Beginning this April! New Community Real Estate Development Training Program Sponsored by USF Collaborative [03/01/2007]

In cooperation with USF’s Continuing Education Department, the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County, the USF Collaborative is pleased to announce its sponsorship of a USF certificate program in Community Real Estate Development, geared towards non-profit organizations and other community development professionals in the Tampa Bay area.

This four-module program will focus on professionalizing the local community development industry and creating partnerships to develop and sustain viable affordable housing communities in Tampa Bay.  Program instruction will be led by Thomas M. Zuniga, B.A., MBA, Pace University and M.A., Columbia University, Managing Director, DSG Community Marketing Services LLC. Mr. Zuniga has gained national recognition for teaching affordable housing and real estate development to community developers and program staffs of government agencies, banks and foundations, and specializes in the financial packaging of "hard-to-do" urban revitalization projects. The four-module program is taught through a combination of lectures with case studies, site visits, best practice models, small group exercises, “hands-on” project work, and guest lecturers from real estate communities who have working knowledge of the local development market.

Participants will learn:

• How the development process for rental housing and homeownership works
• How to structure effective project financing
• How to obtain public and private funds to meet the project’s needs
• How to establish effective affordable housing strategies
• State of the art market assessment methods
• Effective project management

The program is designed for non-profit and for-profit affordable housing developers, local government community development staff, board members of community development organizations, community-based organizations, community housing development organizations, and other community leaders who are engaged in promoting affordable housing, developing programs and policies for affordable housing.

Those interested in applying for the program should contact Denise O’Brien at (813) 974-6194 or obrien@usfcollab.usf.edu for an application form and general program or registration fee information.