WP+D Professional Development Spring Workshop II:
Career Development Panel

Chicago's Women in Planning and Development (WP+D) cordially invites you to attend the Professional Development Spring Workshop II! We are delighted to have a panel of five successful women from a diverse cross-section of planning and development discussing career development and success. You will hear directly from experts in the field who can share their own experiences and successful tips on getting ahead into the planning and development industry in today's economic climate!

WHEN: Thursday, May 28, 2009 from 6:00pm-8:00pm, refreshments provided

WHERE: John Marshall Law School, 315 S. Plymouth Court, Room 1102

RSVP: $20 for members, $30 for non-members, or *FREE* if you join or renew your WP+D membership at the door. If you intend to join WP+D or renew your membership at the door, please click here to email WP+D to reserve your place!

Panelists
Katrina Van Valkenburgh, Director - CSH IL, IN Programs
She is currently the Director of the Corporation for Supportive Housing's (CSH) Illinois and Indiana Program where she designs and implements strategic plans to sustain and enhance the CSH's Illinois and Indiana program, develops relationships with CSH partners and stakeholders, and oversees CSH's fund development plan. Katrina has over 25 years of experience in social services and housing development that including as the first Director of the Supportive Housing Providers Association, a trade association of not-for-profit supportive housing providers in Illinois, Director of Project Development, Associate Director of Development, and the Program Administrator of Marah's, the Transitional Housing Program of Deborah's Place; and as the Program Manager of the Permanent Supportive Living Program and Transitional Housing Program of Housing Opportunities for Women. Katrina also has direct service experience managing group homes for teenage wards of the state, adults discharged from state mental hospitals in Massachusetts, and working with the homeless through the Women's Lunch Place in Boston. Katrina has a BA in Sociology from Kalamazoo College and a certificate in Urban Development from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She currently serves on the Advisory Boards of the Community Economic Development Law Project and on the Boards of Directors of Deborah's Place II and Deborah's Place III.

Nicole Jackson, Attorney - Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen, P.C
Nicole Jackson focuses her practice at Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen, P.C. on real estate and affordable housing development and finance. She has represented developers, both non-profit and for-profit entities, investors and lenders in a variety of affordable housing transactions, including low-income housing tax credit transactions and public housing mixed-finance developments, which use rental subsidies and multi-tiered private and governmental loan and grant programs to finance the rehabilitation and construction of such housing. She has also addressed complex management issues for public housing developments including admissions policies, leases, management agreements and management plans. Nicole is a member of the American Bar Association, including the American Bar Association's Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development, and serves on the Community Economic Development Law Project's Advisory Board. Her previous experience includes Schiff Hardin & Waite; Holleb & Coff; and, as a Law Clerk for The Honorable Ann C. Williams, United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Nicole has been educated at the University of Chicago Law School and Brown University.

Cheryl Johnson, Consultant and Principal Owner - C. Johnson & Associates
Cheryl Johnson is a professional consultant specializing in providing services to businesses seeking government financial options that reduce the overall project cost for business improvements, new construction, rehab or expansion, and/or re-use of abandoned properties. Cheryl is the principal owner of C. Johnson & Associates, a consulting firm that specializes in financial options for businesses seeking new construction or expansion opportunities. Most recent business services include obtaining a Special Service Area designation for South Shore Chamber of Commerce, a Class 7b real estate tax incentive for the Roseland Medical District, and a Special Service Area for the Quad Communities Development Corporation. Additional achievements include creating a Façade Enhancement Program for the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation's Business District that will be used a development model in other communities to promote investment. As the previous Director of Real estate and Tax Incentive programs for the City of Chicago, Cheryl coordinated and managed development projects resulting in the creation of 5,000 jobs and financial savings of more than $2 billion. Cheryl received a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from Roosevelt University and a Masters degree in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is the president and founder of The Resource and Research Center (RRC), a not-for-profit with a mission to improve the quality of life for poor and low-income families residing in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Kimberly Porter, AICP, Director of Economic & Community Development - Village of University Park
Kimberly currently works for the Village of University Park as Director of Economic & Community Development. She is working on several different projects, including the redevelopment of an existing commercial corridor and the implementation of the Village's Transit Oriented Development (TOD) plan. Kim holds a BA in Sociology with an emphasis in Urban Studies from North Central College in Naperville, IL and a Masters in Urban Planning & Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is a certified planner through the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

Teresa Mancuso, Senior Vice President/Asset Management - Golub & Company
A highly respected asset and property management executive, Teresa Mancuso, who joined Golub & Company in 2005, oversees those activities for the company's U.S. commercial and residential portfolio. She is responsible for personnel recruitment, training and development, as well as property operations and financial performance. She also interfaces with the company's acquisitions, development, accounting and finance groups. Teresa has been involved for more than 20 years in the management of residential condominium and rental buildings and major office properties.