About Us
Mission | Committees | Board | Staff

Mission

The Community Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM) promotes rebuilding neighborhoods and revitalizing communities throughout Michigan.

CEDAM is a nonprofit tax-exempt organization established in 1998. It is a voluntary association of community development corporations (CDCs), individuals, and other organizations interested in promoting and expanding community-based housing and economic development across the state of Michigan.

CEDAM advances community economic development by:

Who is a CEDAM member? CEDAM's membership is comprised of Community Development Corporations (CDCs), Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs), Financial Institutions, City Governments, State Agencies, Consultants, National Intermediaries, Community Action Agencies, and various Habitat for Humanity affiliates around the state. All of these organizations come together through CEDAM's membership programming to examine and learn about the topics important to our industry, which is made possible through our committee structure.

Public Policy Committee
As the statewide trade association for community and economic development interests, one of CEDAM's primary functions is to advocate for policies and practices that will enable CDCs to be successful in revitalizing and rebuilding their neighborhoods and communities. To fulfill its role as an advocate for community and economic development, CEDAM actively tracks legislation at the state, federal, and in certain cases, local levels that have the potential to impact the work of Michigan's CDCs. Some of the current legislation tracked by CEDAM includes:

• Michigan Affordable Housing Fund--our #1 State legislative priority! (HB 4682-4684)
• Land Banking (HB 5450)
• Predatory Lending (HB 6121)
• Brownfield Redevelopment Financing Act (HB 4698)
• Community Economic Development Expertise Enhancement Act--our #1 Federal legislative priority (H.R. 3974)
• National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act (S. 1248)

CEDAM also works closely with legislatures and state agencies to create legislation and programming. As a result, CEDAM was active in the passage of Spot-Blight Condemnation (Public Act 27 of 2002) and the 2002 adoption of the new Rehabilitation Sub-Code of the Michigan Building Code.

Priority for legislation tracked by CEDAM is determined by the Public Policy Committee. Policies and legislation are discussed by the Committee with the best interest of the membership as a whole in mind. Once a bill is given priority, it is tracked accordingly. As changes in the status of a bill occur legislative alerts are sent to members. In certain instances, members may be asked to contact their state or federal legislators via email, letter, and/or phone call to ask for their respective legislator to support or to oppose a piece of legislation.

Membership Services Committee
Organizations that join voluntary membership associations are entitled to exclusive benefits as an incentive for their membership. CEDAM's approach to fulfilling this obligation to its membership is twofold. First, we strive to develop products and services that meet the unique needs of CDCs. An example of such a service is CEDAM's partnership with Mazonson Insurance. Through this partnership Mazonson provides low-cost insurance services to CEDAM members. As a result, CEDAM members who have gone through Mazonson have reported a savings of up to 30 percent on their insurance costs.

Second, the networking opportunities provided by CEDAM are invaluable. As we unite partners to rebuild our communities, CEDAM is constantly building partnerships with agencies and organizations that have the potential to significantly affect the work of our membership. The Michigan State Housing Development Authority, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis, State Historic Preservation Office, and the Michigan Downtown and Finance Association are just a few of the many organizations with which CEDAM has established working relationships. It is also important to note that CEDAM is currently negotiating with the National Congress for Community Economic Development (NCCED) to offer joint membership discounts for interested organizations.

Training and Technical Assistance Committee
Increasing the capacity of community development practitoners and organizations is a key component for the continued success of Michigan's CDCs. Realizing the value and importance of training and technical assistance in increasing the capacity of CDCs, CEDAM formed a partnership with HUD, MSHDA, and the Development Training Institute (DTI) to provide its membership with three levels of high-quality real estate development courses. Project Development Introduction (PDI), Project Development Program (PDP), and Advanced Project Development Program (APDP) classes are offered to members so that they are kept abreast of current industry trends and best practices as it relates to building affordable housing.

When asked about their experiences in CEDAM sponsored training courses, here is what participants have to say:

"The training I have received thus far has been the most informative housing training I have yet to receive in the 20 years I have been involved in housing."

"I am really enjoying this training! I am learning a new 'mindset' on ways to finance projects in addition to the nuts and bolts of financing. There have been many helpful ideas and tips for management of staff, boards, etc. I leave each session excited!

"CEDAM has done an excellent job providing an outstanding project development training. Through CEDAM and this training I am being provided with the necessary knowledge and resources to become a leader in community development."

"The Project Development Program training has been wonderful! I can't put a price tag on its value."

CEDAM also partners with the Michigan Housing Trust Fund (MHTF) to bring an Introduction to Housing Development (IHD) course to those new to the community development field. Keeping up with the ever changing landscape of the community development field, CEDAM works with members of the Democratic Urban Caucus to educate faith-based organizations around the State on the nuts and bolts of community development and affordable housing. The faith-based curriculum was developed with assistance from Michigan State University's Center on Urban Affairs under a financial grant from the FMF.

In addition to these partnerships and course offerings, CEDAM is a key member of the Michigan Training and Technical Assistance Collaborative (MITTAC). MITTAC is comprised of various organizations around the state including CEDAM, MSHDA, LISC, and MHTF. Through the website www.mittac.org, the Collaborative strives to provide the community development industry as a whole with a comprehensive training and technical assistance calendar inclusive of all trainings around the state. For more information on MITTAC or any other CEDAM sponsored training, please email us at: staff@cedam.info

Economic Development Committee
Understanding that community development entails more than affordable housing, CEDAM formed the Economic Development Committee in 1999 to address the needs of those professionals involved in commercial and real estate development. Although this is our newest committee, it has recently become our most active.

Previously, CEDAM worked along side MSHDA, SHPO, and MEDC to create the Statewide Main Street Program and Support Center. CEDAM is also held a New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Summit in the spring of 2003 that lead to the submission of multiple NMTC applications. CEDAM is also currently working with Michigan micro enterprise practitioners in forming a statewide association to meet their training and technical assistance needs.

Board Officers

Don Jones, President
Executive Director, Venture, Inc., Pontiac

Nina Rodriguez, Vice President
Director of Single Family Development, Southwest Solutions Housing Corporation, Detroit

James L. Logue, III, Treasurer
Regional President, Great Lakes Capital Fund, Lansing

Marsha Kreucher, Secretary
Executive Director, Community Action Agency of JLH, Jackson

Board Members

Kristin Brady
Community Services Director, Northwest Michigan Human Services Agency, Traverse City

Eric Dueweke
Community Partnerships Manager, University of Michigan Taubman School of Architecture, Ann Arbor

Tom Edmiston
Regional President, Great Lakes Capital Fund, Lansing

Marjorie Green
Community Investment Relationship Manager, Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis, Okemos

Tim Hardesty
Community Development Director, Human Development Commission, Caro

Raymond Hatter
Executive Director, Salem Housing Task Force, Flint

Tim Lemanski
Executive Director, Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services, Kalamazoo

Patrick Lonergan
Vice President and Community Affairs Manager, Fifth Third Bank, Grand Rapids

Donna Murray
President, Rebuilding Together, Detroit

Arthur Potter
Consultant, Lansing

Joe Priante
Housing Director, Alger-Marquette Community Action Board, Marquette

Gail Ross
Executive Director, Hancock Housing Founcation, Hancock

Linda Smith
Executive Director, U SNAP BAC, Detroit

Dennis Sturtevant
Executive Director, Dwelling Place, Grand Rapids

Peggy Vaughn-Payne
Executive Director, Northwest Initiative, Lansing

Tahirih Ziegler
Executive Director, Michigan LISC, Kalamazoo

Staff

Emily Doerr,
Program Manager

Angie Gaabo,
Executive Director

Katie Johnson,
Policy Intern

Brian McGrain,
Chief Operating Officer

Alicia Quintero,
Policy Analyst

Ross Yednock,
Director, Asset Building Policy Project

CEDAM
1000 South Washington Avenue, Suite 101
Lansing, MI 48910-1647
Phone: (517) 485-3588
Fax: (517) 485-3043
Email: staff@cedam.info

© 2008 CEDAM. All Rights Reserved