Community Progress Webinars
Register for our free lunch-and-learn webinar series and stay up to date on the latest trends in community development. Webinars typically take place from 12:00–1:00 PM ET on the fourth Thursday of each month and offer a range of topics, from land banks and land banking to vacant land stewardship, strategic code enforcement, delinquent property tax enforcement, and more.
Thanks to generous support from Bank of America, webinars are offered free of charge. If you have any questions or topic suggestions for webinars, we want to hear them! Please contact Julia Zimmerman, Program Officer for National Leadership and Education, at [email protected] with any questions.
Upcoming Webinars
Building Coalitions for State
Legislative Reform
Thursday, February 27, 2025 | 12:00 PM ET | Online
State laws play a critical role in local governments’ ability to address vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated (VAD) properties. Outdated delinquent property tax enforcement systems and limited code enforcement authority can hamper local governments’ ability to hold owners accountable or get problem property in the hands of more responsible owners. Changing these laws can be challenging and often requires statewide bipartisan collaboration.
In Missouri, a coalition of advocates recently overcame these challenges and won important state-level reforms. The reforms give counties the option of using a court-supervised property tax foreclosure process, designed to better protect homeowners and more quickly address problem properties. It also allows most Missouri municipalities and St. Louis County to create land banks. Key coalition members will discuss how they developed and secured these significant reforms.
Join this webinar to:
- Learn about advocacy and legislative strategies to support state-level reforms that enable communities to better address VAD properties
- Hear about how advocates built a statewide, bipartisan coalition to support legislative change in Missouri
- Understand how Missouri’s reforms will help local governments better address problem properties
Speakers:
- Rachel Waterman – Attorney, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
- Charlie Hinderliter – Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, St. Louis REALTORS
- Kevin Windham – former Representative, Missouri House of Representatives
- Sara Toering – Senior Fellow, Center for Community Progress
Past Webinar Recordings
Available on YouTube.
November 2024: The Road Ahead for Land Banks
Presenters: Brian Larkin — Director, National Land Bank Network, Center for Community Progress; Michelle Thompson — Executive Director, Michigan Land Bank Association
August 2024: Planting the Seeds: How Land Banks in Small Communities Can Grow Trust and Impact
Presenters: Bekki Fox — Community Development Director, City of Rome; Amanda Carter — Land Bank Authority Manager, Rome-Floyd County Land Bank Authority
May 2024: Vacant Land Collaborations and Data: Lessons from CLEVLOT
Presenters: Tim Dehm – Planning and Design Specialist, Western Reserve Land Conservancy; Alyssa Hernandez – Director of Community Development, City of Cleveland
April 2024: Partnering with Public Schools: Metro Atlanta Land Bank’s Creative Neighborhood Beautification Pilot Program
Presenters: Terica Black Bashir — Program Director, Metro Atlanta Land Bank; Christopher Norman — Executive Director, Metro Atlanta Land Bank; Sarah Erickson — Director of Fine and Performing Arts, Atlanta Public Schools
February 2024: Reevaluating Code Enforcement: A New Approach to Addressing Problem Properties »
Presenters: Erica Faaborg – Deputy City Solicitor, City of Cincinnati; Libby Benton – Senior Counsel, Center for Community Progress; Tarik Abdelazim – Vice President, Technical Assistance, Center for Community Progress
December 2023: Policy Reform Post-Tyler v. Hennepin County: Preserving Homeownership, Preventing Vacancy, and Reducing Legal Risk »
Presenters: Libby Benton, Senior Counsel – Center for Community Progress, Andrea Bopp Stark, Senior Attorney – National Consumer Law Center, Matt Kreis, General Counsel – Center for Community Progress, John Rao, Senior Attorney – National Consumer Law Center, Nketiah (“Ink”) Berko – Equal Justice Works Fellow
November 2023: Dealing with Vacant Buildings and Lots as a Resident »
Presenters: Christina Carter-Grant, Associate Director – National Land Bank Network; Joe Dulin, Director of Community Development – City of Peoria
October 2023: Contracts and Codes: What Land Banks Should Know About Community Gardens »
Presenters: LaTosha Okoiron, General Counsel and Compliance Manager – Houston Land Bank; Brian Larkin, Director, National Land Bank Network
July 2023: Resident-First Revitalization in a Rapidly Gentrifying Atlanta Neighborhood: Lessons in Creating Economic Groundcover at 918 Dill Ave »
Presenters: Odetta MacLeish-White, Director, Georgia Initiatives – Center for Community Progress; Zach Murray, Organizing and Movement Building Director – The Guild
May 2023: Utilizing Partnerships and Collaboration in Vacant Land Stewardship »
Presenters: Liz Kozub, Associate Director, National Technical Assistance – Center for Community Progress; Laura Ginn, Vacancy Strategist – City of St. Louis; Torrey Park, Director, St. Louis Vacancy Collaborative
February 2023: Reimagine Delinquent Property Tax Enforcement »
Presenters: Kim Graziani, Technical Assistance Senior Advisor – Center for Community Progress; Nneka N'namdi, Founder and Chief Operation Office – Flight Blight Bmore
November 2022: Leaders of Color in Land Banking »
Presenters: Terica Black Bashir – Program Director, Metro Atlanta Land Bank; Christa D. Stoneham – Chief Executive Officer/President, Houston Land Bank; Stephanie Quick – Chief Operating Officer, Intend Indiana
October 2022: Land Banking 101 en Español »
Presenters: Luis Gallardo – Executive Director, Center for Habitat Reconstruction, Inc.; Ricardo León – Chief Operating Officer, Cuyahoga Land Bank
August 2022: Incorporating Green Building Into Your Equitable Community Development Plan »
Presenters: Odetta MacLeish-White – Director of Georgia Initiatives, Center for Community Progress; Cheneé Joseph – President and CEO, Historic District Development Corporation
July 2022: How to Use Property Condition Data for Vacant Land Stewardship »
Presenters: Janell O’Keefe - Senior Program Officer for Michigan Initiatives, Center for Community Progress; Melissa Hertlein - Genesee County Land Bank; Austin Harrison - Rhodes College
May 2022: State Policy and Equitable Revitalization: A Conversation with Alan Mallach »
Presenters: Alan Mallach - Senior Fellow, Center for Community Progress; Alison Goebel - Executive Director, Greater Ohio Policy Center
April 2022: Strengthening Community Relationships to Achieve Equitable Code Enforcement »
Presenters: Liz Kozub - Associate Director of National Technical Assistance, Center for Community Progress; Joe Dulin - Community Development Director; Community Development Department; City of Peoria
March 2022: Understanding The Final Rule: Leveraging ARPA To Address Vacancy and Strengthen Communities »
Presenters: Rob Finn - Director of Policy and Research, Center for Community Progress; Cordaryl Patrick - Director of Economic and Community Development, City of Decatur, Illinois; and Katelyn Wright - Executive Director, Greater Syracuse Land Bank
February 2022: Land Banks and Community Land Trusts: Partnering to Provide Equitable Housing Opportunities for Generations to Come »
Presenters: Kim Graziani - Senior Technical Assistance Advisor, Center for Community Progress; Christopher Norman - Executive Director, Metro Atlanta Land Bank; and Amanda Rhein - Executive Director, Atlanta Land Trust
November 2021: Creative Placemaking: New Tools for Empowering Community-Led Revitalization »
Presenters: Liz Kozub - Associate Director of National Leadership and Education, Center for Community Progress; Daniel Egusquiza - Executive Director, Barrio Alegria
October 2021: Vacant Land Stewardship – New Online Resource Center from Community Progress »
Presenters: Janell O'Keefe – Senior Program Officer for Michigan Initiatives, Center for Community Progress; Evaine Sing, RLA, LEED AP - Community and Organizational Consultant, EKS Solutions, LLC.
August 2021: The Cost of a 2×4 is What?! Overview of Lumber Costs and the Opportunity for Deconstruction »
Speakers: Dr. George H. Berghorn - Assistant Professor of Construction Management and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Forestry, Michigan State University; Mae Bowley, Executive Director, Re:Purpose Savannah; Danielle Lewinski - Vice President of Technical Assistance, Center for Community Progress for Community Progress
June 2021: Land Banks in America: Today’s Movement and What We’ve Learned »
Speaker: Brian Larkin – Director of the National Land Bank Network, Center for Community Progress
April 2021: Prioritizing Repair Support for Financially Struggling Property Owners »
Presenter: Payton Heins – Director of Michigan Initiatives, Center for Community Progress
March 2021: Land Banks 101: The Fundamentals of Land Banking and Equitable Development »
Presenter: Tarik Abdelazim – Director of National Technical Assistance, Center for Community Progress
“Most informative webinar I have experienced in some time. Great content, great presentation. Thank you”
Anonymous Survey Respondent, 2020