Habitat Florida 2025 Affiliate Conference: Full Schedule

We are excited to welcome you to our 2025 Habitat Florida Affiliate Conference! This year’s theme is Building Tomorrow, Together. As a network, we are embracing change, overcoming challenges, and finding innovative ways to serve our communities. Across Florida, the affordable housing crisis has required our affiliates to continually adapt. Yet, in the face of these challenges, the spirit of Habitat remains strong. Affiliates across the state are scaling up, building more, and serving more families than ever before. Together, we are forging a future where safe, affordable housing is within reach for all.

We have lined up an incredible slate of speakers and sponsors to share their wealth of knowledge with our affiliate network! Thank you for your participation! If you are looking to book your rooms for the conference, you can do so here. The hotel will discount the taxes with a copy of your tax-exempt certificate. This conference, from April 28-30, 2025 at The Shores Resort and Spa is exclusively for Florida affiliate employees and volunteers.

8:00am EDT

Check-In

Monday April 28, 2025 8:00am - 1:00pm EDT

Event Foyer

Monday April 28, 2025 8:00am - 1:00pm EDT
Event Foyer

General

1:00pm EDT

Meet Your Cohort - Facilitated Roundtable Discussion - Round 1

Monday April 28, 2025 1:00pm - 1:45pm EDT

Multiple rooms assigned

This is an opportunity to meet employees around the state doing similar work as you. The facilitated round table discussion will allow you to get acquainted, discuss common issues and share ideas. Given that many employees in our network do multiple jobs, this 45-minute session will repeat at 2:00 pm so that you have the opportunity to switch tables if you wear two hats in your Habitat role.

Outreach (Advocacy, Marketing, Communications) - Richard Petty S
Construction & Repairs - River
Resource Development - Coastal
Finance & Mortgage Services - Dolphin
Human Resources & Operations - Richard Petty N
Homeowner & Volunteer Services - Bill France B
ReStore Services - Bill France C

Monday April 28, 2025 1:00pm - 1:45pm EDT
Multiple rooms assigned Check app for exact location

General

2:00pm EDT

Meet Your Cohort - Facilitated Roundtable Discussion - Round 2

Monday April 28, 2025 2:00pm - 2:45pm EDT

Multiple rooms assigned

This is an opportunity to meet employees around the state doing similar work as you. The facilitated round table discussion will allow you to get acquainted, discuss common issues and share ideas. Given that many employees in our network do multiple jobs, this 45-minute session is a repeat of the 1 pm session so that you have the opportunity to switch tables if you wear two hats in your Habitat role.

Outreach (Advocacy, Marketing, Communications) - Richard Petty S
Construction & Repairs - River
Resource Development - Coastal
Finance & Mortgage Services - Dolphin
Human Resources & Operations - Richard Petty N
Homeowner & Volunteer Services - Bill France B
ReStore Services - Bill France C

Monday April 28, 2025 2:00pm - 2:45pm EDT
Multiple rooms assigned Check app for exact location

General

3:00pm EDT

HFHI Disaster Response Focus Group

Monday April 28, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT

Bill France B

Has your affiliate recently been impacted by a disaster? HFHI wants to hear from you to help improve their disaster response program. Questions are attached!

Speakers

Melissa Rivera

Affiliate Engagement & Success Manager, Habitat for Humanity International

I reside in New Smyrna, Florida, and have been at HFHI for nearly 10 years. In my current role, I manage the outcome measurement change management approach across the U.S. in partnership with affiliated organizations, design trainings/resources, and provide MEAL technical assistance... Read More →

Monday April 28, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Bill France B 1st Floor

General

4:15pm EDT

Local Municipalities & SHIP

Monday April 28, 2025 4:15pm - 5:15pm EDT

Bill France C

Join Ashon Nesbitt, CEO of the Florida Housing Coalition, and representatives from Volusia County and the City of Daytona Beach, to learn how Habitat of Greater Volusia has successfully partnered with these entities to access SHIP dollars.

Speakers

Ashon Nesbitt

Chief Executive Officer, Florida Housing Coalition Inc

ASHON NESBITT is CEO of the Florida Housing Coalition.A respected community and nonprofit leader, Mr. Nesbitt was previously Chief Programs Officer and Technical Advisor with the Coalition where he has led the Community Land Trust Institute as well as the Center for Racial Equity... Read More →

Monday April 28, 2025 4:15pm - 5:15pm EDT
Bill France C 1st Floor

General

9:15am EDT

Disaster Resilience & the AmeriCorps Program

Tuesday April 29, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am EDT

Dolphin Room

Habitat Florida is starting an AmeriCorps Program! Come meet out Program Manager, learn the ins and outs of our program design and see if a partnership in this program would be right for your affiliate. You can also learn how your affiliate can be more prepared for hurricanes and other disasters.

Speaker: Aja Tyler, Habitat Florida AmeriCorps Program Manager

Speakers

Roxanne Young

Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of Florida, Inc

Committed to establishing effective relationships with stakeholders to re-imagine organizational value, bring strategic focus, construct financial stability and strive for organizational excellence.

Jo Rapps

Director of Operations, Habitat for Humanity Florida

As the new Director of Operations for Habitat Florida I am eager to meet the Habitat Florida network of affiliates and partners.

Aja Tyler

Tuesday April 29, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am EDT
Dolphin Room 2nd Floor

General

10:30am EDT

Cross Departmental Collaboration & Building Strategic Partnerships

Tuesday April 29, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT

Dolphin Room

Join us for the presentation of a unique cross-departmental collaboration that has strengthened existing and introduced new strategic partnerships for the affiliate. This presentation will focus on case studies of specialty builds such as our CEO Build and PGA Tour Wives Association Build in partnership with a media partner (i.e Tampa Bay Business Journal) to increase support, media awareness, and funds. These specialty builds have allowed the affiliate to tap into new networks to drive support from community organizations and create an experience that keeps these individuals and groups supporting year after year.

Speaker: Xavier Oliver, Director of Corporate Partnerships, Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside

Speakers

Xavier Oliver

Director of Corporate Partnerships, Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside

Hi! I am the Director of Corporate Partnerships at Habitat for Humanity of Tampa Bay Gulfside and I've been with the affiliate since July 2021.

Tuesday April 29, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
Dolphin Room 2nd Floor

General

10:30am EDT

HFHI Disaster Response Focus Group

Tuesday April 29, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT

Surf Room

Has your affiliate recently been impacted by a disaster? HFHI wants to hear from you to help improve their disaster response program. Questions are attached!

Speakers

Melissa Rivera

Affiliate Engagement & Success Manager, Habitat for Humanity International

Tuesday April 29, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
Surf Room 11th Floor

General

2:15pm EDT

Building Communities & Hope

Tuesday April 29, 2025 2:15pm - 3:15pm EDT

River Room

Join Bob Calhoun and representatives from Habitat Guatemala and HFHI to learn more about our innovative partnership project!
Speaker: Bob Calhoun, President & CEO, Habitat St. Lucie & Okeechobee

Speakers

Danielle Stroud

CEO, Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter

Laura

Bob Calhoun

Tuesday April 29, 2025 2:15pm - 3:15pm EDT
River Room 11th Floor

General

3:30pm EDT

Rural Roundtable: Resources and Strategies for Habitat’s Work in U.S. Rural Communities

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm EDT

Coastal Room

Join us for a review of existing resources available to support Habitat’s work in U.S. rural communities and recent affiliate successes and innovations, and engage in a conversation around strategy and continual improvement. We will kick off the session with an overview of current resources available to affiliates in rural areas, including funding opportunities, capacity building, advocacy and HFHI staff positions dedicated to rural support. Recent successes and innovations will bring these resources and opportunities to life and inspire attendees with tangible results. We will conclude with an interactive segment where all attendees will have the opportunity to provide feedback and advice, identify additional opportunities and areas for improvement, and help co-create our collective path forward. Your insights and experiences are invaluable as we work together to build stronger, more resilient rural communities.

Learning objectives:
1. Walk away with a list of resources to use immediately and opportunities to prioritize within your affiliate strategy.
2. Apply lessons and promising practices from other affiliates’ successes.
3. Participate in imagining and co-creating next steps in HFHI’s strategy to support work in rural communities.

Speaker: Habitat International

Speakers

Tami Page

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm EDT
Coastal Room 11th Floor

General

5:00pm EDT

Dinner on Your Own

Tuesday April 29, 2025 5:00pm - 8:00pm EDT

General

9:15am EDT

Open Roundtable Debrief Sessions

Wednesday April 30, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am EDT

Richard Petty Ballroom

This is an opportunity to wrap up your conference experience with your cohorts! The facilitated round table discussion will allow you to share what you've learned over the past few days and how you plan to take that back to your affiliate. Given that many employees in our network do multiple jobs, feel free to visit multiple tables during this time.