Neighborhood Networks National Consortium (NNNC)

Information by State  Print version

Date: Friday, August 10, 2007
Time: 9 — 9:45 a.m.

Materials:
NNNC presentation 1
NNNC presentation 2
NNNC presentation 3
NNNC presentation 4
NNNC presentation 5

Presenters:

Thaddeus Miles
President
NNNC

Mr. Miles is Director of Public Safety at MassHousing. As Director of Public Safety, Mr. Miles is responsible for designing and implementing crime prevention strategies affecting several thousand housing units throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He designs such strategies to directly engage residents in addressing quality of life issues.

Highlighting the engagement of residents in quality of life issues, and at the behest of MassHousing and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Mr. Miles spearheaded the development of eleven community-run computer centers in the Roxbury and Dorchester areas of Boston . The eleven Neighborhood Network Centers offer a variety of programming for all ages.

Building on his success with the Boston centers, HUD invited Mr. Miles to start up a consortium of all of its New England Neighborhood Network Centers. This consortium, entitled MassIMPACT, for which Mr. Miles serves as Executive Director, concentrates its energies on Improving Peoples' Access to Computers and Technology. The Consortium plays a critical role in helping Neighborhood Networks Centers and other community-oriented organizations develop and sustain critical technological access in New England communities. MassIMPACT has a special focus on Digital Media technology, including Digital Storytelling, as a means of providing communities the opportunity to capture and share their stories and experiences through technology.

Mr. Miles' love of community and technology led him to MIT in 2001, where he served as an invited Reflective Community Practice fellow, focusing on helping others understand the important lessons learned in bringing technological resources to public housing. He has also served on several panels at MIT and Harvard, dealing with bridging the digital divide. Mr. Miles is also part of an on-going Harvard Law School initiative exploring ways of using technology to facilitate the rehabilitation process of prisoners in third world countries.

Mr. Miles himself is an expert computer animator and owns Dream Benders Studio which specializes in 2D/3D animation products and services. When he is not fighting crime, working with residents, or operating his business, Mr. Miles is working with our youth and mentoring tomorrow's leaders. He sits on the board of directors of a number of non-profit, community-based organizations in Boston , Lowell (MA), and Virginia Beach ; and is the recipient of numerous community, business, and military commendations and awards. Mostly, he enjoys spending time with his son, Laquan.

Jessica Venegas
Vice President
NNNC

As vice president of public policy for the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations (LANO), Jessica Venegas works to build knowledge and capacity around policies and activities at the local, state, and federal level. LANO policy priorities include the Louisiana Budget Project, the Louisiana Housing Alliance, the New Orleans Nonprofit Agenda, and Long-Term Recovery-Emergency Preparedness and Coordination. Previously, Venegas was director of community assessment with the Community Preservation and Development Corporation (CPDC). In this position, Venegas worked primarily in the nonprofit housing sector. Venegas has 11 years of urban community development and program management experience, and has held a number of positions on Washington, D.C., neighborhood corporations and nonprofits. Venegas is currently vice president of the Neighborhood Networks National Consortium board of directors.

Miles Graham
Treasurer
NNNC

Since 1998, Miles Graham has worked hard to change the lives of people and families living in subsidized housing in Arkansas and around the country through his support for the Neighborhood Networks Initiative. He served at one of the most successful, nationally recognized Neighborhood Networks centers. Graham serves as president of both the Community Builders of Arkansas, and the Arkansas Neighborhood Networks Consortium, and is treasurer and executive board member of the Neighborhood Networks National Consortium. He is also involved with many community organizations and was previously the Governor’s appointee to the School Education Reevaluation Project. Graham is the co-owner of Intrepid Management, Inc., a management agent specializing in troubled Section 8 properties. With the help of his two business partners, Graham is changing the way Section 8 projects are being managed. Graham obtained his Ph.D. in 2003 in psychology.

Craig Knudsvig
Secretary
NNNC

As the client services manager for Grand Forks Housing Authority, Craig Knudsvig is responsible for the operation of four Neighborhood Networks centers; two of which are open to the greater community. One of the centers, the LaGrave Learning Center, opened in 1996 and was the first Neighborhood Networks center in HUD’s Denver region. With a team of resident service coordinators at five properties, Knudsvig oversees an afterschool program partnership with the Grand Forks School District and manages the Family Self Sufficiency Program, several homeownership programs, and the housing counseling services for the Grand Forks Housing Authority. Previously, Knudsvig spent 10 years with the North Dakota Job Service system managing JTPA and other training programs. Knudsvig is a member of the North Dakota Extension Service Citizens Advisory Group for Families and Children and the Grand Forks Mayor’s Cabinet for Health and Human Services. He also serves as secretary for the board of directors of the National Neighborhood Networks Consortium, and has been a member of the board since the Consortium’s creation in 2005. Knudsvig earned a marketing degree from the University of North Dakota.

Joseph Diehl
Board Member
NNNC

Joseph Diehl serves as the volunteer president of Digital Promise, a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) organization formed more than 10 years ago as the first Neighborhood Networks consortium. Diehl also serves as the executive director of the Affordable Housing Management Association, the Council for Affordable and Rural Housing, and the Northwest Indian Housing Association, which represent owners and managers of affordable housing in the Pacific Northwest. Under Diehl’s direction, these organizations provide training and education, disseminate updates on housing programs and regulations, and advocate at the state and federal level on behalf of its members. Previously, Diehl served as the fund development coordinator, and later as the operations director, for People of Color Against AIDS Network, a Seattle-based HIV/AIDS prevention and education organization. Diehl also served as executive director of the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries, and held several chief financial officer and controller positions in the for-profit sector. Diehl earned his juris doctor (JD) from the John Marshall Law School in Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Northern Illinois University.

Dipo Mosadomi
Board Member
NNNC

Kimberly Paul
Board Member
NNNC

Kimberly Paul is the vice president of community development for the San Diego Community Housing Corporation and its affiliate Occupational Training Services. Paul has a 15-year history of working in community development and providing direct and management services to families, the elderly, and youth. Her strengths are fundraising, strategic planning, grantwriting, and creating community partners to enable self–sustainable organizations. Paul also serves as a board member of the Neighborhood Networks National Consortium, and is the president of the California Neighborhood Networks Consortium. She has served on various boards, is a certified grantwriter, and is a graduate of the LEAD San Diego core curriculum program. The program is a highly selective institute sponsored by one of the most prestigious nonprofit organizations whose mission is to develop community leaders. Paul holds a bachelor’s degree with a major in behavioral science and a minor in addictive disorders.