Minnesota NAHRO 2025 Spring Symposium

Skill Building Topics and Speakers

Securing Your Foundation: Cybersecurity Best Practices for Minnesota Housing Authorities with Todd Sorg

In today’s increasingly digital environment, protecting sensitive information is a top priority for Housing Authorities. This session will focus on the specific cybersecurity challenges that staff face in their daily operations—from managing resident data to ensuring secure communication with vendors and partners. We’ll explore common threats such as phishing, ransomware, and data breaches, and provide practical, actionable strategies to help you strengthen your agency’s security on the job. Learn best practices to not only stay compliant with regulations but also build a proactive security culture that helps protect both your agency and the residents you serve. Plus, we’ll discuss how you can implement cybersecurity measures that extend beyond the workplace, keeping your personal and professional life safe. Join us for expert advice and tips to bolster your cybersecurity efforts and secure the digital environment of your Housing Authority.

Crucial Conversations: Mastering High-Stakes Dialogue for Better Results with Irmadene Hanson

In both professional and personal settings, some conversations are more than just exchanges of ideas—they’re pivotal moments that can shape relationships, outcomes, and organizational success. Crucial Conversations are those high-stakes dialogues where opinions differ, emotions run high, and the stakes are significant. Whether you’re addressing conflict, giving feedback, or negotiating with a colleague, the way you approach these conversations makes all the difference.

This session equips you with the essential skills to navigate these tough conversations effectively and with confidence. You’ll learn how to stay calm, clear, and persuasive—without becoming abrasive or defensive. You’ll also gain tools to re-engage in productive dialogue when conversations derail, whether because of emotional outbursts or total shutdowns. The skills shared in this session will help you:

• Master persuasion without aggression: Learn how to present your perspective assertively while maintaining respect for others.
• Regain control of challenging conversations: Discover techniques for getting back on track when dialogues become heated or unproductive.
• Manage emotions (yours and theirs): Develop strategies for staying composed and keeping emotions in check during intense conversations.
• Strengthen relationships and foster collaboration: Learn how to use crucial conversations as an opportunity to build trust and create win-win outcomes.
• Adapt to different conversational dynamics: Whether you’re speaking with a peer, direct report, or supervisor, you’ll walk away with tools for handling any conversation, regardless of who’s involved or what’s at stake.

By mastering the skills of Crucial Conversations, you’ll create a more productive, respectful, and collaborative environment, no matter the topic or person involved.

Leadership is Simple, But It’s Not Easy: Unlocking Your Leadership Potential at Every Level with Irmadene Hanson

Leadership isn’t reserved for just executives—it’s a skill that can be cultivated at every level of an organization. We all have natural leadership strengths, but often we don’t recognize them in ourselves. In this session, we’ll explore how to identify and nurture your unique leadership abilities, regardless of your position. Leadership may not be rocket science, but it’s not always easy. The first step to unlocking your potential is understanding who you are and what it means to lead. Whether you’re a frontline employee or a seasoned leader, this session will provide practical insights and strategies to help you develop and grow into the leader you’re meant to be—while empowering others to do the same.

Hot Topics in Housing – Facing the Storm: Navigating Housing Cuts with Strategy, Communication, and Compassion

As discussions around the proposed FY2026 federal budget unfold, housing professionals are once again being asked to do more with less. This timely session explores how public housing authorities, service providers, and advocates can respond to these potential cuts with foresight, clarity, and resilience. We’ll unpack a four-pronged approach to navigating the road ahead:

1. Strategic Communication and Contingency Planning– Learn how to prepare and communicate organizational plans with residents, staff, partners, and elected officials in ways that build trust and clarity amidst uncertainty.
2. Advocacy and Messaging– Explore the tools, messages, and collective actions that can make your voice heard with lawmakers and the public.
3. Tenant Engagement and Support– Discuss how to communicate with residents compassionately and clearly, while helping them understand the broader context and minimizing fear.
4. Supporting Staff and Navigating Tension– Gain insights into managing frontline stress, supporting staff morale, and handling increasingly tense tenant interactions in a high-pressure environment.

Join us for a candid, solutions-focused session that will help your team prepare for the storm — and stay grounded through it.

Public policy shapes everything we do — from the funding we receive to the programs we can offer. With shifting priorities in both Washington, D.C. and St. Paul, it’s critical that Housing Authorities stay informed and ready to respond. This session will provide a comprehensive overview of key state and federal policy developments that directly affect your ability to provide and preserve affordable housing in your community.

At the federal level, the President’s topline budget proposal includes sweeping cuts to housing programs — a move that, if enacted, could significantly undermine efforts to address the housing crisis. We’ll break down what’s on the chopping block, what it means for Minnesota, and why now is the time for advocacy. Your voice matters — and it’s never been more important to remind Congress that slashing housing funds will only deepen the crisis.

Meanwhile, at the state level, Minnesota has seen a historic influx of investment in housing. This session will cover the results of the 2025 legislative session, explore new programs and funding streams, and help you understand how these changes can support (or complicate) your work.

Join your fellow housers as we navigate the policy landscape together — and ensure lawmakers understand the real-life impact of their decisions on the people and families we serve every day.

Site Visit Session: Douglas County HRA & Alexandria HRA Initiatives and Historic Preservation

Join us for an insightful tour of Douglas County HRA & Alexandria HRA’s innovative housing projects, featuring key initiatives that are shaping the community. This site visit will highlight two major areas of focus:

1. New Daycare Pods Construction
   The Alexandria HRA is playing a pivotal role in the development of new daycare pods to meet the growing demand for childcare services. This project has garnered significant attention from both cities and counties. Join us as we explore how this collaboration is addressing community needs.
2. Historic Building Rehabilitation and Multi-Family Housing Projects
   The Douglas County HRA has lead the efforts of restoration and revitalization of historic properties in the county. During this visit, you will tour a completely restored cir. 1920 creamery into 6 (2) bedroom affordable units. Then the tour will move onto the agency’s current work to restore a 1910 historic building that has faced years of deferred maintenance. The project, funded through a combination of unrestricted levy funds, income, and SAHA funding, will be showcased as a model for restoring multi-family buildings in need of rehabilitation.

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