National Healthy Homes Conference Announces Keynote Speakers

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2014 –  U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan will keynote the 2014 National Healthy Homes Conference in Nashville May 28 through 30. Secretary Donovan is joined by former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, Rebuilding Together President and CEO Charley Shimanski, and HGTV’s Jack Thomasson as plenary speakers in Nashville.

Secretary Donovan will address the evidence linking health and housing while Cisneros will share his experience and expertise on cost effective solutions to aging in place. Thomasson, who planned and designed HGTV’s Smart Home, will speak about state of the art design and energy efficient construction.

“It is clear that unhealthy and unsafe housing has a negative impact on the wellbeing of millions of Americans—a primary reason why we must strive to ensure that individuals and families have a healthy place to call home,” said Secretary Donovan. “Quality homes lead to healthier families and communities and we have a collective responsibility to work together on ways to provide them.”

The conference, titled Leading the Nation to Healthy Homes, Families and Communities, is co-hosted by Rebuilding Together and HUD and will bring together over 1,000 housing and health professionals from the public and private sectors to share new research and emerging trends, as well as to inform housing policy to help prevent and remediate unhealthy housing conditions.

“I am thrilled to be joining these outstanding leaders at the National Healthy Homes Conference,” said Charley Shimanski, president and CEO of Rebuilding Together. “This is a great opportunity for each of us to share our expertise on healthy housing as we work together to create a safe and healthy home for every person.”

The conference features more than 150 sessions and will draw professionals from the public health, housing, safety and environmental communities to collaborate and share ideas for improving the health of the nation’s homes and communities. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Thomas Frieden, and Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam have also been invited to address conference attendees.

To learn more about the conference, including how to register, visit www.healthyhomesconference.org.