Ohio Conference of Community Development
Summer 2015 - Special Edition
Volume 42 - Issue 5
August 31, 2015
A Toast to the First 50 Years for OCCD

September 1, 2015

President Ken Lengieza provided a toast to celebrate the first 50 Years of the Ohio Conference of Community Development organization   Continue Reading »

Farewell from Past President - Ken Lengieza

I really appreciated the opportunity to serve as your President for 2014-2015. Thanks for all your help and support.   Coming off a tremendous 50th Anniversary Celebration and with now 177 communities and organizations as members, representing 300 to 400 community development professionals , OCCD is as strong as ever.  

My primary goal when I became president was to continue the progress made by recent outstanding presidents, the last two being Angela Brown and Dale Hartle.   The job was made much easier because of the constant assistance from our great staff of Debra Mayes, Patricia Richards, and Jack Riordan, and the take charge attitude of our OCCD Committees.  

Vice President Amy Riegel, in charge of the Sessions and Training Programs Committee, organized informative and inspiring quarterly programs.   When she went on maternity leave, President Elect, now President, Kathy Werkmeister stepped in and spent hours on the Summer Program. They were both assisted by Committee Vice Chair Amy Odum.

New members were successfully recruited by the Membership Committee headed by enthusiastic Randi Arnett.   Nominating Chair Dale Hartle took very seriously the task of asking four new outstanding individuals to serve on the OCCD Board.   Pamela Hanover not only headed the Legislative Committee, but gave us all timely reports. Treasurer Misty Frost ran Finance Committee. Evelyn Warr-Cummings took care of State Programs and Nancy Cook, the Advisory Committee.

We set up the OCCD Foundation this year.   Initial Board members were Tom Kroma, Mary Crockett, Paul Herdeg, Lucie McMahon, Lisa Patt-McDaniel, Karen Gabbard, and Angela Brown.

Last, but not least there were 37 members on the 50th Anniversary Committee headed by Rollin Seward, which events included part of the Spring Quarterly with the noteworthy speech by George Voinovich, the Summer meeting, culminated by the spectacular Banquet Gala at the Ohio Statehouse, and the After Gala with help of Amy and Lou Schocken!

This year there will be many challenges facing our communities and citizens which, working together through OCCD, we can do our best to address. Please support new President Kathy Werkmeister, Vice President Amy Riegel, Treasurer Angela Byington, and Secretary Susan Spiker!

50th Anniversary Celebration

August 31, 2015

The 2015 OCCD Summer Annual Meeting and special 50th Anniversary Celebration took place on Wednesday, July 29, and Thursday, July 30, and was a grand success. The events included excellent speakers, informative sessions, many opportunities to reconnect with OCCD members past and present, and recognition of the many accomplishments of our member communities and community development professionals over the past 50 years. We truly honored our past and looked forward towards transforming the future in all of our sessions and festivities.   Continue Reading »
The Wisdom of the Old Lady with Cats

August 31, 2015

Back in the late 1970s, Nina Perkins, the OCCD newsletter editor, helped me to prepare a quarterly report about what was going on at HUD. As the 1980s began, Homeless programs took on more significance and after a trip to New York City, I incorporated comments of our failures to address the problem of the homeless from the perspective of folks living in box and grate hotels on the streets of our cities.   Continue Reading »
WE DID IT!

August 3, 2015

The OCCD 50th Anniversary Gala and Summer Annual Meeting was a TREMENDOUS success thanks to the leadership of committee chair Rollin Seward, OCCD President Ken Lengieza, President-elect Kathy Werkmeister and the 30+ committee members!   Continue Reading »
OCCD Award Winners Recognized at Annual Luncheon and 50th Anniversary Gala

August 31, 2015

The 2015 winners of the Public Service Scholarship, OCCD Member Awards, and the President’s Award for Innovative Practices were recognized for their service and dedication to community development at the annual OCCD awards luncheon banquet and 50th Anniversary Celebration on July 29, 2015.   Continue Reading »
Special Awards to HUD and ODSA

August 31, 2015

In special recognition and celebration of a continuous partnership, the Columbus HUD CPD and Ohio Development Services Agency (ODSA) received awards from OCCD.   Continue Reading »
Recognition and a Special Thanks to Evelyn King

August 31, 2015

Evelyn King was the first OCCD member to step forward with a donation to the OCCD Foundation when the $50 for 50 year campaign was initiated earlier in the year.   Continue Reading »
Thank You to Sponsors of the OCCD 50th Anniversary Gala

September 1, 2015

OCCD would like to thank all of the organizations and companies who generously sponsored the OCCD 50th Anniversary Gala!   Continue Reading »
Ohio Conference of Community Development
P.O. Box 776, Urbana, Ohio 43078
Telephone & Fax: 937.652.3523
General Information Email: office@occd.org