORS® and the Central Virginia Regional Multiple Listing Service—two organizations that serve the over 6,000 REALTORS® in Central Virginia.
Within the broader community, Laura serves as a gubernatorial appointee to the Virginia Housing Commission; is the Chair of the Board of Housing Virginia; is the founding Chair of the Board of the Maggie L. Walker Community Land Trust; is the Immediate Past Chair of Homeward, and serves on the Boards of the Partnership for Housing Affordability and the Peter Paul Development Center as well as the Local Advisory Committee of Virginia LISC and the Vestry of Christ Church Episcopal.
Laura received her BA in Religion from the College of William and Mary; and pursued post-graduate work at both Yale Divinity School and the University of Virginia

Stephanie has been a licensed realtor for over 25 years but started in the construction aspect of the family business for Lee Homes LLC in the development of residential subdivisions and eventually moved to the sales side. She attained her broker’s license in 2013 and became the Designated Broker of Lee Real Estate & Investments in 2015.
She enjoys working on community outreach projects that benefit and uplift the community of Yuma, Arizona in which she was born and raised.

Danielle Lewinski serves as Vice President and Director of Michigan Initiatives for the Center for Community Progress, a national nonprofit focused on helping communities develop solutions for vacant and problem properties. At Community Progress, Danielle directs the organization’s technical assistance, leadership and education, research, and policy work throughout Michigan. Before joining Community Progress, Danielle worked as the Director of Planning and Technical Programs for Michigan Community Resources, where she created and executed the planning and technical assistance offerings of the Detroit Vacant Property Campaign (DVPC) including strategy development, data analysis, and mapping services aimed at helping communities address vacancy, blight and abandonment. In addition to leading the DVPC work, Danielle acted as a primary liaison between the civic engagement and technical teams for Detroit Future City, the strategic framework for the city of Detroit.
Danielle earned a Master of Urban Planning degree and a Graduate Certificate in Real Estate Development from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in African and African American Studies from Mount Holyoke College. She is a Certified Economic Development Finance Professional through the National Development Council and will soon be awarded an Executive Scholar Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Jamie McMillen is the Vice President of Government Affairs for the Akron Cleveland Association of REALTORS®. Since late 2009, Jamie has worked with officials at every level of government to protect private property rights, remove barriers to homeownership, and ensure northeast Ohio is “Home for All.” Jamie also represents the Ohio REALTORS® on the Ohio Lead Advisory Council, which provides insight to the Ohio Department of Health on child lead poisoning policy. Prior to joining the REALTOR® association family, Jamie was the Legislative Director for a national senior citizens organization advocating for social security issues, and was the Legislative Assistant for former Congressman Bob Ney (OH-18). A native of Cadiz, Ohio, McMillen has a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from the University of Mount Union. In her spare time, she volunteers with the National Cabinet of Mount Union Women and supports organizations like Keep Akron Beautiful, Special Olympics, and the Ohio Valley Down Syndrome Society.