Location: Blau Colloquium, Ross School of Business
About the talk:
The Weiser Center for Real Estate Speaker Series brings together innovative thought leaders across the industry to share their knowledge with our community.
Wendy Carty-Saxon, Director of Real Estate Development at Avalon Housing, and Matt Grocoff, Principal at THRIVE Collaborative, will engage in a moderated discussion about Veridian at County Farm, a new paradigm for community building and design. Join us for an honest discussion about the importance of collaboration in order to meet the unique challenges related to affordable and sustainable development.
About Wendy:
Wendy is Avalon's Director of Real Estate Development. She has been with Avalon since 1998, starting as Asset Manager, and has been responsible for Avalon's real estate development activities since 2005. Wendy has closed on numerous new acquisition projects, resulting in 209 affordable and supportive housing units, and preserved many others through rehab and refinance. Wendy has secured development financing from private and public sources including low-income housing tax credits, HUD HOME, CDBG and Neighborhood Stabilization Program, MSHDA, and private financing. She also has worked closely on many projects with local funders including the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development, the City of Ann Arbor, and the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority. Wendy has a Master of Urban Planning degree from the University of Michigan, focusing on Housing and Community Development.
About Matt:
Matt is the founder of the THRIVE Collaborative and is considered one of the world’s net zero energy building leaders. Green Building Elements magazine called him the “proven Zero Energy Master” and MyFord Magazine one of “Greater Detroit’s most progressive personalities.” With the Biomimicry Institute, he’s worked with Ford Motor Company, Procter & Gamble, and Bosch to instill cultures of biologically-inspired design and engineering. He was an adviser to the University of Michigan College of Engineering, BLUElab. His 1901-built Ann Arbor home was the world’s first home in a cold climate to achieve Net Zero Energy Certification. Matt is an internationally sought-after keynote speaker, a frequent source for journalists, and a leading advocate on the topic of regenerative systems design and systemic solutions for tackling climate crisis.
Host:
This event is hosted by the Weiser Center for Real Estate and will be moderated by Marc Norman, Faculty Director of the Weiser Center for Real Estate and Associate Professor of Practice in Urban Planning.
Free, registration required.
COVID-19 Protocol: Before entering any University of Michigan building, all visitors will need to complete a preliminary health screening via the guest version of ResponsiBLUE. Guests can access ResponsiBLUE through the accessible, mobile-friendly website. Masks are required in all U-M buildings.
