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Duane Miller - President of Flaherty & Collins Development
- Duane Miller has extensive
experience working with affordable housing and
mixed income housing financing structures.
He brings more than 13 years experience working
on community and economic development
initiatives in underserved neighborhoods. His
experience and skills provide him with both a
thorough understanding of the public commitments
in providing housing for all income ranges as
well as private sector goals of maintaining the
economic viability of such projects. He
has a broad range of experience in financial
analysis and business planning, including management of a nonprofit community development corporation
with $12 million in assets, a $7.5 million
budget, and 13 separate subsidiary corporations
totaling $33 million in assets.
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Guillermo
Rodriguez - Muncie Housing
Authority, Executive
Director - Guillermo
Rodriguez has extensive experience working in
the Public Housing Field. He has 14 years
working with the Muncie Housing Authority. He
has acquired numerous certificates of training
and certifications during this time. Prior to
becoming the Executive Director, he served MHA
as the Modernization Director, Contracting
Officer, Procurement Officer and Labor Relations
Officer for six years. He has completed capital
funding projects and physical revitalization
projects to the MHA properties. Mr. Rodriguez
has seen the Muncie HOPE VI project evolve from
the application phase until now. He was directly
involved with Millennium Place Phase I which was
a mixed-finance project for thirty units
involving MHA Capital Funds and tax credits. He
has attended American I. University and IVY Tech
Community College and is a Marine Corps
veteran.
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Gordon Benner - President of Flaherty & Collins
Construction - As President of
Flaherty & Collins Construction, Gordon
Benner's mission is to provide the best quality
at the best price, not only from a construction
standpoint, but also from a marketing
standpoint, to make leasing easier. He
helps to design and build based on markets need,
which few construction companies do. He is
regarded as one of the foremost experts in
multi-family construction in the United
States. He has been involved in all phases
of the construction business, including
budgeting, bidding and negotiating contracts,
selecting subcontractors and vendors, monitoring
job costs, overseeing the actual construction
site, and acting as liaison to the development
team. The construction projects he has
worked on include: residential, multi-family
dwellings, commercial buildings, historical
renovations, schools, restaurants, and
churches.
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Van Johnson- Muncie
Housing Authority, Director of Planning and
Development - Van Johnson
has over 25 years continuous practice in the
profession of architecture and community
development. Mr. Johnson received his Bachelor
of Architecture degree from Hampton University,
Hampton, Virginia. Mr. Johnson graduated with
distinction receiving the AIA award for
“Excellence in the Study of Architecture”. He
has worked in the “private-sector” as an
architect for most of his career as an associate
in several firms and a principal in his own
design firm. Mr. Johnson began his community
development experience as Director of
Architecture for a CDC in his hometown Buffalo,
New York. He later moved to Baltimore, Maryland
where he was hired by James Rouse (President and
CEO of The Rouse Company and The Enterprise
Foundation) to use his skills and expertise to
help revitalize the worst neighborhood in
Baltimore (Sandtown-Winchester). This valuable
experience prepared Mr. Johnson for his next
assignment – HOPE VI, Director of Physical
Development for the Housing Authority of
Baltimore City (HABC). Mr. Johnson was
responsible for overseeing the City’s $ 350
Million Dollar initiative to demolish and
rebuild four severely distressed “High-Rise”
Public Housing developments, located in downtown
Baltimore. The HABC team was successful in
receiving more than five (5) HOPE VI Grants;
redeveloping over 75 acres of land; constructing
850 new rental town homes, 125 town homes
for-sale, 200 apartments for seniors, 4
community centers, 3 daycare centers, a
commercial retail complex, 2 new magnet schools
and a new park. Mr. Johnson is also an ordained
minister and is equally concerned with “building
people” as he is with building
communities.
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Olon Dotson - Vice
President, Armonics - Olon F.
Dotson co-founder and Vice-President of
ARMONICS, Inc., is compelled to recapture the
role of the Architect by offering comprehensive
services. Mr. Dotson attended Tuskegee Institute
(University) in Alabama where he received a B.A.
in Architectural Science, Ball State University
in Muncie, Indiana where he acquired a Bachelor
of Architecture and a B. S. Environmental
Design. Subsequent to working with HNTB
Architects in Phoenix, Arizona, he attended
Columbia University in New York where he
completed the Master of Science in Real Estate
Development Program. Working as a Construction
Manager at Powers Management allowed Mr. Dotson
to broaden his perspective which led to the
founding of ARMONICS, Inc. and the inception of
Project Delivery Services. Project Delivery
Services involves providing expanded
construction administration and contract cost
management accounting services under the
umbrella of the architectural design team. This
could also be considered an innovative and
progressive form of "Turn-Key" development with
a maximum amount of Disadvantaged Business
Enterprise and community participation. Mr.
Dotson also serves as an Assistant Professor of
Architecture at Ball State
University.
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Dan A. Canan - Mayor of Muncie - As mayor of The
City of Muncie, his mission is to improve the
quality of life of its citizens by effectively
and efficiently administering community
resources and providing public safety to his
community. He was elected Mayor in November 1995
and still currently holds that office. Before he
became the Mayor of Muncie, he successfully
owned, operated, and managed Canan’s Pharmacy
for 15 years. Canan’s Pharmacy was located in
the Industry Neighborhood, which is the same
neighborhood as Millennium Place. He earned his
Bachelor of Science degree from Ball State
University Muncie, Indiana, as well as graduated
from Muncie Central High School. A list of his
Significant Accomplishments as Mayor are on the City of Muncie’s web
site.
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Russell D. Lewis - R.A.
President, Armonics, Inc. -
ARMONICS, Inc. was founded with a vision that
the practice of Architecture goes far beyond the
design process. Russell D. Lewis cofounder and
President of ARMONICS, Inc., was formerly
educated at the College of Architecture and
Planning, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana
receiving a Bachelor of Architecture and a B. S.
Environmental Design. Upon graduation Mr. Lewis
went to work in his hometown of Indianapolis,
Indiana as a graduate architect with CSO
Architects, a large local firm specializing in
commercial, industrial, and institutional work.
Upon reaching the level of Senior Project
Architect/Project Manager, Mr. Lewis left the
traditional practice of Architecture in May of
1993 taking a position as Project Manager for
Powers Management, Inc. an Indiana-based
construction management and general contracting
company. This association remained until
ARMONICS demanded his full attention in February
1996. The driving force behind the concept of
ARMONICS, which led to its creation in 1994, was
the unique range of services and experiences
that could be brought to the market by an
organization with intimate knowledge of the
processes of design, construction, and
development.
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Jerry Thornburg - Muncie Director of Community
Development - Jerry has extensive
experience in finance, economic development and
serving low-income communities. He has led
a distinguished career in public service and
demonstrated a commitment to low-income
communities. He served three terms as the
Auditor of Delaware County, as well as has
worked ten years with a Community Housing
Development Organization ("CHDO") developing
low-income housing. He has been very
instrumental in the progress of the MHA HOPE VI
program.
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Jacey Frazier - Muncie Housing Authority, HOPE
VI Community & Supportive Services
Coordinator - As the HOPE VI
Community & Supportive Services Coordinator,
Ms. Frazier is leading staff, business and
community stakeholders in the development and
implementation of strategies that assists
residents in becoming self-sufficient. Her motto
is, "Where there is help there is hope." Ms.
Frazier is a graduate of Ball State University,
where she earned both her Bachelor and Masters
Degree. She has over 15 years of experience in
community building, service and mobilization.
Prior to accepting the position with the housing
authority, she resided in Detroit, Michigan
where she worked with various notfor-profit
organizations, Detroit Public Schools, The
Skillman Foundation, and the City of Detroit.
Author, publisher and owner of educational
program management and fund development company
are also listed among her professional
accomplishments. She is also a member of the
Family Services, Inc., Board, which assists
women and children who are victims of domestic
violence. In 2001, The City of Detroit honored
Ms. Frazier with the Spirit of Detroit Award,
and she is a 1995 recipient of the City of
Muncie's Mayor's Community Service Award.
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Emma Price - Long
Time Resident and Community Leader - Emma L. Price was born to
Elizabeth and Spencer Malone in Florence, Ala.,
where she graduated from Hall High School. In
1945 she moved to Muncie Indiana from Lima,
Ohio.
Price worked at the Munsyana Homes
and each year she has the most beautiful flower
garden and, because of this she received the
Broom Award from Muncie Clean City. She has also
received the Community Award from the Black
Expo, the Community Award from the Mayor of
Muncie, R. P. Gram from the NAACP, the Community
Award from Industry Neighborhood.
Price
was the Tenant Council within the Munsyana
Homes. “I was the only one that would speak
about the problems that were occurring within
the Munsyana Homes.” She is a member of the
Federal Club and the High School Rough Lodge.
When she has finished all of her meetings, she
still finds time to volunteer and work with the
Housing Authority.
“This is my home,”
said Price. “I don’t have to live here. I have
lived here for forty years by choice.” In
her neighborhood, Price is trying to make it a
place where people can sit outside on their
porch and walk around.
Price was raised to
work for what you want out of life and to be
educated. She also attends local town council
meetings to speak on the behalf of the residents
that don’t speak out. “I like to help
people,” Price said. “I also enjoy helping
people that can’t help themselves. I like
people.”
The one person that she admired
while she was growing up was her elementary
teacher. “She was a good teacher and I learned a
lot from her.” Her advice to young people is to
stay in school and please stay away from drugs.
Price is the mother of one daughter, Sherwyn
Kerbol.
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