2026 Advisors Conference

Speaker

Stephanie Cote: Founder, Eagle Woman Soars

Session Details

This session is Part One of a two‑part series for Homeownership Advisors. It provides foundational education on financial trauma and uses interactive case studies to show how stress shapes client behavior, budgeting, and decision‑making. You will examine common trauma responses such as avoidance, impulsive spending, anxiety, shame, hypervigilance and extreme frugality, scarcity mindset, decision paralysis, and limiting beliefs.

You will leave with practical tools and language to reduce shame, identify triggers, support clients in mapping their money story, and build manageable next steps—while strengthening your ability to recognize when additional professional support may be needed. Part Two will focus on skill integration, including demonstrations and guided practice applying the concepts learned during Part One.

Speaker

David Arbit: Director of Research, Minnesota Realtors®

Session Details

David is the Director of Research at Minnesota Realtors® and has been studying housing markets and economic trends for almost 20 years. This session will focus on the trends and conditions that most affect the clients you serve. We will examine the key factors influencing today’s homeownership landscape and how they shape the buyer journey—from housing availability and price pressures to differences across regions and property types. The goal is to equip advisors with a clear understanding of the market their clients are navigating.

Panelist Speakers

• Brooke Walker (Moderator): Director, Strategic Initiatives, Minnesota Homeownership Center
• Theressa Ruiz: Program Manager, Homeownership Services, PRG
• Carter CasaDeCalvo: Homeownership & Financial Coach, PPL (Project for Pride in Living)
• Niki Kolodge: Housing Services Manager, One Roof Community Housing
• Alma Sanchez: Homeownership Advisor, Neighborhood Development Alliance (NeDA)

Session Details

Post-purchase housing counseling plays a pivotal role in supporting sustainable homeownership while requiring advisors to respond to a wide range of homeowner needs over time. This panel discussion will explore the scope of post-purchase counseling in practice, including common topics and how post-purchase advising differs from pre-purchase and foreclosure counseling. Panelists will share insights on homeowner engagement, what prompts clients to participate, and the types of conversations that emerge after purchase. You will leave with a clearer understanding of post-purchase advising and lessons learned from agencies actively doing this work.

Panelist Speakers

• Roxanne Young Kimball (Moderator): President, Minnesota Homeownership Center
• Jenny Sanford: Director of Community Engagement, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
• Ronald Elwood: Supervising Attorney, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid
• Nick Morrison: Senior Attorney, Consumer Unit, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services

Session Details

Over 1.5 million Minnesotans—about one in four residents—live in homeowners associations (HOAs) or common interest communities (CICs), making this one of the most common homeownership models in the state. As a result, homeownership advisors are increasingly working with homebuyers and homeowners who have questions about the rights, responsibilities, and complexities specific to HOA governed living.

In this panel session, we will explore how HOAs influence every stage of the homeownership journey—including the decision to purchase, the selection and purchase of a home, issues that arise during ownership, and the sale or other disposition of the property. Panelists will also address the realities of HOA initiated foreclosure. Through this lens, the session will highlight what advisors need to know to effectively guide clients at each phase.

We will also examine recent and potential policy changes affecting Minnesota’s HOA landscape, including reforms related to transparency, fines, elections, and homeowner protections, helping advisors stay informed about what current and future HOA residents may encounter.

Panelist Speaker

Autumn Lubin: CEO and Chief Enthusiast, Yellow Wood Pathways

Session Details

Change is a constant in nonprofit work. Funding shifts, the economy fluctuates, and community needs evolve. It’s the landscape we navigate every day. This session helps you tune your response to those shifts in a changing environment. Designed specifically for the housing advising community, this session addresses the real situations you face.

This session is interactive, practical, and grounded—no fluff. You’ll walk away with tools you can immediately put to work. You will examine your personal experiences with change and the responses they elicit. You will learn how to create a customized plan to guide you when adapting to change and how to apply best practice strategies when responding to change. It isn’t always easy to adapt to change, but it doesn’t have to be intolerable. Knowledge is power. Come tap into your power to meet change with clarity and confidence and return to your office re-energized and ready for what’s next.

Speaker

Stephanie Cote: Founder, Eagle Woman Soars

Session Details

This session is Part Two of a two‑part series for Homeownership Advisors. It equips Homeownership Advisors with practical tools to support clients skillfully—without stepping outside their professional scope. You will clarify what is within the Advising role versus what requires referral, learn how to facilitate trauma-informed dialogue using structured, non-shaming questions, and practice staying grounded when clients are overwhelmed, avoidant, or emotionally activated. The session emphasizes ethical boundaries, stabilization versus treatment, and practical language Advisors can use immediately. Through a demonstration and guided practice, you will build confidence navigating emotionally charged financial conversations while maintaining clarity of role and increasing client follow-through.

Panelist Speakers

• Aarica L. Coleman (Moderator): President & CEO, Land Bank Twin Cities
• Emily Stewart: Associate Director, CoNorth
• Mikeya Griffin: President & CEO, Rondo Community Land Trust
• Jeffery Robinson: Senior Program Director, Build Wealth

Session Details

Rising home costs and limited inventory can make the dream of homeownership feel out of reach for many. Minnesota’s housing landscape is evolving, and so are the models that make homeownership attainable for more residents. This panel discussion will introduce you to a range of alternative homeownership models in Minnesota that can lower those barriers. You’ll hear from leaders in community land trusts, housing cooperatives, manufactured housing, and owner‑occupied landlord programs. You’ll learn how these models function, who they serve, and how they offer a different approach to affordability. Panelists will walk you through the organizations behind these options, the financial structures that make them viable, and the practical considerations you should keep in mind when advising clients. You’ll leave with a stronger understanding of these alternative pathways to homeownership and how they can support your clients’ long‑term stability.

Speaker

Keeri Tramm: Director of Disability Initiatives, Lifeworks

Session Details

Compassion fatigue and secondary trauma can emerge when you’re consistently supporting clients who are stressed, overwhelmed, or in crisis. This session helps you recognize the signs of compassion fatigue, understand how they differ from burnout, and identify the symptoms and risk factors that commonly affect professionals serving clients with complex needs. Through real‑life scenarios drawn from the experiences of homeownership advisors, you’ll see how these pressures show up in day‑to‑day work and how they can impact your well‑being and effectiveness. You’ll leave with practical interventions and tools you can use to protect your well‑being while continuing to provide steady, compassionate guidance to the households you serve.

Speaker

Stefania Metzger: Learning and Development Manager, Minnesota Homeownership Center

Session Details

Virtual workshops can be just as engaging and meaningful as in‑person learning when they’re designed with intention. This hands‑on session gives educators practical strategies for creating virtual trainings that reduce digital fatigue, support participation, and keep learners connected. Through in‑room activities that allow you to experience fundamental virtual facilitation principles, you’ll explore how to navigate common challenges and manage the unpredictable moments that arise in online learning spaces.

You’ll move through redesign challenges, role‑plays, and a trainer‑to‑trainer exchange, leaving with a toolkit of ready‑to‑use methods and facilitation strategies you can immediately apply to your next virtual workshop. Whether you’re newer to virtual instruction or refining an established practice, this session strengthens your confidence, creativity, and presence as a virtual workshop trainer.

Enjoy dedicated time to join a group of your homeownership advising peers to tackle questions and
discuss issues important to you and your organization. In groups of six to eight people, you will have a
unique opportunity to select and delve into a topic of your choice.