WHF-PA Annual Meeting

Over forty members attended the 7th annual meeting for Women in Housing & Finance Pennsylvania (WHF-PA) on November 18th. The event was held in Harrisburg just before the Homes within Reach Conference.  Christine Paul, Partner, Diamond and Associates and Laura Northup, Principal, Mullin & Lonergan Associates, provided an update on the organization and a recap of 2019. Rebecca Peace, Deputy Executive Director and Chief Counsel, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency was the keynote speaker. She discussed her career path and the progress she’s been a part of in advancing women in the workplace. Her many stories were enjoyed by the group and provided unique insight. WHF-PA thanks our sponsors, Diamond and Associates and FHLBank Pittsburgh, for support of the annual meeting.

WHF-PA Session at the Homes within Reach Conference

Also on Monday, November 18, 2019, WHF-PA hosted its annual networking session at the Homes Within Reach Conference in Harrisburg, “Building Capacity, Confidence and Your Career.”  The goal of the session was to allow a space for women in housing and finance to learn from, connect with and support one another in their professional growth.

Three talented panelists, Jeanine Dankoff from Berman Indictor, Imani Hamilton from Finance by Faith and Elaine Magil from TCAM, shared their career journeys and facilitated discussions on key questions such as:

• How did you end up where you are today?  What path did you travel to get here?
• Did you have a mentor? If so, who? Do you mentor other women?
• Are there any specific moments at which you think being a woman in housing/finance helped or hindered your career progress?
• What do you think women can do to increase opportunity for each other in the affordable housing and community development industry?

There were thirty-one attendees from diverse backgrounds and a mix of WHF-PA members and non-members.  The feedback was very positive, and attendees mentioned that they appreciated the space to share and connect in a meaningful way.

Some of the collective recommendations from the session were:

• Actively share your networks with other women.
• Make it a standard to have a diverse candidate pool for new hires.
• Take risks.
• Live your values.

We are grateful to all our organizers, panelists and attendees and will see you at next year’s conference!