Employer Assisted Housing: Providing Tax Incentives for Employers
Congressional Staff Briefing
February 21, 2006 at the U.S. Capitol
Speaker Biographies
Sharon H. Douglas serves as vice president, chief people officer for Aflac. She is responsible for the company’s talent acquisition services, corporate training and development, leadership development, employee relations, internal HR communications, employee services, and its diversity efforts. She also oversees the human resources functions for Aflac’s Nebraska customer call center and Aflac New York. In 2001, Ms. Douglas became involved with the NeighborWorks Columbus program through the Columbus Housing Initiative and soon after decided to bring the valuable program to Aflac. Under her direction, Aflac became a corporate partner with NeighborWorks Columbus. She currently serves as a commissioner on the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education Board and chairs its Business Operations, Technology and Administration Committee. Ms. Douglas also serves as commissioner of the Columbus, Georgia Housing Authority and is vice chair of the Aflac Foundation. She holds a bachelors of science degree from Southern University and A & M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Gerard A. “Duke” Dufresne is sector vice president – Airborne Early Warning and Electronic Warfare (AEW&EW) Systems for Northrop Grumman. He has general management responsibilities for the AEW&EW business area. Major programs include production of the E-2C Hawkeye 2000, the Naval battle management platform for both the U. S. Navy and foreign customers; development of the Advanced Hawkeye to support future Naval battle management requirements; the next-generation electronic warfare suite for the EA-6B Prowler and the EA-18G; and various aircraft upgrade support programs for other Northrop Grumman aircraft, such as the F-14, C-2 and F-5. During his 18 years with Northrop Grumman, Mr. Dufresne has held a variety of key positions including most recently vice president and deputy for the Air Combat Systems business area. Previous positions also include vice president and Long Range Strike program manager and vice president for Unmanned Systems within the Integrated Systems Sector. Mr. Dufresne received a bachelor of science in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs in 1980. He earned a master of business administration from the University of West Florida in 1986. He is also a 1995 graduate of Harvard’s Program for Management Development.
Conrad E. Egan became president and CEO of the National Housing Conference (NHC) in January 2003, after serving for five years as NHC’s director of policy. During 2001 and 2002, Mr. Egan was on a leave of absence from NHC so that he could serve as executive director of the Millennial Housing Commission, established by the U.S. Congress to recommend ways to better support good housing for all Americans. His involvement in community development and housing dates back to 1965, when he worked on local housing activities in Detroit, Michigan. In 1969, Mr. Egan joined the staff of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) serving in a variety of headquarters and field assignments, including serving as director of the Office of Multifamily Housing Management. He would later rejoin the HUD staff as a special assistant to the deputy assistant secretary for multifamily programs, and then became a special assistant to former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros. From 1986 to 1993, Mr. Egan was executive vice president of NHP Inc., at the time one of the nation’s largest multifamily property owners and managers. He also currently serves as the chairman of the Fairfax County, Virginia, Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
Philippe Rosse became the executive director of the Affordable Housing Coalition of Asheville and Buncombe County in October of 2005. Prior to moving to Asheville, he lived in the Washington, DC area for nine years. Focusing on integrating community services into the school environment, Mr. Rosse served as the managing director for both Communities In Schools of Northern Virginia and the Nation’s Capital. Before that time, he was employed as a site director by the District of Columbia School District at which time he helped to create the template for Wrap-Around Services to be used at the most at-risk schools in the district. Mr. Rosse also served as the first program director for the Hoop Dreams College Scholarship Fund as well as senior research assistant under Paul Light in the Brookings Institution’s Center for Public Service. Born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, Mr. Rosse received his bachelor of science in secondary education and political science from Vanderbilt University and his masters of public administration from George Washington University. He has served two terms as a VISTA volunteer in Fairbanks, Alaska and volunteered for over three years at Anacostia Senior High School.
Robin Snyderman has been the housing director at the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) in Chicago since 1998. Under Ms. Snyderman’s leadership, the housing program at MPC has intensified its ability to increase the number of informed stakeholders committed to successful public housing reform and to a range of quality housing options near jobs and transit throughout the region. In 2002, she staffed the Transition Team Housing Committee for Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and is currently serving on the Executive Committee of the Governor’s Housing Task Force, for which she also chairs its “Regional Solutions Committee.” Prior to joining MPC, Ms. Snyderman worked for the nonprofit Mission Housing Development Corporation (MHDC) in San Francisco. In addition to her work at MPC, Ms. Snyderman is currently chair of the City of Evanston’s Housing Commission, a board member of the Illinois Housing Council and Interfaith Council for the Homeless, and a recent Fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago.
Henry S. Webber joined the University of Chicago in 1986 and currently serves as vice president for community and government affairs and senior lecturer in the School of Social Service Administration. His previous positions at the University include associate vice president for administration and assistant vice president for human resources. As the University's community and government affairs officer, he is responsible for building university/community relations, developing partnerships and promoting programs to encourage local economic development and enhance the quality of life in Chicago’s mid-South Side communities. In addition, he oversees the University's security, off-campus real estate, business diversity and community outreach activities, as well as city, state and federal government relations, International House, Court Theatre and extensive public school programs. Mr. Webber has also taught in the Law School and Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago. He has written widely on issues of health care policy and community development. Mr. Webber has a BA from Brown University and an MPP from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
