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24 EXPOSURE THE FIVE STAR INSTITUTE LEADS THE WAY. INDUSTRY LEADERS TAKE ON HOUSING CHALLENGES AT NATIONAL PROPERTY PRESERVATION CONFERENCE Housing industry leaders gathered at the 11th annual National Property Preservation Conference (NPPC) to discuss some of the greatest challenges facing housing today and collaborate on how to tackle them head-on. Hosted by Safeguard Properties in Washington, D.C., this year's conference featured panel discussions boasting a host of policy experts offering insights on what's happening inside the beltway, including Laurie Maggiano, program manager for servicing and secondary markets at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Ivery Himes, director of HUD's Office of Single Family Asset Management; and Meg Burns, former senior associate director at the Federal Housing Finance Agency and current managing director at the Collingwood Group, among others. Some of the housing industry's leading minds—including representatives from Freddie Mac, Safeguard, SolutionStar, and TSI Appraisal—were also in attendance to discuss the current state of housing and property preservation and expectations for the future. Together, the panels, led by Five Star Institute President and CEO Ed Delgado, fielded questions on topics ranging from compliance challenges to the government's growing oversight of the housing industry, including what's on the agenda for 2015. "It's clear that property preservation companies are increasingly playing a larger role in the stabilization of homeownership and communities" said Caroline Reaves, CEO of MCS, one of the nation's leading property preservation companies and a key sponsor of NPPC. "e dialogue from this event will go a long way in establishing best practices and compliance as an industry for 2015 and beyond." e event kicked off with remarks from Delgado, who described the outlook for housing as one of "reserved confidence." at was followed by a keynote address delivered by Leonard Kiefer, deputy chief economist at Freddie Mac. Alan Jaffa, CEO of Safeguard Properties, said the conference serves as a jumping-off point for a dialogue that will hopefully continue. "I'm hearing a lot of great conversations taking place around the roles we all play in maintaining properties and communities," Jaffa said. "We all come from a different perspective, but property preservation is a team effort." Safeguard's founder and chairman, Robert Klein, echoed Jaffa's sentiment. "When I initiated the conference 10 years ago, my goal was to create a platform for open communication—an opportunity for truly honest dialogue about the issues we face as an industry," he said. "In these discussions, everyone's perspective is important, and everyone, from lenders to policymakers, GSEs, and community groups, has a seat at the table. A decade later, the conversation continues to evolve and produce real solutions." NATIONAL APPRAISAL CONGRESS CONVENES IN WASHINGTON, D.C. e executive board of directors for the Na- tional Appraisal Congress (NAC) came together in Washington, D.C., to discuss pressing issues facing the residential valuation and appraisal industry. e meeting was brought to order by the NAC chair and chief appraiser at TSI Appraisal, Jordan Petkovski. Petkovski gave attendees a brief over- view of the state of the property appraisal industry. He also articulated his vision for how the NAC will supply direction for residential appraisal com- panies and lead the industry in a time of change. Five Star Institute President and CEO Ed Delgado was in attendance and delivered brief re- marks thanking the attendees for their dedication to the betterment of the housing industry. e NAC is a non-partisan organization, pow- ered by the Five Star Institute, established to serve the needs of appraisal professionals by facilitating problem solving, policymaking, education, and advocacy. In response to a developing need for thought leadership and the promotion of best practices and execution, the NAC serves as a col- lection of subject matter experts fostering collabo- ration and facilitating change in the residential real estate valuation and appraisal industry.

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