When Britney Russell started her hair styling business in 2011, she already had a vision for where it might take her. 

NeighborWorks® America’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) held a convening in Miami Beach this month, part of the NeighborWorks Training Institute. The lessons from panel discussions to in-depth conversations will last long after the event.  

Here’s a snapshot: 

This is how Sir Vin Delights got its name, according to owner Donna Rose: Her husband is nicknamed Sir Vincent, “and I am a delight.” Her juices, sold from Miramar, Florida, now have a brick-and-mortar storefront. But she also has distribution to clients that including the Miami Dolphins training camp.

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. 

Housing is a part of America’s story. Shelter, after all, is integral to our survival.

Since the nation was first formed, people moved with opportunities. They still do. And the housing needs in each region have depended on the region itself. From city apartments to suburban single-family homes, from farmhouses to farm worker housing, our dwellings and communities vary. What does not vary is the desire to have a safe place to call home.

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.