From Insights to Action: Data-Informed Strategy in Housing and Community Development

Join NHC and NeighborWorks America for an insightful webinar on leveraging data-informed approaches to develop and execute strategies in the affordable housing sector. Our expert panel will explore how organizations are using data to make strategic decisions in property and portfolio management, lending, and resident services. Panelists will discuss how they turn sometimes unexpected insights from data collection into programmatic decisions that drive impact for communities. 

Panelists:

As the Director, Business Intelligence at NeighborWorks America Graciela Kahn specializes in data analysis and visualization, building dashboards, designing methodologies, and creating reports using proprietary and market data sources to help NeighborWorks and the network make data-informed decisions. Prior to joining NeighborWorks America, Graciela served as Senior Manager, Research at Americans for the Arts, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the arts in communities throughout the United States. Graciela holds an undergraduate degree in humanities and social studies from Universidad de Monterrey in Mexico, and a graduate degree in arts management from Carnegie Mellon University.

Emily Ward is a seasoned data strategist with 15 years of experience at the intersection of affordable housing and resident services. Emily oversees the complete data lifecycle at Affordable Homes & Communities to ensure both leaders and frontline staff are equipped with the information needed to deliver success and excellence for residents and the community. A recognized leader, Emily has mentored NeighborWorks Business Intelligence Fellows since 2020 and was a Northern Virginia 40 Under 40 honoree in 2021. She earned her MPA from George Mason University.

Natalie Prochaska, Ph.D., is a dedicated expert in economic and housing justice, leveraging spatial and financial data analytics to drive impactful community development. As Director of Planning & Research for Nevada HAND, she is a leader in the state’s premier affordable housing organization, bringing two decades of expertise in affordable housing and community investment.

Prior to joining Nevada HAND, Prochaska served as a Community Economic Development Research Fellow for the Carolina Small Business Development Fund and worked as an underwriter for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago. Previous roles include construction litigation and grants management in the Chicago area. Throughout her career, Prochaska has maintained a steadfast commitment to equitable housing solutions.

Recognized for her scholarly contributions and leadership in the field, Prochaska was selected as a 2023 NeighborWorks America Tableau Fellow. She actively contributes to housing policy through volunteer leadership roles and conference presentations, consistently advancing dialogue and practical solutions in urban development and financial inclusion.

A respected scholar-practitioner, Prochaska has authored peer-reviewed articles on community development financial institutions, community land trusts, land banking, urban environmental equity and multifamily housing underwriting. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Chicago and both an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Regional Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with a specialized focus on affordable housing development finance.

Karen Miller is the CEO of the Tallahassee Lenders’ Consortium, Inc who has been helping community members navigate through financial hardships and into successful homeownership since 1993.