HLD 2020 Panelists Yes in God’s Backyard

Workshop Summary

Discussion of the different opportunities and challenges that come with trying to build housing on church properties. Attendees will learn about the range of housing opportunities, process of getting started,  and opportunities for wider advocacy.

Panelists

Yes in God’s Backyard – Challenges and Opportunities in building housing in partnership with the faith community

Andrea Osgood
Landis Graden
Pastor Jake Medcalf
Cheryl O’Connor
John Tastor

Andrea Osgood is the Director of Real Estate Development at Eden Housing, Inc. She joined the Eden Housing Development team in 2008 and leads Eden’s new construction and acquisition efforts. Since joining Eden, Ms. Osgood has developed over 1,000 new units and overseen the acquisition of over 1,500 existing units in six California counties – from Sonoma to San Diego County. Before her career in affordable housing, Ms. Osgood worked as a construction management consultant for Capital Projects of UC Berkeley and was involved in nearly every phase of large rehab and new construction projects – from planning and development through funding and construction.  She also gained experience in construction litigation and public contracting as a lead paralegal in the construction group of the San Francisco law firm, Hanson Bridgett Marcus Vlahos & Rudy. Andrea has served on the Board of Directors of the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County since 2013 and currently serves as Board President.

Landis Graden is President, CEO and Founder of DCG Strategies, Inc. A registered and certified Benefit Corporation, DCG is an alternative to conventional real estate firms with a core belief that the company is not separate from the community, but rather an integral partner. DCG specializes in working with public-school districts and education institutions seeking to maximize the use and/or value of their real estate assets by helping them develop, sell, buy, lease and repurpose real estate. Landis is also a serial entrepreneur having founded over 10 companies. Most recently, he is the Co-founder of a technology start-up company as well as a Co-founder and Board Member of United Tech Cities, a non-profit organization focused on preparing underrepresented youth and young adults for fulfilling careers in STEAM fields. Landis is an engaged and active member of his local community. He received a BS from University of San Francisco, an MBA from Holy Names University and is currently pursuing a Master’s of Divinity from Claremont School of Theology.

Jake Medcalf is the Lead Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Hayward. Since being installed in 2014, he has led the transition from a declining mainline denominational church to a thriving multi-cultural missional body that has been transforming the community through social justice and agape love. Since then, the church has built 6 tiny homes as transitional housing for the homeless, formed Firm Foundation Community Housing that is focused on ending involuntary homelessness in the Bay Area, resuscitated a dying food pantry which now serves over 1,000 people a week, as well as worked tirelessly with Alameda County to host two winter shelters and resource centers. Jake and his wife Joan have been married for 21 years and have four children, two of whom are adopted through San Diego County. In Jake’s spare time he enjoys golf, coaching his kids’ basketball teams, and mountain biking.

After serving on the Board of Directors of HomeAid Northern California for over 4 years, Cheryl O’Connor stepped into the leadership role as Executive Director of HomeAid Northern California in 2011. O’Connor served as CEO of the Building Industry Association during the height of the economic recession from 2009 to 2011, successfully reducing organizational costs and redirecting its focus to political advocacy. O’Connor has held senior-level management positions with Summerhill Homes, Warmington Homes, Taylor Woodrow, Ponderosa Homes and The O’Brien Group. O’Connor is the recipient of the BIA Bay Area Lifetime Legend Award and Chairman’s Award and was inducted into the California Homebuilding Foundation Hall of Fame in 2016. She also serves on several Boards including Building Industry Association Bay Area, HomeAid America and Eden Housing. Cheryl believes in housing as a human right with a goal of providing housing for all.

John Tastor is a member of the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County’s board of directors and is a resident and homeowner in the City of San Mateo. He is a member of First Presbyterian Church of San Mateo, where he is an elder, currently serving as chair of the Finance Team and is leading a group exploring the development of affordable housing on the church campus. He is a professional insurance broker with Arthur J Gallagher & Co, with over forty years’ experience providing insurance and risk management services to the multifamily housing industry, with a focus on affordable housing providers. Active in the Bay Area affordable housing community, he is also a long-time volunteer with Habitat for Humanity locally, nationally and internationally, having worked in Canada, Haiti and Vietnam, as well as a number of locations in the United States as part of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work project.

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