Keynote Speakers
Tierney Cahill
Teacher and Congressional Candidate
Monday, 8:30 - 10:00 am
When teaching her students a simple civics lesson on how elections and the government works, sixth-grade teacher and subject of an upcoming film, Class Act, Tierney Cahill opted to give her students a real lesson in American politics.
After telling her students that any American can run for political office, they disagreed, stating they didn't believe any "normal" American could be a legitimate candidate. To prove their point, her students challenged her to run for office, so she dedicated herself to running for the District 2 Congressional seat against incumbent Jim Gibbons. In spite of the enormous difference in budgets (Cahill with $7,000 and Gibbons with $320,000) Cahill managed to grab 34 percent of the vote, not enough to win but more than enough to prove her point.
Cahill speaks about her truly inspirational story of overcoming the fear of failure by breaking down walls of self-doubt and encourages others to live their dreams. By being called upon by her students, they challenged her life - and now she lives without fear, ready to face any obstacle and inspires others to do the same.
Doris W. Koo
President & Chief Executive Officer
Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.
Monday, 12:00 - 1:30 pm
Doris W. Koo, a nationally respected leader with nearly 30 years of experience in affordable housing and community development, is president and chief executive officer of Enterprise Community Partners. Koo also serves as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Enterprise Community Loan Fund and as a member of the Board of Trustees of Enterprise Community Partners and the Board of Directors of Enterprise Community Investment.
Enterprise Community Partners is a national nonprofit provider of development capital and expertise for creating decent, affordable homes and rebuilding communities. For 25 years, Enterprise has pioneered neighborhood solutions through public-private partnerships with community organizations, financial institutions and other public and private agencies and institutions. Since 1982, Enterprise has invested $8 billion to provide more than 225,000 affordable homes.
Koo began her career as a community organizer and has been a highly successful developer, public agency administrator and nonprofit executive. Koo joined Enterprise in 2001 as vice president and was promoted to senior vice president in 2002 and executive vice president in 2006. She was appointed president and chief executive officer in 2007.
From 1979 to 1992, Koo led Asian Americans for Equality in New York City, first as a member of the board of directors and later as founding executive director. She is credited with transforming the community-based civil rights organization into the largest owner and developer of low-income housing in New York City’s Chinatown and Lower Eastside. After moving to Seattle in 1992, Koo continued her involvement in affordable housing development as senior housing developer at the Fremont Public Association.
Koo joined the Seattle Housing Authority as director of development in 1994 and was named deputy executive director in 1999. In addition to leading four HOPE VI redevelopment efforts, she oversaw municipal bond financing and internal management and operations at the Housing Authority.
Koo has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s degree in social service administration from the University of Chicago.
William L. (Larry) Minnix, Jr.
President & Chief Executive Officer
American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA)
Tuesday, 8:30 - 9:45 am
Larry Minnix is President and CEO of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, a position he has held since 2001.
Dr. Minnix has been in mental health and aging services fields for over 35 years. He was associated with the Wesley Woods Center of Emory University for 28 years, where he started as an administrative intern in 1972 and rose to the position of CEO, a position he held for 10 years until he joined AAHSA. Wesley Woods is a comprehensive aging services organization, with acute, outpatient, outreach, housing, and nursing home care within the academic context of Emory University.
Larry is a frequent speaker on long term care, quality, ethics, and policy. He has served on numerous commissions and boards. Larry earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Emory University. He received his Doctor of Ministry degree there and is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church.
Conrad Egan
President & Chief Executive Officer
National Housing Conference
Wednesday, 8:30 - 9:45 am
Conrad Egan became the president and chief executive officer of the National Housing Conference (NHC) in 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.
Mr. Egan's 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 United States 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 later rejoined HUD staff as a special assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Programs and then as 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. Mr. Egan's commitment to housing issues extends beyond the workplace into community service. He is currently serving as the chairman of the Fairfax County, VA, Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
Jeanette C. Takamura
Dean of the School of Social Work
Columbia University
Wednesday, 8:30 - 9:45 am
Jeanette C. Takamura is currently the Dean of Columbia University’s School of Social Work in New York, NY and is the first female dean at the nation’s oldest school of social work. Ms. Takamura was previously assistant secretary for aging at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 1997 to 2001. She also held the Edward R. Roybal Endowed Chair in Applied Gerontology and Public Service at California State University at Los Angeles.
During Ms. Takamura's tenure as assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, she led the development of a modernized Older Americans Act and the establishment of the National Family Caregiver Support Program, which were passed by Congress and signed into law by President Clinton in 2000. In addition, during her tenure the federal Older Americans Act programs and services received the largest funding increases since 1972. During the 1999 International Year of the Older Person, she led a crosscutting U.S. executive branch effort to lay a foundation for aging policy and program coordination and departmental collaboration over the next decade.
Ms. Takamura was first deputy (chief operating officer) of health for the State of Hawaii's Department of Health from 1995 to 1997. In this post, she oversaw the day-to-day operations of the third largest health department in the nation. She also initiated and led the coordination of aging, long-term care and disability programs as well as a statewide telemedicine initiative. From 1987 to 1994, Takamura was the director of the State Executive Office on Aging, where she set in motion the development of the nation's first state comprehensive long term care financing policy proposal and policies and programs to prepare a diverse population for an aging society, including those addressing various long-term care and retirement security concerns.
Prior to working in government, Jeanette Takamura held faculty and administrative appointments in higher education. Ms. Takamura was a professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa's School of Social Work from 1982 to 1986. From 1975 to 1978, she was the director of the College of Health Sciences and Social Welfare, Health Team Development Program. During this period, she was also a member of the faculties of the School of Medicine and the School of Social Work at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, concentrating upon interdisciplinary practice, social policy, and gerontology, which is the focus of her publications.
Ms. Takamura has served as an advisor to and technical expert for a number of national and international health and social welfare organizations. She is a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance, a principal of the Council for Excellence in Government, vice president of the Older Women's League, and president-elect of the American Society on Aging.
Ms. Takamura earned a bachelor's degree and masters degree in social work from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a Ph.D. in Social Policy from Brandeis University. She is married to Carl T. Takamura, who is the executive director of the Hawaii Business Roundtable. They have one daughter, Mari Leigh.
