November 2 Ceremony Celebrates Lifetime Achievement in Affordable Housing

Event to Be Held at Boston's Taj Hotel as Part of Fall Forum

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National Housing & Rehabilitation Association Executive Vice President Thom Amdur announced today that the recipients of the sixth annual Vision Awards for lifetime achievement in affordable housing are Lisa B. Alberghini, president of the Planning Office for Urban Affairs, Inc. and David A. Smith. CEO of CAS Financial Advisory Services.

The awards will be presented at a special evening awards reception on November 2 at the Taj Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. The event is a part of NH&RA's annual Fall Forum, a two day conference that focuses on the latest developments in affordable housing, historic preservation, new market tax credits as well as green retrofitting of both existing and new buildings.

At the Planning Office for Urban Affairs since 2001, Ms. Alberghini has overseen the development of over 650 units of affordable housing and equity financing in excess of $170 million. Ms. Alberghini has more than 25 years of experience developing affordable housing, including having spent 18 years as the director of the Boston Office of Community Builders, and has been an active leader and advocate for increasing resources for affordable housing development at both the State and Federal levels.

David A. Smith, a 1975 Harvard graduate, has been a pioneer in both private transactions and government policy innovations, having created business lines in acquisition of affordable housing, financial recapitalization, debt restructuring, equity takeout and renewed affordability. Mr. Smith has been called on for analysis by Congress, HUD and the Millennial Housing Commission and is an award winning author with more than 100 published articles.

Previous winners of the Vision Awards have been:

2004 -- John Corcoran, John M. Corcoran Company

Kate Racer, Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development

2005 -- Jerry Flannelly, MMA Financial LLC

Aaron Gornstein, Citizen's Housing and Planning Association

2006 -- Marty Jones, Corcoran Jennison Companies

Mayor Thomas Menino, City of Boston

2007 -- Amy Anthony, Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH)

Herb Collins, Collins & Company LLC

2008 -- U.S. Representative Barney Frank, Massachusetts

Larry Curtis, WinnDevelopment

Click here to learn more about previous honorees. For more information about the Vision Awards, the ceremony or the NH&RA Fall Forum, please go to housingonline.com.

SOURCE National Housing & Rehabilitation Association