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Advocating for Change

2026 Inclusive Housing SummitSpeaker Information

This year's summit will move us through the theme of Policy to Place.

We will begin the morning with Policy, including a keynote conversation rooted in Governor Stein's Executive Order No. 36, which aims to tackle North Carolina's housing crisis.

In the afternoon, we will move into Place, with breakout sessions focused on inclusive housing models and what they look like in practice.

When:
November 9th, 2026, 8am - 4pm
Registration & Breakfast begin at 8am
Summit from 9am - 4pm

Where:
The Friday Conference Center in Chapel Hill

RegistrationIs Now Open

We hope you will join us for a day of learning, connection, and imagining what affordable, accessible, and inclusive communities can look like across North Carolina!

Get Your Tickets

Keynote Panel

How North Carolina can build affordable, inclusive communities in which people with I/DD are part of the broader housing system.

Headshot Janneke Ratcliffe

Janneke Ratcliffe joined the office of NC Governor Josh Stein as Senior Advisor for Housing Policy in May 2026, to implement Executive Order 36: Increasing Housing Opportunities for All North Carolinians. A long-time North Carolinian, Ratcliffe is a nationally recognized leader in housing policy and community development finance with a career spanning government, research, nonprofits, and private industry.

Previously, Ratcliffe was VP of the Housing and Communities Division and the Housing Finance Policy Center at the Urban Institute. Ratcliffe’s prior public service includes senior leadership at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau overseeing national efforts to empower consumers with evidence-based financial education. Earlier, as Executive Director of UNC’s Center for Community Capital, she guided research on affordable homeownership. Prior to that, she spent a decade at Self-Help. Her early career at GE Capital deepened her expertise in financial systems.

Headshot Kelly Crosbie

Kelly Crosbie brings more than 30 years of experience leading public systems that support individuals, families, and communities across multiple states, including North Carolina. She currently serves as Assistant Secretary for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services, and is Director of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services, overseeing the state’s community-based system of care. Also, she is serving as Senior Advisor for Supportive Housing Strategy with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Over the past 15 years at NC DHHS, Kelly has held several senior leadership roles, including Assistant Director of Behavioral Health and Chief Operating Officer at NC Medicaid. A licensed clinical social worker with lived experience, she is deeply committed to advancing equitable, person-centered care.

I/DD Caucus

What is the I/DD Caucus and how can it connect with efforts to increase inclusive housing options for adults with I/DD?

Headshot Jim Burgin

Jim Burgin is currently serving his 4th term as a NC State Senator of District 12: Harnett, Lee, and Sampson counties.  Senator Burgin is President / Owner of C&D Insurance and Insurance Network Group, Chairman of the Board of New Horizon Insurance Group, and President of B.C. Property Inc. He is also a partner of John Hiester Automotive, which owns Chevrolet and Chrysler Dodge Jeep dealerships.

Senator Burgin chairs Senate Health Care, Appropriations on Health and Human Services and the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services. He is also a member of several other committees.

Headshot Zack Hawkins

State Representative Zack Hawkins believes in A Better North Carolina—a state where everyone, from Murphy to Manteo, can reach their full potential, especially when we remove unnecessary barriers. A proud native of North Carolina and double HBCU graduate, Zack has spent over two decades in Durham as a science teacher, nonprofit leader, and public servant. Elected in 2018 as the youngest representative for NC House District 31, he has been a leading voice on education, healthcare, transportation, and workforce equity.

He co-chairs the bipartisan HBCU, IDD, and AI Caucuses and has served on key House committees, including Appropriations, Education, and Redistricting. Among his legislative accomplishments are expanding acceptable voter ID forms, securing paid leave for state employees, supporting environmental reform, diversifying the teaching workforce, reforming ABC laws, and sponsoring the sports betting bill that brought billions to the state. He is also currently serving on the NC Cannabis Council and the AI Leadership Council, where he will help shape the future impacts of these topics on our state, financially and legislatively. Zack’s work is rooted in his belief that North Carolina is still a place “where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great.” He lives in Durham with his wife Tracey and their three sons.

Headshot Laura Wells

Sarah Crawford is the North Carolina Representative for House District 66 and CEO of TLC (formerly the Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities). As CEO, she led TLC through significant growth, including the construction of a new residential facility and a 100% client increase over four years. In the NC Legislature, Sarah has championed healthcare access, disability services, and economic justice, earning recognition as a Legislative Champion. She is active in her community and serves on various boards, including the Ministry Leadership Team at her church and the NCSU Board of Advisors. Sarah lives in Raleigh and is a proud mom of two daughters.

Session A

Patuxent Commons: From Vision to Community — Developing and Launching an Inclusive Housing Model in Maryland

Headshot Steven Isaacson

Steven Isaacson, LMSW serves as the Community Life Manager at Patuxent Commons, a 76-unit mixed-income multi-generation inclusive apartment building, working to advance acceptance, belonging, and community between neighbors. His approach focuses on helping residents connect no matter their difference, and build their wellness toolbox. Steven previously served in the NIH Office of the National Autism Coordinator, where he connected people and organizations across the country to autism resources at the federal level. Steven earned his Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore focusing on Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) and Organizational Leadership.

Headshot Mark Dunham

Mark Dunham is Principal of Kindred Strategies, where he develops collaborative housing initiatives that use housing as a platform to strengthen social connection, housing stability and well-being for people of different ages and abilities. A social entrepreneur and experienced advocate, he helps communities translate inclusive-housing concepts into practical development strategies, partnerships and financing plans.

Mark played an integral role in the planning and launch of Patuxent Commons, a pioneering 76-unit, mixed-income community in Columbia, Maryland, designed for adults with and without disabilities and across generations. Working with the Autism Society of Maryland and Mission First Housing Group, he contributed to the project from its earliest conceptual planning through community engagement, developer recruitment, communications and the identification of public and philanthropic capital. Patuxent Commons began welcoming residents in November 2025.

Mark also serves as Executive Director of All Inclusive Living (All In), a Columbus, Ohio-based nonprofit that will break ground this fall on All In Dublin, a 75-unit affordable, inclusive community modeled on Patuxent Commons. He began his career in Washington, DC, as an aide to two United States Senators and went on to work with former US Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, MD, on innovative health education initiatives, and with Generations of Hope to advance intentional-neighboring housing models. A graduate of Louisiana State University, Mark holds a Certificate in Innovation and Social Impact in Gerontology from the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and the American Society on Aging.

Session B

What is the Community Facilitator role, and why is it needed? HOPE NC residents and Community Facilitators share their experiences.

Headshot Collin Flake

Collin is a graduate of Duke Divinity School, with a passion for creating community among people of all abilities. He previously worked for First in Families supporting families and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He also has experience as a Direct Support Professional. Collin grew up in small-town Georgia, where he gained an appreciation for the outdoors and for knowing his neighbors. Collin lived in the North Street Neighborhood in Durham for two and a half years prior to getting married and moving 2 miles down the road, and he is deeply grateful to his friends and neighbors there both with and without disabilities for shaping his idea of the good life and flourishing community.

Headshot Alicia Hicks

Alicia has several years of experience supporting individuals with I/DD across a range of settings. Alecia has professional experience as a Registered Behavior Technician, working with children and young adults ages 2 to 16 using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) techniques to support school readiness, communication, and social skill development. She was also a Direct Support Professional, where she supported residents in a shared living community rooted in belonging, mutuality, and friendship. In 2026, she joined HOPE NC and is excited to continue walking alongside residents as they build meaningful relationships, grow in independence, and shape inclusive community life together. Alecia holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications with a minor in Public Relations and is passionate about creating communities where people of all abilities are known, valued, and able to flourish together.

Headshot India Goode

India Goode is from North Carolina and has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Elon University and a Master's degree in Social Work from NC State University. Throughout her academic and professional journey, she has developed a strong passion for community, advocacy, education, and health. Her professional experience is rooted in the nonprofit sector. She also has experience supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in a residential setting, where she served as a program coordinator.

Session C

G House and L'Arche NC: How two NC organization are providing housing for people with higher needs while creating community ties.

Headshot Eric Levin

Eric Levin is Co-Founder of The G House and helps lead the development of the G Community model in Chapel Hill and Durham. Drawing on more than 26 years of experience in real estate, business operations, and community development, Eric focuses on turning one of families’ hardest questions, “What happens when we are no longer here to hold everything together?” into practical housing and community solutions. His work includes housing development, ownership structures, family engagement, and long-term planning. Through The G House and the G Community, Eric is working to create small, community-rooted homes that provide stability, belonging, and a path toward greater long-term security for adults with I/DD and their families.

Barbara List Levin happened upon the role of advocate for people with disabilities when her first child, Gunnar, was born. She is Co-Founder of The G House and leads the development of the G Community model in Chapel Hill and Durham. A mother of four, Employer of Record for NC Innovation Waiver Services, career public educator, and founder and past director of a non-profit for children with motor disabilities, Barbara has spent nearly three decades navigating the systems, services, and opportunities that support her son, and others. Drawing on her experience, Barbara focuses on creating meaningful opportunities for individuals with disabilities to learn, engage, and realize their full potential. Her personal and professional interests center on building stronger pathways to opportunity, connection, and inclusion for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.

Laura Steed serves as Executive Director of L’Arche North Carolina, a community where adults with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities share life through homes, programs, and relationships rooted in mutuality and belonging. Her work centers on creating opportunities for people of diverse abilities and backgrounds to build meaningful friendships, contribute their gifts, and experience genuine community.

Before joining L’Arche, Laura served as Director of Religious and Spiritual Life and Multifaith Chaplain at the University of the Pacific. She holds a Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School and completed Clinical Pastoral Education at the University of California, San Francisco. Across her work, Laura is passionate about bringing people together and creating communities where everyone is known, valued, and invited to belong.

Session D

Self-direction: A powerful complement to community living.

Betsy MacMichael is Chair of the Board of the Self Direction Coalition of North Carolina and parent to Janie, 34, who has self-directed her Innovations Waiver services for four years, with Betsy serving as her appointed EOR representative. Betsy, the former Director of First In Families of NC, retired last year to dedicate more time to advancing self direction and making it a sustainable model that can continue after family members can no longer assist. Her 30-year career in disability justice focused on self-determination, inclusion, family support, and critical future planning for families. She holds a master’s degree and lives in Durham, NC. Betsy’s daughter Janie is her own guardian and has lived for ten years in an apartment in Durham’s downtown North Street neighborhood.

is not a 'special need'. In fact, is a very ordinary need shared by most everyone, with and without disabilities.

Dr. Erik Carter, Vanderbilt University