More than 350 people attended Texas NAHRO's 33rd Annual Conference and Tradeshow in Galveston, Texas, April 19 - 22, 2009 to "Ride the Wave of Change". The conference featured informative presentations, interactive sessions, exhibits, entertainment and multiple networking opportunities. The exhibit hall was filled with 40 vendors offering a wide variety of products.
The Annual Golf tournament, sponsored by Life Associates, kicked off the Conference on Sunday at the Moody Gardens golf course. Monday morning started with committee meetings and the Executive Board meeting followed by interactive sessions touching on subjects such as disaster preparedness, TDHCA updates, and Procurement training.  The Opening General Session followed where the attendees were welcomed by the City of Galveston and the Galveston Housing Authority representatives.  C. Donald Babers, Deputy Regional Director of HUD and Fred Tombar, III, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of HUD Washington, both gave keynote addresses regarding the new face of HUD.  The evening continued with an Exhibitor Beach Party and Treasure Map Hunt, followed by an impromptu indoor beach volley ball game. 
Tuesday morning the conference started in full swing with concurrent sessions such as Section 8 Voucher Reform Act (SERVA), Disaster HAP’s, and PH and HCV Annual Income Verification.  The tour of Galveston Island was the hot item as 2 buses filled with over 60 of the attendees, the tour traveled the island of Galveston and provided an inside view of the destruction of Hurricane IKE and the heroic recovery efforts throughout the city.  Exhibitors and Sponsors were recognized by Texas NAHRO and presented with a small token of our appreciation during the exhibitor recognition luncheon.  In keeping with tradition, a drawing was held for the free exhibit booth for the 2010 conference and that drawing was won by The Nelrod Company.  Felix Cora, Jr., Cruiser Weight Boxing Champion ended the luncheon with a few encouraging words for the attendees and was gracious enough to stay to autograph the conference programs for many of those in attendance. Training sessions resumed for the afternoon with a variety of topics including UPCS/REAC Inspection updates, MTCS Updates, Project-Basing of Section 8 Vouchers, CDBG Neighborhood Stabilization Program update, Energy Efficiency sessions, and a Section 8 HCV round table discussion.  The Presidential Gala and Awards Ceremony concluded the day with the 2009 Agency and Individual Award Winners being recognized.  First Time Attendees were recognized and presented a gift during this ceremony as well and TXNAHRO was very proud to have over 50 First Timers at the conference.  Guest Speaker, Donna Dunwoody, President of Southwest NAHRO, gave everyone an update of current events within the Region and encouraged everyone to attend the 69th Annual Southwest NAHRO Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. in June.   The Keynote Speaker, NAHRO President, Renee Rooker gave a motivational speech “Who packs your Parachute” to encourage attendees to get involved with all the things NAHRO does for our industry.  The Presidential Gala was concluded with DJ Mike Morales and an evening of Texas style " Boot Scootin' " dancing.
Wednesday continued another full day of training sessions covering topics such as, Executive Director Training, PFIA, Environmental Reviews, Constructing and Rehabbing High Performance Housing and much more.   Twenty-five $1,000 scholarships were awarded during the Annual Scholarship Award Luncheon and many of the very deserving students were present to receive their honor.  The Annual Texas NAHRO Business Meeting was held following the scholarship ceremony, in which the most important item of business was the approval of the Nominating Committees Slate of Officers for the 2009 – 2011 term.  The afternoon concluded the Conference with continued breakout sessions featuring Commissioners’ Fundamentals Training, PFIA, and Adapting your HOME homebuyer program to current market conditions.
In summary, the Texas NARHO 33rd Annual Conference and Tradeshow was a great success. Texas NAHRO appreciates the participation and support of our agencies, partners and industry colleagues. Be sure to mark your calendars for the Texas NAHRO Annual Fall Conference October 18-22, 2009 at the Embassy Suites in San Marcos, Texas.