National Fair Housing Alliance Convenes Housing Leaders, Advocates, and Policymakers for 2026 Conference to Advance Fair and Affordable Housing Agenda

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

National Fair Housing Alliance Convenes Housing Leaders, Advocates, and Policymakers for 2026 Conference to Advance Fair and Affordable Housing Agenda 

Hybrid June 27–30 gathering at Washington’s Capital Hilton features a Townhall keynote by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, recorded addresses from Maryland Governor Wes Moore, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, and U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn and a Fair Housing Awards Luncheon honoring former HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Fair Housing Alliance® (NFHA™) will convene fair housing advocates, civil rights leaders, housing and lending professionals, government representatives, and community partners from across the country for its 2026 National Conference, Building the Future We Deserve: Solutions for America’s Fair and Affordable Housing Crisis, June 27–30, 2026, Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. For the first time, the Conference will run as a hybrid program, with both in-person and virtual attendance options to broaden participation.

The timing is deliberate. Federal fair housing enforcement has contracted, the rules that protect millions of Americans from housing discrimination are being rewritten or rolled back, and programs that helped spur homeownership have been eviscerated. The Conference brings the people advancing fair housing and lending opportunities into the same room, with a program built to move from vision to execution. Across four days, attendees will examine workable, evidence-based strategies to strengthen fair housing and expand affordable housing opportunity nationwide, from scalable housing models and cross-sector partnerships to the responsible use of technology in the systems that increasingly decide who can fairly access housing and credit.

“The housing crisis in this country isn’t an accident. That means the solutions must be intentional and impactful,” said Lisa Rice, President and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance. “We’re bringing together the people doing this work in communities, as well as at the state and federal levels, to turn fair housing and lending rights into real outcomes that transform people’s lives, at a moment when those protections are being challenged.”

The Conference is also a celebration of those who have advanced the cause of fair housing. A centerpiece of the convening is the Fair Housing Awards Luncheon on Monday, June 29, honoring leaders who have shaped and defended the nation’s fair housing and lending protections.

Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Marcia Fudge will receive the Edward W. Brooke and Walter F. Mondale Fair Housing Award, named for the two senators who led bipartisan passage of the Fair Housing Act. A former member of Congress, Fudge co-chaired the Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE) Task Force as HUD Secretary to combat racial bias in home appraisals and issued long-awaited guidance affirming the legality of Special Purpose Credit Programs under the Fair Housing Act. She also worked to restore robust enforcement of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule.

NFHA will also present its President’s Fair Housing Award to four honorees:

• Dr. Calvin Bradford, Senior Research Fellow at the Woodstock Institute, is recognized for 50 years of work in fair lending and community reinvestment; he helped write the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 and the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 and has served as an expert or consultant in more than 100 fair housing and fair lending cases. 

• Maureen Yap, former Vice President of Public Policy and Senior Counsel for Fair Lending at NFHA, has devoted her career to fair lending enforcement, including leading the Federal Reserve Board’s Fair Lending Enforcement Section before joining NFHA. 

• Paul Osadebe and Palmer Heenan are honored for their service as civil rights attorneys at HUD, where in 2025 they spoke out about policy changes they said weakened enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. After providing testimony and documentation to Congress, both were removed from their roles, actions widely viewed as retaliation. Their decision to come forward despite personal and professional risk reflects a deep commitment to civil rights and government accountability.

“This year’s honorees show what courage in defense of fair housing and lending actually looks like,” said Rice. “From helping write the laws that brought transparency and accountability to lending, to standing up inside government when fair housing enforcement was under threat, they’ve carried this work forward at real personal cost and with lasting impact. We’re honored to recognize them.”

The Conference will also feature a Townhall keynote by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan, 12th District) on Tuesday, June 30, along with recorded addresses from Maryland Governor Wes Moore, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, and U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn.

Programming will also include a Sunday, June 28 fireside chat, “Qualified, Capable, and Denied: Housing Discrimination in Plain Sight,” between Rice and Dr. Raven Baxter, a molecular biologist and nationally recognized science communicator. Baxter was buying her first home in Virginia Beach when the seller, who had already accepted her full-price offer, tried to back out after learning Baxter was Black. She fought back and has been an ardent supporter of and advocate for fair housing. NFHA helped connect her to legal resources, and she has since become one of the most visible faces of the fair housing movement. 

Daily Highlights

Sunday, June 28

• Fireside Chat: “Qualified, Capable, and Denied: Housing Discrimination in Plain Sight,” with Lisa Rice (NFHA) and Dr. Raven Baxter (Fervae).

• Key Fair Housing Cases Update: Sara Pratt (retired Counsel, Relman Colfax, PLLC) and Robert Schwemm (Ashland-Spears Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus, University of Kentucky College of Law).

Monday, June 29 

• Fireside Chat: “When Housing and Voting Rights Converge: The Compounding Crisis for Building a Multiracial Democracy,” with Lisa Rice (NFHA) and Juan Proaño (League of United Latin American Citizens).

• Plenary Session: “Collaborative Strategies for Expanding Housing Opportunity,” moderated by Jeanne Fekade-Sellassie (Fund for Housing and Opportunity), with Ashley Thomas III (National Association of Real Estate Brokers), Amy Nelson (Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana), and Sarah Brundage (National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders). 

• Fair Housing Awards Luncheon: Honoring former HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge and the recipients of the NFHA President’s Fair Housing Award.

• Panel: “Fair Housing Under Pressure,” moderated by Nikitra Bailey (NFHA), with Nancy Haynes (Fair Housing Center of West Michigan), Laura Arce (UnidosUS), Bryan Greene (National Association of Realtors®), and Demetria McCain (Legal Defense Fund).

Tuesday, June 30 | Building the Future We Deserve Townhall

• Keynote: Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan, 12th District). 

• Panel: “Meeting the Needs of Renters: Policy Gaps and Fair Housing Solutions,” moderated by James Wylie (NFHA), with Renee Willis (National Low Income Housing Coalition), Tom Silverstein (Poverty & Race Research Action Council), and Sonya Acosta (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities). 

• Panel: “Unlocking Housing Access: Bold Solutions for a Fair & Affordable Future,” moderated by Caroline Peattie (Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California), with Jason Peterson (NeighborWorks Home Partners), Al-Tariq Witcher (Fair Share Housing Center), and Nicole Bascomb-Green (Black Home Initiative). 

• Panel: “Faith in Action: Working with Faith Communities to Build a Fair and Affordable Housing Future,” moderated by Sherrill Frost-Brown (NFHA), with Ariel Levinson-Waldman (Tzedek DC), and Reverend H. Lionel Edmonds (Mount Lebanon Baptist Church).

• Panel: “Insuring the Future: Addressing Insurability Challenges and Advancing Fair Housing,” moderated by Lisa Rice (NFHA), with Peter Carroll (Cotality), David Dworkin (National Housing Conference), Julia Gordon (Gordon Housing Strategies, LLC), and Michael Newman (Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety).

For the full Conference agenda and to register, visit bit.ly/NFHANC26.

Members of the media must register to attend by clicking here and email NFHA Senior Advisor Julian Glover at jglover@nationalfairhousing.org.

About the National Fair Housing Alliance

The National Fair Housing Alliance leads a coalition that works to build inclusive, well-resourced, and resilient communities; expand equitable opportunities; and end housing discrimination. 

Sponsors 

The National Fair Housing Alliance would like to thank the sponsors of the 2026 National Conference: JP Morgan Chase, State Farm, Citizens Bank, First Citizens Bank, National Association of Realtors®, Airbnb, Zillow, Navy Federal, Truist, Mortgage Bankers Association, AG Spanos Companies, Relman Colfax, Cummins, and Dane Law.

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About NFHA

The National Fair Housing Alliance leads a coalition that works to build inclusive, well-resourced, and resilient communities; expand equitable opportunities; and end housing discrimination.