Meet Today's Speakers
Ines Polonius, CEO of Communities Unlimited
communitiesu.org | (479) 443-2700 | info@communitiesu.org
Ines has been active in national and international economic development for over 30 years. She has dedicated her career to accelerating community economic development in persistently poor, rural places in the South. She leads Communities Unlimited (CU), a CDFI dedicated to moving rural and under-resourced communities in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama toward prosperity. CU connects rural Americans to solutions that sustain healthy businesses, healthy communities, and healthy lives using a holistic approach to economic development combining human connection with technology and expertise to foster self-reliance and economic impact for people and communities through 5 main program areas: Entrepreneurship, Community Infrastructure, Community Sustainability, Housing, and Lending.
Audra Butler, Area Director of Rural Housing at Communities Unlimited
communitiesu.org/housing | (479) 684-7727 | audra.butler@communitiesu.org
Audra has more than a decade in subsidized and affordable housing leadership and homeless advocacy. Over the last 10 years, Audra has worked with nonprofits and organizations focused on creating pathways out of poverty. As the Rural Housing Area Director for Communities Unlimited (CU), Audra develops a rural housing strategy and offers a modular housing manufacturing program. Audra works in communities to help community members better understand housing and what their community needs. CU’s Housing Services includes Housing Assessment and Planning, Resource Development, Modular Housing Development, Housing Preservation, Housing Counseling, and Home Repair Loans.
Michael Rivera, Director of Lending at Communities Unlimited
communitiesu.org/lending | (870) 403-3285 | michael.rivera@communitiesu.org
Michael has a 15-year background in banking and finance. He handles the management of the loan process as well as Communities Unlimited’s (CU) Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) program. The CDFI Program includes small business, consumer, and commercial portfolios with assets of $17 million. CU expands economic opportunities for underserved people and communities by providing access to the capital they need to prosper by offering a variety of lending opportunities for small businesses, water/wastewater needs, and housing.
Codney Washington, Founder of WE Center WE Build
wecenterwebuild.com | (870) 730-9884
Codney Washington, a Pine Bluff native and entrepreneur, founded WE Center WE Build to give back to his community. The organization offers NCCER certifications in framing, plumbing, electrical work, HVAC, and excavation, focusing on at-risk youth and providing vocational training in state youth detention centers. The goal is to revitalize inner-city areas by building affordable homes through modular construction, allowing for better supervision and reduced costs. In addition to education and budgeting support, We Center We Build helps remove barriers to homeownership. Their mission extends to revitalizing the Delta region by reclaiming vacant properties, fostering affordable housing, attracting businesses, and training skilled workers.
Evan Jones, Marketing Director at WE Center WE Build
wecenterwebuild.com | (870) 730-9884
Evan Jones is a Pine Bluff native who moved away and then returned with his wife, motivated by a profound sense of purpose to contribute to Pine Bluff’s revitalization efforts. As the Marketing Director at WE Center, Jones sees his role as part of a broader mission to rejuvenate the city, one home and one block at a time. He is responsible for the company’s marketing efforts and assists in training and mentoring the center’s staff.
Vivian Flowers, Mayor of the City of Pine Bluff
cityofpinebluff-ar.gov | (870) 730-2000 ext.7
Mayor Flowers is a public servant with over 30 years experience, and is a proud Pine Bluff, Arkansas native. She served five terms (2015-2024) as Arkansas State Representative for District 65, which encompasses parts of Jefferson and Arkansas Counties, including part of Pine Bluff. Although she was eligible to serve for another six years in the state legislature, Flowers changed course and announced her candidacy for Mayor of Pine Bluff in November 2023. Officially sworn into office as Mayor of the City of Pine Bluff on January 1, 2025, Vivian Flowers pledged to unify the city with a commitment to transparency and accountability. She reiterated her priorities as youth investment, economic development and public safety.
Rev. Cory Anderson, Chief Innovation Officer at Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation
wrfoundation.org | (501) 376-6854
Cory builds and maintains local and national partnerships, launches bold initiatives, and strategizes to ensure the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation pursues equity for all Arkansans. The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation is a private foundation that seeks to disrupt the systems that block Arkansans who are striving to get out of poverty by pursuing educational, economic, social, ethnic and racial equity. Cory is an innovative, community focused philanthropic professional with 25 years of wide-ranging experience in the nonprofit sector both as a seeker and provider of resources.
Benje Feehan, Executive Director of buildingcommunityWORKSHOP
As the Executive Director, Benje is responsible for leading the organization into its next season of design justice through community engagement. Originally from New Zealand, Benje has taught and practiced internationally, advocating for design methodologies and built work that prioritize humanness and spatial equity over object-centric outcomes. He is an architect, artist, and educator. Holding both undergraduate and graduate degrees in architecture, his work focuses on the union of creative practices and a deep understanding of place to dismantle systemic injustices evident in the built environment. He believes that architecture is a political act and the responsibility of design must have a broader influence beyond that of historic convention and entitlement.
Kim Davis, President of Carl B. and Florence E. King Foundation
kingfoundation.com | (214) 750.1884 | info@kingfoundation.com
Kim joined the King Foundation in January 2025. .He previously served as Senior Advisor and Delta Region Lead at the Walton Family Foundation, overseeing philanthropic efforts in Arkansas and Mississippi since 2015. A dedicated advocate for underserved communities, Kim has worked to enhance education, afterschool programs, homeownership, and workforce development through collaborative partnerships. Kim earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at the University of Saint Thomas and a Master of Education at the University of Saint Thomas. The Carl B. & Florence E. King Foundation is committed to the highest standards of philanthropy and to honoring the founders’ original intent, while adapting to today’s needs.
Verna Perry, Founder and Director of Carpenter’s Daughter and Homeowner
Verna is the homeowner of Arkansas’ first WE Build Modular Home. Verna has been working with WE Center/WE Build since it’s inception and assisted in training the apprentices who built the home. She has lived in Pine Bluff for almost 20 years and decided to purchase the home to finally settle in the community and to have in her retirement. Verna is also the Founder and Director of Carpenter’s Daughter Apprenticeship Program, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization providing a strategic workforce training methods to assist Southeast Arkansas & other surrounding communities in creating a more diversified & skilled workforce.
Latriana Robertson, Community Development Specialist at Simmons Bank
As a Community Development Specialist, Latriana’s role revolves around data analysis and presentations, essential for informed decision-making and involves ensuring the organization engages with the communities where they operate. The goal is to build partnerships with organizations focused on improving opportunities for low- to moderate-income individuals. Simmons Bank has successfully managed the acquisition of over 200 financial institutions, ensuring each aligns with federal standards. This is accomplished through meticulous research and the effective use of CRM tools, which support our community development initiatives and the bank’s mission to serve with integrity and dedication. The team at Simmons Bank ensures compliance with federal and state regulations, fostering community development opportunities.
Christie Lindsey, President and CEO of Phoenix Youth and Family Services
Pheonixyouth.com | (870) 364-1676 | admin@phoenixyouth.com
Christie is responsible for creating the vision for Phoenix Youth and Family Services. For Christie, the vision is to ensure that they serve and provide services to the five counties in Southeast Arkansas. She has been with Phoenix since 1999, starting as an Entry Level Case Manager and worked various positions within the organization before being appointed President/CEO in 2019. Christy embodies servant leadership. For her, leadership is about the team she is supported by and showing up everyday for the change they want to see. Phoenix Youth and Family Services provides safe pathways and strong supports for young people in the Arkansas Delta to navigate historic and systemic inequities in resources, power and opportunity.
Susan Forte, Founder and CEO of Houseaboutit Community and Economic Development Agency
houseaboutit.org | (501) 227-0990 | info@houseaboutit.org
HouseAboutit Community and Economic Development Agency is a community-based 501(c)(3) non-profit agency with a history of improving the quality of life for low-income, under resourced underserved, and distressed communities in Rural Arkansas and the Delta Regions. For over 17 years Susan has directed her organization in making a difference in small rural communities, providing rural Arkansas and the Delta region with a means of education, workforce, technical assistance, consulting, grant writing, community revitalization, and economic empowerment through community improvement.
Lori Brockway, Federal Housing Programs Manager at Arkansas Development Finance Authority (ADFA)
adfa.arkansas.gov | lori.brockway@arkansas.gov
Lori Brockway is a Federal Housing Programs Manager at Arkansas Development Finance Authority (ADFA). Lori has been at ADFA for 7 years and is responsible for the HOME Program, the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) the HOME- American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP) program, CDBG-DR, and the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG). The ADFA Housing Programs cover Multifamily Rental, Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA), and the Single Family New Construction- Homebuyer Programs and assist low-to-moderate income households. The HOME-ARP program will assist Qualifying Populations such as the homeless, at risk of homelessness, and domestic violence. The ESG program provides street outreach, shelter funding, rapid rehousing, and homeless prevention
Susan Gardner, Federal Housing Programs Assistant Manager at Arkansas Development Finance Authority (ADFA)
adfa.arkansas.gov | susan.gardner@arkansas.gov
Susan Gardner is the Federal Housing Programs Assistant Manager at the Arkansas Development Finance Authority (ADFA), with over 32 years of experience in affordable housing. Throughout her career, she has specialized in the development and long-term compliance monitoring of affordable housing initiatives. Susan has extensive knowledge of rental assistance programs, homeownership programs, including homeowner rehabilitation, and efforts supporting individuals experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. Her expertise spans a variety of housing programs, such as the HOME Program, Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), National Housing Trust Program (NHTP), Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), Mortgage Settlement Funds (MSF), and Disaster Relief funding through ADFA.
