NALHFA 2026 Speakers

Additional speaker information will be added to this page on a rolling basis.

Keynote Speaker: Jessica Taylor
Senate and Governors Editor, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter

Jessica Taylor is the Senate and Governors Editor for The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, where she provides analysis of presidential, U.S. Senate, House and gubernatorial races. In her presentations, Taylor draws on years of experience covering elections and breaking news to examine the key dynamics, current events, polling numbers and political trends shaping the national landscape.

Before joining Cook, Taylor was a political reporter for National Public Radio, covering elections and breaking news from the White House to Congress and statewide races. She previously worked with The Rothenberg Political Report, NBC News Political Unit, National Journal, Politico and The Hill, and has appeared on MSNBC, Fox News, C-SPAN and CNN. A Tennessee native, Taylor graduated magna cum laude from Furman University with a B.A. in political science.

Josh Brandwein
Director of Government Affairs, NALHFA

As the Director of Government Affairs for NALHFA, Josh manages the association’s legislative and regulatory portfolios. Over the course of his career, Josh has had the opportunity to work in the policy sectors of housing, community development, tax, education and broadband. Josh looks forward to engaging with NALHFA members on providing viewpoints of HFA advocacy at the federal level. Josh holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Old Dominion University and spent his upbringing in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, and Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Alía Fierro
Senior Policy Advisor for Housing, Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee

Alía Fierro is a national housing expert with over seven years of experience on Capitol Hill where she ushered in the most consequential housing laws in over 30 years, including the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, and pandemic housing relief through the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act. She currently serves as Senior Policy Advisor for Housing on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee under Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren.

Previously, she served as Director of Housing and Insurance Policy on the House Financial Services Committee under Congresswoman Maxine Waters and as Associate Director of Policy at the National Fair Housing Alliance. Alía began her career in D.C. as a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Graduate Fellow at HUD and has also worked on economic development issues in México and Brazil with a focus on housing and land rights.

Originally from Illinois, she holds a Master of City and Regional Planning from Cornell University and a B.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Jessie Handforth Kome
Director, CohnReznick Advisory LLC

Based in the Washington, D.C. area, Jessie Handforth Kome leverages her nearly four decades of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) leadership experience in community development, neighborhood stabilization, disaster recovery and program innovation to advise government and public sector clients on strategic initiatives.

Mike Kingsella
Founder & CEO, Up for Growth

Mike Kingsella is Founder & CEO of Up for Growth, a national policy association dedicated to solving America's housing shortage through cross-sector partnerships, evidence-based policy and effective federal advocacy. With two decades of experience bridging housing policy, community development and real estate investment, Mike founded Up for Growth driven by the belief that abundant housing is key to enabling every person and community to realize their full potential.

As a policy leader, Mike has shaped national housing policy, crafting bipartisan legislation including the Yes In My Backyard (YIMBY) Act, Housing Supply and Affordability Act and Build More Housing Near Transit Act. His leadership secured $235 million in PRO Housing Grants for local zoning reform, unlocked transit-oriented federal land for affordable housing and established the bipartisan Congressional YIMBY Caucus. Mike regularly speaks at industry forums and has been featured in publications including AFIRE Summit, Economic Development Journal and Urban Land.

Alex Lawson
Chief Executive Officer, Jackson Redevelopment Authority

Alex Lawson is the Chief Executive Officer of the Jackson Redevelopment Authority, where he is leading the transformation of one of Mississippi’s oldest public redevelopment agencies. His work focuses on reducing barriers to investment, using public assets strategically and building partnerships that strengthen neighborhoods, expand homeownership and create lasting economic opportunity throughout Jackson.

Before joining the Authority, Lawson spent nearly a decade with HOPE, one of the nation’s leading community development financial institutions, serving in several executive leadership roles, including Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives. He helped lead enterprise strategy, organizational transformation and major investment initiatives that deployed more than $1.3 billion for housing, small businesses, historically Black colleges and universities, infrastructure and economic development across the Deep South.

Lawson previously served as Chairman of the Jackson Redevelopment Authority’s Board of Commissioners before becoming its inaugural Chief Executive Officer. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Master of Business Administration from Millsaps College and has completed executive studies in private equity through the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Geoffrey Magon
Director, CohnReznick Advisory LLC

With over 15 years of experience, Geoffrey Magon is a seasoned leader in program and project management, specializing in grant administration and regulatory compliance. He has worked across housing, community and economic development, and infrastructure programs, managing initiatives funded by EPA, FEMA, HUD and the U.S. Treasury.

Danushka Nanayakkara-Skillington
Assistant Vice President, Forecasting & Analysis, National Association of Home Builders

Danushka Nanayakkara-Skillington is the Assistant Vice President for Forecasting and Analysis at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). In this role, she leads the Forecasting & Analysis section within NAHB’s Economics group, overseeing areas such as housing market analysis, industry surveys, and the development and maintenance of national, regional and long-term forecasts, including remodeling expenditures.

Danushka serves as a member of the Joint Advisory Board of Economists for the Commonwealth of Virginia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration from Otterbein University and a master’s degree in applied economics from Johns Hopkins University.

Jonathan Paine
Executive Director, NALHFA

Becoming Executive Director of NALHFA in 2017, Jonathan Paine is an experienced association leader with a proven track record of advancing missions and driving impact across multiple industries. Jonathan brings more than 20 years of expertise in association management, guiding organizations through strategic growth, member engagement and evolving regulatory, legislative and business landscapes.

Jared Sutton
Deputy Policy Director for Housing, Insurance and Transit, Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee (Majority)

Jared Sutton is the Deputy Policy Director for Housing, Insurance and Transit for the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Majority, where he leads the Committee's portfolio and professional staff on these issues. Prior to joining the committee in June 2025, Jared spent two and a half years with the House Appropriations Transportation-HUD Majority Subcommittee, where he managed a $45 billion portfolio.

Jared began his career in Washington at a boutique government relations firm and got his start in public service at the New Jersey State Senate Republican Office. Jared is a native of Hollywood, Florida, a graduate of Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, and lives with his wife in Northeast Washington, D.C.