Housing Counseling Intermediary
Virtual Educational and Networking Conference

Phyllis Ford

Speaking at the Plenary Session: Updates from the Office of Housing Counseling session.

Phyllis H. Ford is the Deputy Director of Oversight and Accountability in HUD’s Office of Housing Counseling. The Office of Oversight is responsible for ensuring quality and effective counseling services to consumers through compliance monitoring of HUD-approved housing counseling agencies and counselors. Phyllis has worked for HUD for 20 years supporting rehabilitation programs, managing housing counseling agencies, providing compliance monitoring, technical assistance, and training.

Terri Francis

Speaking at the Connecting EnVision Centers and Housing Counseling Agencies session.

Terri Frances is the Director of Family Services and Housing at Hampton Roads Community Action Program (HRCAP). HRCAP is a nonprofit community action agency that has been serving residents of southeastern Virginia for over 50 years.

Ivery Himes

Speaking at the Connecting EnVision Centers and Housing Counseling Agencies session.

Ivery Himes is currently the Deputy Director for Disaster Initiatives in HUD’s Office of Field Policy and Management. The Office of Field Policy and Management (FPM) communicates the priorities and policies of the Secretary and develops community relationships that ensure the success of the Secretary's initiatives and special projects. Ivery has worked for HUD for 20 years mostly overseeing the servicing of all HUD-held single-family mortgages and engaging in disaster recovery efforts by providing training as well as supporting HUD staff and program participants across all ten HUD Regional offices.

Ron Jauregui

Speaking at the Partnering with the Financial Literacy Education Commission (FLEC) session.

Ron Jauregui is a Community Affairs Specialist in the Division of Depositor and Consumer Protection at Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Ron has worked at FDIC for 10 years with diverse range of experience in outreach and community development. He has authored research on homeownership strategies for the underserved, managed the development of housing-related educational resources, and facilitated a project for attorneys to provide pro bono assistance to homeowners at risk of foreclosure.

Bruce Neas

Speaking at the Partnering with the Financial Literacy Education Commission (FLEC) session.

Bruce Neas is an Attorney and Advisor of the Office of Community Affairs at the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau.

Jessica Russell

Speaking at the COVID-19 Lessons Learned and Beneficial Resources session.

Jessica Russell is the Mortgage Data Assets Program Manager at the Office of Mortgage Markets in the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB). The Office of Mortgage Markets monitors, analyzes, and performs outreach with many segments of the mortgage industry, including originations, servicing, secondary markets, and trade associations. The office also provides subject matter expertise and market insights to major rulemakings related to mortgage markets.

Sophie Sahaf

Speaking at the COVID-19 Lessons Learned and Beneficial Resources session.

Sophie Sahaf recently joined the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as the Deputy Assistant Director for the Office of Community Affairs. Prior to the CFPB, she served as the Chief Program Officer for LIFT, a national organization that supports low income parents in urban areas in the United States. At LIFT, she led the National Program Team’s career and financial coaching program strategy and implementation. Before LIFT, Sophie was the Director for Monitoring, Evaluation and Economics at the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Over nearly seven years, she supported design and evaluation of large-scale bilateral investments in wide-ranging sectors from workforce and education to energy and infrastructure, always working in concert with bilateral partners such as Indonesia, Mongolia, and Sierra Leone.

Sophie completed her undergraduate studies in international relations at Tufts University and attended its Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy where she received a MA.

Brian Siebenlist

Speaking at the Plenary Session: Certification Updates from OHC session.

Brian Siebenlist is the Director of the Office of Policy and Grant Administration in HUD’s Office of Housing Counseling.

Dana Wade

Speaking at the Plenary Session: Certification Updates from OHC session.

Dana Wade is the Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) Commissioner. FHA currently insures more than 8 million single family mortgages, almost 12,000 mortgages for multifamily properties, over 3,700 mortgages for residential care facilities, and nearly 100 mortgages for hospitals. Mrs. Wade previously served as Acting Federal Housing Commissioner and Assistant Secretary for Housing from July 2017 to June 2018, where she oversaw over 2,400 employees and implemented enhanced risk management and monitoring of FHA’s $1.3 trillion portfolio. Wade also served as a Program Associate Director for General Government at the Office of Management and Budget from December 2018 to December 2019, where she led budget oversight for six Executive Branch agencies with a keen focus on financial services, including HUD, and multiple independent agencies. In Congress, she served in senior roles including Deputy Staff Director for the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and Deputy Staff Director for the Senate Committee on Appropriations under Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL). Wade holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Economics from Georgetown University.

Kenneth Worthey

Speaking at the Partnering with the Financial Literacy Education Commission (FLEC) session.

Kenneth Worthey is a Financial Literacy and Outreach Analyst at the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). Kenneth has 7 years of experience at NCUA serving as a financial literacy education advisor, and oversees the implementation of financial literacy, education, and inclusion policies and programs.

Jill Yu

Speaking at the Connecting EnVision Centers and Housing Counseling Agencies session.

Jill Yu is currently a Field Branch Chief in HUD’s Office of Field Policy and Management. The Office of Field Policy and Management (FPM) communicates the priorities and policies of the Secretary and develops community relationships that ensure the success of the Secretary's initiatives and special projects. Jill has over five years of experience advocating for vulnerable populations, including for children and families, low-income populations, individuals experiencing homelessness, as well as housing and urban development issues.