More than 360 of Ohio’s land banking and community development professionals converged on the Huntington Convention Center in downtown Cleveland for the highly anticipated 2022 Ohio Land Bank Association Conference in late April. Land Bank U. ’22 featured two-and-a-half days chock full of information and networking activities, including eye-opening mobile tours showcasing the extensive planning, infrastructure development and community engagement that is changing the face of Northeast Ohio neighborhoods.
Keynote Speaker Kenneth Fisher, Co-managing Partner of Fisher Brothers real estate development and management company, Plenary Speaker Brian Larkin, Director of the National Land Bank Network at the Center for Community Progress, and special guest Frank Alexander, Co-founder and Senior Advisor of the Center for Community Progress, entertained and inspired convention-goers. John Habat, President and CEO of Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity, also shared Friday on the work the Cuyahoga Land Bank is doing with Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity.
Well-attended conference breakout sessions tackled everything from land assembly strategies to legislative updates to affordable housing collaborations. Cuyahoga Land Bank team members led informative breakout sessions and engaged as panelists throughout the Conference. A shout out to the following team members who took part in sharing knowledge during the event: Jason Knauer, Jim Maher, Kim Kimlin, Matthew Thomas, Mike Schramm, Jennifer Vazquez-Norman, Dennis Roberts, Doug Sawyer, Kamla Lewis and Jacqui Knettel. Special thanks to Sarah Norman who planned and organized this successful event along with a committee of state-wide land bankers.
The Conference was sponsored by the Ohio Land Bank Association, Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity, Cuyahoga Land Bank, Rocket Community Fund, the United Way of Greater Cleveland, and many other Ohio land banks, partner agencies and vendors.
