Meet the Speakers

David Bowers is vice president and market leader for the Mid-Atlantic and senior advisor, Enterprise Faith-Based Development Initiative^SM at Enterprise Community Partners. David’s work includes facilitating affordable housing and community development transactions, and policy implementation in collaboration with public and private sector stakeholders in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas. David leads a team that provides access to financing, capacity building and technical assistance to local developers, and participates with local coalitions advocating for increased resources for affordable housing and community development.

Throughout David’s tenure, his team co-initiated and co-convened the Housing Leaders Group of Greater Washington, lead the Purple Line Corridor Coalition, initiated several efforts including the Enterprise Faith-Based Development Initiative^SM, as well as a transit-oriented preservation and resident displacement prevention initiative (GreenPATH), and the D.C. Green Communities Initiative.

Prior to joining Enterprise, David was a program manager for a single-family housing program at the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust. Before joining the trust, David was a financial and programs advisor at the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund. Before that, he worked in the office of U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski, at the time the ranking member of the Senate VA-HUD Appropriations Committee.

David earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and his Master of Divinity degree from Howard University. He is an ordained minister and the founder of the all-volunteer NO MURDERS DC movement, launched in 2000.

At the helm of HUD's Office of Housing Counseling, David’s tenure as Deputy Assistant Secretary has been defined by a steadfast commitment to ensuring that American families are equipped with the necessary knowledge to secure and maintain their homes. The Office of Housing Counseling’s mission is to ensure that families have the knowledge they need to obtain, sustain and retain their housing via HUD's network of over 1,550 housing counseling agencies and their certified housing counselors. David’s expertise in fair lending laws, coupled with a strong foundation in mortgages, real estate and appraisal, has been instrumental in empowering over a million consumers annually.

Leading with over three decades of experience in the housing sector, David has made significant strides in promoting fair, affordable, and sustainable housing. He has fostered a vibrant marketplace that values counseling & homeownership education, ensuring that every neighborhood is a beacon of opportunity. Through collaboration with stakeholders and partners, David is dedicated to the mission of turning the American dream of homeownership into a tangible reality for all.

A tenacious fighter for families, communities, and health equity, is the first African American woman to serve as the Mayor of Alexandria. She was elected in 2024 and is dedicated to building a healthier, more prosperous Alexandria for all. 

The same issues that motivate Alyia as an elected official—health, housing, education, public safety, and the economic, social, and physical vitality of cities—have motivated her professional career as a public health strategist and city planner. She has worked on hunger policy at D.C. Hunger Solutions and health issues at the National League of Cities, managed an affordable housing investment program at the Center for Community Investment, and was most recently a Senior Program Officer at the Melville Charitable Trust, a national philanthropic organization devoted to ending homelessness.

Currently, Alyia runs her own consulting business, CitiesRX, which focuses on building physical, social, and economic health through community partnerships. Alyia graduated from Vanderbilt University, where she majored in medicine, health, and society.

She earned a master’s degree in public health at the University of Pittsburgh and further honed her policy chops with a master’s in urban planning at Georgetown and a Professional Certificate in Municipal Finance from the University of Chicago.

John is the Executive Vice President of Global Network Advancement and Operations at United Way Worldwide (UWW), integrating decades of nonprofit leadership experience to guide U.S. and International Network teams in implementing strategies, tools, and resources to support local United Ways. In collaboration with the senior leadership team, John’s focus is driving outcomes for Network Resilience, Community Impact Solutions, Strategic Insights and Operations, and international work streams.

Before joining UWW, John served as the Chief Operating Officer at Results for Development, where he was instrumental in helping this international nonprofit work across sectors to create strong systems that support healthy, educated people. Before that, John worked at Save the Children U.S., a nonprofit championing children’s rights in 100 countries, and held multiple roles, including Associate Vice President for U.S. Programs, Head of Strategy & Planning, and Senior Director of Global Sponsorship Operations.

John earned his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree from Lesley University.

Sandra L. Thompson is a seasoned government official and housing finance regulator with a long career in federal financial oversight and policy. She served as Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) from June 22, 2022, to January 20, 2025, after having been appointed Acting Director in June 2021. As FHFA Director, she led the agency responsible for overseeing the secondary mortgage market, including supervision of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Bank System.
Prior to becoming Director, Thompson was Deputy Director of the Division of Housing Mission and Goals at FHFA, where since 2013 she oversaw housing regulatory policy, capital policy, financial analysis, fair lending, and mission activities for the GSEs and Federal Home Loan Banks. Before joining FHFA, she had a distinguished 23-plus-year career at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), most recently as Director of the Division of Risk Management Supervision, leading bank examination, risk management, and consumer protection programs.
Thompson’s leadership at FHFA was historic: she became the first Black woman to lead the agency.

Bishop Claude Alexander has dedicated over four decades to Christian ministry and community leadership. After accepting his call to ministry at age 17, he completed a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Morehouse College (1985), a Master of Divinity from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (1988), and a Doctor of Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (2004).
For nearly 30+ years, Bishop Alexander has served as Senior Pastor of The Park Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, transforming it from a single local congregation of around 600 members into a global ministry with thousands of followers and multiple locations with international outreach. Under his leadership, the church also developed The Park Expo and Conference Center and the Park International Trade Hub, serving as centers for community engagement, economic development, and leadership enrichment.

Bishop Alexander is widely recognized as a civic and community leader in Charlotte and beyond. He has partnered with government and civic officials on critical local issues and served on boards such as Charlotte Center City Partners, United Way, Arts & Science Council, NAACP Educational Committee, and Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts & Culture. He currently holds leadership roles with organizations like Christianity Today, Mission America Coalition, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, and Wycliffe Bible Translators USA.

David Wilts is a leading expert in innovative real estate development, advising cities, institutions, and organizations on how to design future-enabled developments which leverage technology, data, and global best practices. His work integrates urban planning, data-driven development, sustainability, and long-range strategic thinking. He is widely recognized for bringing clarity, structure, and innovation to complex planning environments and helping organizations to build regardless of traditional market barriers.

Deloris Thomas brings extensive experience in community-forward programming, organizational leadership, and multi-stakeholder engagement. Her work strengthens families, supports equitable development, and advances mission-based initiatives across communities.

Valerie A. Mosley is a seasoned financial executive, entrepreneur, and thought leader with more than three decades of experience in investment management, strategy, and financial wellness innovation. She is the founder and CEO of BrightUp, a financial wellness and fintech platform committed to helping individuals build wealth, improve well-being, and make informed financial decisions. Prior to founding BrightUp, Mosley spent over 20 years at Wellington Management, a global investment firm, where she served as Senior Vice President, Partner, Portfolio Manager, and Investment Strategist — managing billions in assets and leading strategic initiatives that navigated major market shifts. She has also held leadership roles at PG Corbin Asset Management and in institutional sales at Kidder Peabody.

Bill Bergiadis is founder and CEO of The Walls of Troy, makers of a panelized housing construction system for extremely resilient, more affordable homes.

Soon after college, Bill began his career in construction under the tutelage of legendary real-estate developer William Tishman, spearheading residential projects in the glamorous Hollywood Hills. A foray into design of theater acoustics lead Bill into decades of acoustic work constructing soundstages and numerous public safety projects.

It was on a trip to Europe that Bill discovered the sturdy wood-wool/Portland cement acoustic panels he was importing were used there (in thicker iterations) as primary construction elements. Now, for the first time in North America, Bill is manufacturing these panels at his Brunswick, GA facility.

Using ingenious Structulink technology to connect these panels, the first showcase home is currently under construction in Muskogee, Oklahoma—the heart of tornado country.

Bill resides in Jacksonville, Florida with his wife, Lori, and with their three adult children living nearby.

As President and CEO, Ms. Romero provides executive direction for True Ground Housing Partners. She oversaw the creation of True Ground’s current strategic plan for 2023 to 2027 and is responsible for its implementation.

Ms. Romero supervised the organization’s strategic rebranding initiative in 2024, highlighting its evolution into a regional provider of affordable housing and resident services. She has also prioritized capacity building to match real estate portfolio growth. True Ground’s portfolio includes over $1 billion in assets and 25 affordable apartment communities in five jurisdictions across the DC region totaling 3,200+ apartments.

True Ground provides housing for over 6,000 individuals and families. Recent real estate milestones include the delivery of Wholey Legacy Homes (Arlington, VA), Riggs Crossing Senior Residences (Washington, DC), and Ilda’s Overlook Senior Residences (Fairfax, VA). Ms. Romero also oversees three high-impact projects under construction: The Sweeney (formerly Crystal House), which will create 432 apartments in Arlington and The Exchange at Spring Hill Station, which will create 516 apartments in Tysons Corner, in addition to The Linden Senior Residences, True Ground’s fourth age-restricted community for older adults and second in Loudoun County.

True Ground’s pipeline includes an additional 1,800+ units in predevelopment across the DC region. Under Ms. Romero’s leadership, True Ground has received prestigious awards for its innovative contributions to affordable housing, including Affordable Housing Finance’s ranking of the Top 50 Affordable Developers of 2023, and the best-in- class credential for its resident services program, The Certified Organization for Resident Engagement and Services (CORES).

She has supervised award-winning developments with creative models that can be replicated across the nation including Lucille & Bruce Terwilliger Place, in partnership with American Legion Post 139, and Unity Homes at Ballston, a mixed-use project created through a partnership with Central United Methodist Church. Before she became CEO, Ms. Romero led True Ground’s Real Estate Development team for a decade. Under her management, True Ground created and preserved more than 1,800 new affordable housing units in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Montgomery counties.

Marcus T. Coleman Jr. has a wealth of experience in establishing public-private partnerships with faith-based and non-profit organizations, focusing on promoting community resilience and addressing the climate crisis. He is leading efforts at United Way Worldwide as the Vice President for Community Resilience Strategy. In this role, he is instrumental in helping the United Way Network and community partners to effectively coordinate and implement local solutions that promote Community Resiliency. His experience includes ten years of public service at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, most recently as the Director of the Department of Homeland Security Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Here, he led a team that supported over 50+ disaster activations and special missions, such as hurricanes, humanitarian responses, and national outreach efforts following active-shooter and other human-caused incidents.

Since joining United Way in 2024, Marcus has helped lead the network's response to several major incidents, including Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton, the Los Angeles Wildfires, the 2025 Spring Severe Weather Impacts across the Central U.S., the Floods in Central Texas, and Hurricane Melissa. Marcus’ contributions at United Way have been featured in the Disaster Podcast, Fox Weather and the Crisis Response Journal. Marcus is an alum of Howard University, American University, Harvard University National Preparedness Leadership Initiative, and the FEMA Vanguard Executive Crisis Leaders Fellowship. His commitment to diversity and inclusion is evident in his active engagement in several organizations focused on advancing inclusive national security and foreign policy solutions outside of his professional role.

Curtis H. Johnson, Jr., is a nationally respected affordable housing leader whose 35-year career has been guided by a simple belief: every person deserves a safe and dignified place to call home. Across faith-based nonprofits, housing authorities, and state and local government, he has championed this mission with unwavering commitment—helping to develop and preserve more than 1,000 high-quality, award-winning homes that strengthen families and transform communities.

As Vice President of Housing Strategy at Catholic Charities USA, Johnson leads national efforts to spark bold, innovative, and justice-driven solutions to the affordable housing crisis. He is at the forefront of reimagining how church properties can be repurposed to serve the common good, turning underutilized land and buildings into vibrant, mission-aligned communities. His work bridges sectors and brings people together, cultivating partnerships with health systems, businesses, service providers, and faith communities to accelerate progress and expand opportunity.

Johnson also champions practical, immediate-impact initiatives that keep families housed today: landlord recruitment, housing counseling, eviction-prevention programs, and emergency financial assistance efforts that offer stability, dignity, and hope.

Before joining Catholic Charities USA, Johnson spent 16 years with the Diocese of Camden, NJ. There, he led the development of 425 new affordable homes and the rehabilitation of 350 units for seniors and families, work that continues to change lives throughout southern New Jersey.

With graduate and undergraduate degrees from the University of Delaware and Tufts University, Johnson brings both deep expertise and a profound sense of purpose to every role. His career reflects a steadfast commitment to ensuring that every community, large or small, urban, or rural, has access to the foundation on which all other opportunities are built: a home.

Judith Cabelli is a passionate leader committed to advancing housing affordability, social justice and racial equity. She is motivated by fairness and equity for all and the belief that access to food, housing and health care are human rights. She currently serves as the Vice President of Real Estate Development for Wesley Housing where she is responsible for comprehensive outreach to generate new development opportunities for Wesley Housing, including acquisition, renovation, and land development for new construction of affordable residential housing. She guides the Real Estate Development Department operations and leads the team of real estate development project managers and associates.

Prior to this position she served as the Director of Real Estate Development at Wesley Housing and the Director of the Affordable Housing Development Division of the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development, where she worked to support the County’s goals to preserve, expand and facilitate affordable housing opportunities for two years. She was trained and served as an Equity Ambassador for the Department as part of the One Fairfax Racial and Social Equity policy and County initiative. Before her role with the County, she worked for Wesley Housing for ten years where her last position was Senior Real Estate Development Project Manager. In that role she handled day-to-day project management and project team leadership for affordable housing new construction and preservation real estate development projects throughout the region. Before joining the Wesley Housing team, Ms. Cabelli served as the Associate Development Project Manager/Relocation Specialist for The Community Builders in Washington, DC. Additionally, she served as a Capital City Fellow with the DC Department of Housing and Community Development. 

Ms. Cabelli earned the National Development Council’s Housing Development Finance Professional certification and attended the International Right of Way Association’s 501 Residential Relocation Assistance training course. She has participated in numerous racial equity training opportunities including Act for Alexandria’s Racial Equity Learning Lab facilitated by Service Never Sleeps. Ms. Cabelli holds a Master of Public Administration with a Concentration in Nonprofit Management from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice with a minor in Spanish from the University of Maryland.

Juliana Araujo is a strategic, purpose-driven leader with more than 30 years of experience across the financial services, telecommunications, technology, nonprofit, and international development sectors. She brings deep expertise in strategic marketing and communications, organizational growth, financial inclusion, and cross-sector collaboration. Juliana currently serves as President of the International Institute for Business Information and Growth (iiBIG).

Her career spans executive and senior leadership roles in Brazil, Argentina, and the United States, complemented by extensive international development experience overseeing U.S. Government–funded projects throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. In these roles, she worked closely with public-sector partners, multilateral institutions, and local and U.S. stakeholders to advance higher education, institutional capacity building, and inclusive economic growth initiatives.

Juliana’s corporate background includes senior leadership positions, driving multi-million-dollar marketing campaigns, and fostering product innovation and program development in higher education, workforce development, and financial inclusion. She has a longstanding commitment to financial literacy and financial inclusion and earned a certificate from the Harvard Kennedy School focused on advancing inclusive economic and financial systems. This work aligns with her broader leadership in education finance and public-private collaboration.

In addition to her professional roles, Juliana serves on the City of Alexandria, Virginia’s Commission on Employment, where she contributes to workforce development strategies and promotes inclusive economic growth at the local level.

Fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, and English, Juliana holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, an MBA, a Master’s in Education, and a Master’s in Science and Technology Policy. She has collaborated on research projects with the University of Georgia, Arizona State University, the Federal University of São Carlos (Brazil), and the State University of Campinas (Brazil).

Dr. Arthur Wayne Johnson is a public servant, accomplished entrepreneur, U.S. Army veteran, and lifelong Georgia native with extensive experience as a senior executive, CEO, and business founder across consumer finance, customer service, and community-focused enterprises. From 2017 to 2019, he served in senior leadership at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid, helping lead the nation’s largest student aid organization and expand access to affordable higher education for millions of Americans.

Inspired by the lifelong service and housing advocacy of Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter, Dr. Johnson founded Presidential Cottage Homes to address the growing need for quality, affordable housing grounded in dignity, stewardship, and community. The initiative reflects his belief that housing is foundational to economic mobility and community well-being.

Today, Dr. Johnson advances a national vision for housing innovation through partnerships with public agencies, impact investors, municipalities, and faith-based organizations, which he views as essential anchors for neighborhood revitalization and long-term opportunity. He holds a PhD from Mercer University, an MBA from Emory University, and a BA from Mercer University.

Is a nextgen entrepreneur advancing innovation in education, healthcare, and housing. She is the Founder of the Pay Your Tuition Foundation, a DC-based 501(c)3, and a first-of-its-kind FinTech platform helping students crowdfund tuition, access philanthropic aid, and reduce debt through alternative data.

A Halcyon Fellow and New York City FinTech Innovation Lab winner, her work disrupts traditional finance models with tech-driven, community-powered solutions. Stacie's career spans over two decades in finance, including roles at HSBC, U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, and Freddie Mac, where she led equitable housing and innovation strategy. She also served as an Innovation Lead at the U.S. Department of Education, driving public-sector solutions for deserving students and families.

An Army veteran, TEDx speaker, and recipient of honors from President G.W. Bush Points of Light, Bertelsmann Foundation, and M.L.K. Drum Major Award, Stacie holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Longwood University and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., continuing her legacy of service and leadership. Her current interests include projects in health tech, community infrastructure, and sports and entertainment technology. Stacie enjoys spending time with family, sleeping when she can, and beating her friends and family at the card game, UNO.

Eugene H. Dibble IV (Gene) is the driving force behind the Faith Opportunity Zone Initiative (FOZI), which aims to mobilize catalytic capital to empower faith-based organizations to become community developers. His leadership in this initiative reflects his commitment to unlocking new models for economic mobility, community revitalization, and social impact through strategic partnerships and innovative solutions.

Gene is also an accomplished entrepreneur and strategic advisor with extensive experience in impact investing and digital transformation. As Founder and Chief Impact Officer of Uncommon Impact Studio, he leads a strategy and investment firm that leverages innovation for societal impact across financial services, housing, education, agriculture, and clean energy sectors. His expertise in digital transformation and sustainable growth has made him a valued partner to entrepreneurs and organizations driving transformative change. As a partner at View Park Capital, Gene specializes in investment opportunities in sports and entertainment, while his board position at Thread Bank, a fast-growing, technology-enabled community bank, demonstrates his commitment to innovative financial solutions.

His career encompasses both entrepreneurial initiatives and executive leadership roles in public and private organizations, with a particular focus on empowering entrepreneurs of color and women-led businesses.

A Duke University graduate, Gene’s strategic approach to finding the intersection of community and commerce has established him as a leading voice in impact investing and sustainable business development.