We would not be able to have a National CLT Conference without the support of our sponsors.  Special recognition goes to our lead conference sponsor, the Home Depot Foundation.  We are also grateful for the support of our other conference sponsors:  NeighborWorks America, NCB Capital Impact, PacifiCap, Wells Fargo, and ICE.  And of course, we want to thank our program partners, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Ford Foundation, for their ongoing support of the CLT Network.

At 6 PM on November 9th, we will be kicking off the conference with a reception hosted by Sawmill CLT, the fabulous CLT that is graciously serving as our overall host for the conference.  These folks know how to throw a great party, so you won't want to miss it!

With the release of the new CLT Model Ground Lease, it is quite fitting that our keynote speaker is the primary author of the original ground lease, David Abromowitz.

David M. Abromowitz is a senior fellow at American Progress, focusing on housing policy and related federal and state programs and issues. A partner in the law firm Goulston & Storrs, he is nationally known for expertise in housing and economic development.  David has written extensively on themes of long-term affordability and broad access to housing, recently proposing (with Rick Jacobus) a national policy agenda encouraging shared equity ownership.

We will be holding the annual meeting of the National CLT Network at 10:15 AM on November 10th.  In addition to Keynote Speaker David Abromowitz, we will also be announcing the 2010 recipients of the Swann-Matthei Awards, in recognition of outstanding achievement within the community land trust movement.  We will also discuss the accomplishments of the CLT Network for the past year, as well as the roadmap for the future as described in the 2010-2013 strategic plan.  And most importantly, there will be the opportunity at the Annual Meeting for you to share your thoughts on how we can do an even better job of supporting the work of CLTs across the U.S.  We hope you can join us.

At 4:45 PM on November 10 and 11, there will be presentations on web-based systems that help CLTs manage their operations.  On November 10th there will be a presentation on a system developed by the Northwest CLT Coalition, in collaboration with NPower.  On November 11th there will be a presentation from Jones Payne, which has developed a system in collaboration with Dudley Neighbors, Inc.  Both systems represent a huge step forward in the tools available to CLT practitioners -- CLT-specific operating software!  All are encouraged to attend.

Last week's eNewsletter had the wrong link for the Cornerstone Partnership, so we are including this again with the correct website address.  Many apologies.

At lunch on November 10th, there will be a presentation from Rick Jacobus about the Cornerstone Partnership, a national network for homeownership programs that preserve long-term affordability and community stability.  The CLT Network is a founding member of this partnership, which serves to broaden our impact by joining forces with other organizations committed to permanently affordable homeownership.  For more information, you can check out their website at www.affordableownership.org.