Everything rises and falls on leadership, said Dan Ellis, CEO of NHS of Baltimore, “It’s the key to everything we do.” 

He looks at leadership training like this: If your staff is such a large part of your budget, then not investing in them to help them be “as good as they can be” is just plain foolish.

NeighborWorks® America knows it takes people with vision to bring the work of affordable housing and community development forward. During the NeighborWorks Training Institute in Miami Beach this month, the organization presented Visionary Leader awards to two people whose vision expanded community opportunities in the state of Florida: Ignacio Estaban, retired CEO of Florida Community Loan Fund, and Germaine Smith-Baugh, president & CEO of the Urban League of Broward County.

Good boards lead to impactful organizations. That’s the reason behind the training that NeighborWorks® America provides to board members and organizational leaders alike. All sides were represented this week during the Board Governance Exchange, a daylong convening so that board members and organizational leaders could talk about lessons learned and practical advice for effective board service. 

Gabriel Figueroa had already been doing community engagement in Fitchburg, Massachusetts when Francisco Ramos, Community Building & Engagement director for NewVue, asked if he wanted to help with a program that would assess the needs of residents.

More than 1,500 affordable housing and community development staff members from across the country met in Miami Beach this week to connect, strategize and learn. This marks the first time the NeighborWorks® Training Institute, often considered a “mobile university” for community development professionals, has been held in Miami Beach. 

Leadership can make the difference between an organization that thrives and one that struggles. In the community development field, that leadership is important at every level – from neighborhood resident leaders to the organizational leaders who strengthen those neighborhoods.

Data tells a story.

At NeighborWorks® America, the data tells the story of new homeowners. It tells the story of homes repaired and of communities working together to make their neighborhoods what they want them to be. It tells the story of families and individuals connecting to education, to jobs and to better health, all by finding a safe place to call home.

NeighborWorks’ annual impact report highlights the data of NeighborWorks and the network – and the stories behind it.

Walk through the hallways of the Robert “Bobby” Calvillo HomeOwnership Center at Affordable Homes of South Texas, and you will see portraits – not just of leaders and board members who have worked there, but of families and individuals, holding keys to a new home. 

When people tell the story of America, they often talk about national leaders, historical events and major milestones. 

But America's story has always been written closer to home.