SYMPOSIUM PANELISTS Ms. Nikki Barfield, LCSW, VHA-CM VISN 8 Network Homeless Coordinator VA Sunshine Healthcare Network St. Petersburg, Florida (727) 575-8007 Nikki.Barfield@va.gov NIKKI BARFIELD is responsible for oversight of the Homeless Programs within VA Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8). VISN 8 is the nation s largest system of hospitals and clinics spread across 79 counties in Florida, South Georgia, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Barfield started her VA career in 2001 at Bay Pines VA HealthCare System where she worked in the outpatient medical clinics, Domiciliary Residential Treatment Program, Grant and Per Diem Program and as the Social Work Supervisor for the Homeless Programs. Barfield is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a graduate of the University of South Florida. Mr. Brad Beatty, MSW, LCSW Director of Health Services Volunteers of America of Florida Tampa, Florida (813) 321-6927 BBeatty@voa-fla.org BRAD BEATTY is the Director of Health Services and Training, Education and Employment Services for Volunteers of America (VOA) of Florida. He oversees the full continuum of housing and services that VOA of Florida offers veterans from Pensacola to Key West including 14 VA and HUD (transitional and permanent) supportive housing programs that serve over 400 veterans annually. Serving Floridians since 1914, VOA of Florida offers 72 programs and services in 18 cities and Puerto Rico for individuals and families at-risk of or experiencing homelessness, low-income elderly and individuals dealing with severe and persistent mental illness. Beatty is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and holds a Masters of Social Work from Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio. Beatty is a US Navy veteran of Operation Desert Shield/Storm. Ms. Michelle Braun Senior Vice President, Community Development Manager Wells Fargo Jacksonville, Florida (904) 351-7222 Michelle.Braun@wellsfargo.com MICHELLE BRAUN is the Senior Vice President and Community Development Manager for Wells Fargo. As a part of the Social Responsibility Group, Braun is responsible for community development, Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) compliance, and statewide/local community partnerships. She and her team work throughout Florida to establish partnerships and leverage bank resources to revitalize communities and meet credit, housing, and small business needs of low- and moderate-income individuals and families. In
addition to serving on the board of the Florida Housing Coalition, she serves Florida s communities through her work on multiple boards including: Chair of the Jacksonville Real Sense Prosperity Campaign, the Florida Community Loan Fund, Jacksonville Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC), and United Way of Northeast Florida. She received a bachelor s degree in business administration/philosophy from The University of Notre Dame and a master s in nonprofit management from the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University. Ms. Heather S. Gallagher, LCSW Assistant Chief of Social Work (321) 397-6614 Heather.Gallagher@va.gov HEATHER GALLAGHER currently serves as the Assistant Chief of Social Work at the Orlando VA Medical Center. She has worked at both the Nashville VA Medical Center and at the in a variety of programs including the Homeless Program, Inpatient Psychiatry, Inpatient Substance Abuse, Domiciliary Program, Outpatient Primary Care, Suicide Prevention, PTSD Program and as the Homeless Program Coordinator. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Work, a graduate of Florida State University, and has worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs for 20 years. Mr. Jack D. Humburg, M.A., C.R.C. Director of Housing Development and Americans with Disabilities Act Services Boley Centers, Inc. St. Petersburg, Florida (727) 821-4819 JackHumburg@boleycenters.org JACK D. HUMBURG is the Director of Housing Development and Americans with Disabilities Act Services for Boley Centers, Inc. He is responsible for the development of affordable supportive housing at Boley Centers. Currently, Boley Centers owns and operates more than 500 units of affordable housing, manages another 100 units, and administers over 500 Section 8 vouchers for individuals with disabilities. Humburg is the Chair of the Accessibility Advisory Committee of the Florida Building Code Commission. He serves as the Florida Administrator for the Southeast ADA Center. Humburg holds a Master of Arts degree from Ball State University. He is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and a Certified ADA Coordinator. Ms. Debra Johnson, PHM, CMPO Executive Director Pinellas County Housing Authority Largo, Florida (727) 443-7684, ext. 3020 DJohnson@pin-cha.org DEBRA JOHNSON, Executive Director of the Pinellas County Housing Authority, has more than thirty years of experience in working with housing authorities and HUD programs. She is currently a member of the Low-Income Housing Leadership Network, Pinellas County, the Florida Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials Board of Directors, and is a graduate of Leadership Tampa Bay. She earned a Bachelor s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, with major coursework in Mass Communications and is also a graduate of the Rutgers University and Public Housing Authorities Directors Association s Executive Director Education Program.
Mr. Edwin Johnson, BBAHM, U.S. Army (Ret) Minority Affairs Specialist/Minority Veterans Program Coordinator (321) 397-6503 Edwin.Johnson2@va.gov EDWIN W. JOHNSON joined the in 2001 and was appointed as the Minority Veterans Program Coordinator (MVPC) in 2006. Johnson also serves as a Minority Affairs Specialist and Integrated Health Services Care Representative for the facility. His primary duty is to ensure that Minority Veterans receive equal benefits and Healthcare within the Orlando VA catchment area. Johnson is a graduate of the U.S. Army Warrant Officer Career College, the Warrant Officer Advance Course and the Department of Veterans Affairs VISN 8 Stepping with PRIDE leadership course. He holds degrees in business administration and healthcare management. He served 21 years in the U.S. Army Air Defense Corps as a Chief Warrant Officer 3 and retired in October 1994. Mr. Dennis E. Latta Veterans Claims Examiner Supervisor Division of Veterans Benefits and Assistance Florida Department of Veterans Affairs (407) 599-1386 LattaD@fdva.state.fl.us DENNIS E. LATTA currently serves as the Central Florida Supervisor at the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, located at the VA Medical Center, Orlando. He assists veterans and dependents in obtaining veterans benefits, including Compensation, pension, home loans, education, insurance, and burial benefits. Latta has worked at numerous Florida VA facilities. He served four years active duty in the U.S. Navy, four years with the Navy Reserves assigned to the 3rd Marine Division, and retired from the U.S. Coast Guard as a Chief Petty Officer after 16 years. Latta graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor s Degree in Business Administration. One of his greatest desires is to assist veterans in obtaining the VA benefits they have rightly earned. Mr. Ken Mueller, MBA, LCSW, CAP Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program Coordinator (321) 397-6609 Kenneth.Mueller@va.gov KEN MUELLER is the Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program Coordinator at the Orlando VA Medical Center. The Orlando HCHV program provides services across six counties within Central Florida. Mueller started working with the Orlando VA HCHV program in 2007. Prior to the VA, he worked within a community mental health setting. Mueller is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and received both his Master of Social Work and Master of Business Administration from the University of Central Florida.
Mr. Rayme L. Nuckles, M.S. President Emeritus Florida Coalition for the Homeless Consultant (813) 404-7514 rayme@raymelnuckles.com RAYME L. NUCKLES is President Emeritus of the Florida Coalition for the Homeless. He is the FCH representative on the State Council on Homelessness. With over 18 years of experience he has been a tireless advocate of housing and homeless programs and services at a local, state and national level. Nuckles served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County for 10 years and implemented multiple changes to the Continuum of Care. He has served on the National Alliance to End Homelessness-Capacity Building Network, Affordable Housing Advisory Boards of Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa, Community Action Program Board, United Way EFSP Board and other local, state and national boards. Nuckles is a graduate of Eckerd College and holds a Master s Degree in Organizational Management and Leadership from Springfield College. Ms. Jaimie Ross, Esq. Affordable Housing Director 1000 Friends of Florida Tallahassee, Florida (850) 222-6277 jross@1000fof.org; ross@flhousing.org JAIMIE A. ROSS is the Affordable Housing Director at 1000 Friends of Florida. Prior to joining 1000 Friends of Florida in 1991, she was a land use and real property lawyer representing for profit and nonprofit developers and financial institutions. Ross initiated and continues to facilitate the broad-based coalition that successfully advocated the passage of the William E. Sadowski Affordable Housing Act, providing a dedicated revenue source for affordable housing in Florida. Nationally, she serves on the Board of the Innovative Housing Institute. Ross is the President of the Florida Housing Coalition, founder of the Florida Community Land Trust Institute. Ross also serves on the statewide support team for Legal Services attorneys working to preserve affordable housing under a grant from the Florida Bar Foundation. Ms. Amy Sawyer Regional Coordinator United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Washington, DC (202) 708-4663 Amy.Sawyer@usich.gov AMY SAWYER currently serves as a Regional Coordinator at the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), a principal representative and bridge between the work of the full Council and states and communities. In this role, she is responsible for facilitating the strategic implementation of Opening Doors specifically in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Sawyer convenes stakeholders at every level of government and with the private sector, encouraging implementation of strategies that maximize the impact of Federal resources and supporting strategic planning efforts. She also disseminates information about proven practices, bridges linkages among communities, and shares practical resources to support community efforts and fosters momentum through shared knowledge and cross-community collaboration.
Ms. Gladys Schneider Technical Assistance Director Florida Housing Coalition Inc. Bokeelia, Florida (239) 218-5008 Schneider@flhousing.org GLADYS SCHNEIDER is a Technical Assistance Director with the Florida Housing Coalition. She supervises the technical assistance team with particular emphasis on foreclosure related programs including Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). She assists local governments and nonprofit organizations with all aspects of finance, predevelopment, and capacity building for affordable housing programs and specific projects. Schneider helps nonprofit housing organizations develop their capacity to offer rental, ownership and supportive housing. Schneider has developed training modules in planning for affordable housing needs, predevelopment, regulatory barriers to housing, special needs housing, community land trusts, lease purchase programs, and land banks. Schneider has a graduate degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University. Ms. Jill van Heel, LCSW Southeast Regional Coordinator, Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program National Center on Homelessness among Veterans Tampa, Florida (813) 297-0572 Jill.VanHeel@va.gov JILL VAN HEEL is responsible for oversight of the supportive services for veterans families program southeast region. Her region includes 8 southern states, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. She started her VA career in 2008 at the Boise VA Medical Center in Boise, Idaho where she worked as the supervisor for the VA Homeless Program. She is a licensed clinical social worker and a graduate of Boise State University.