Annual Conference

41st Annual Conference Recap

Thank you to all who joined us in Dayton, OH, from September 17-19! View photos, award winners, and sponsors below.
We can’t wait to see you next year!

2025 OCDCA Awards

These awards recognize CDCs, their staff and volunteers, projects, partners, and advocates who have made exemplary contributions to the community development field.
This year’s winners:

Over-the-Rhine Community Housing, CDC of the Year
Over-the-Rhine Community Housing has made a lasting impact on affordable housing in Cincinnati. Their consistent success in securing Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) awards—often multiple in a single year—sets them apart as the most effective organization in the city at leveraging this critical funding source. What truly distinguishes OTRCH is their deep commitment to long-term, resident-centered development. Their work goes beyond bricks and mortar; they partner with residents to preserve affordability, prevent displacement, and build community strength from within. OTRCH is also known for its courage and innovation. They are not afraid to take on complex or ambitious projects, especially those that require forging new partnerships and entering new neighborhoods. Their willingness to collaborate with other communities and organizations has allowed them to bring difficult but essential housing developments to life, projects that others might shy away from.

Thet Win, Asian Services in Action, CDC Staff Member of the Year
Thet serves as a key team member at the Apex Fund for Economic Opportunities (AFEO), an affiliate of Asian Services In Action, Inc. (ASIA). Thet joined ASIA in 2014 as a program assistant, just a few months after resettling in Akron from Burma. From the beginning, she has demonstrated an incredible work ethic and deep empathy for the communities they serve. As ASIA expanded its services to include financial capability programs such as credit building and microlending, Thet played an integral role in supporting clients through every step of the process. With compassion and tireless commitment, Thet has worked with diverse populations—including refugees from Burma, Nepal, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, and others. She never lets cultural differences, language barriers, or logistical challenges stand in the way of helping someone. Her approach to service is simple: no boundaries, no shortcuts—just heart. Over the last 10 years, she has supported more than 100 aspiring entrepreneurs in launching small businesses such as grocery stores, restaurants, catering services, e-commerce ventures, and even sushi stands.

The Cascades, Yellow Springs Home, Inc., CDC Project of the Year
The Cascades is a 32-unit project and the culmination of years of effort to bring community-oriented affordable senior housing to the Village of Yellow Springs. The project features 22 senior rental cottage duplexes and triplexes serving seniors of low-income and 10 for-sale intergenerational townhomes. All units are part of a community land trust with shared governance and long-term affordability on community-owned land. The site now hosting The Cascades was selected for a variety of factors, including access to public transportation and nearby amenities including the Friends Care Community across the street (nursing care, assisted living, and rehab facilities), strong pedestrian connectivity, the Miami Township Fire Rescue located directly adjacent (which provides no-cost emergency medical and ambulance services), within a block of the Antioch College Wellness Center, and within a half mile of the vibrant downtown corridor. Significant public input has informed every aspect of the project over the years, including public input meetings, an online survey, 1:1 neighbor meetings, focus groups, listening sessions, and more.

Miami Valley Meals, CDC Partner of the Year
Miami Valley Meals is a nonprofit organization in Dayton, Ohio, dedicated to transforming rescued and donated food into nutritious, chef-prepared meals for those facing food insecurity. Their model not only helps reduce food waste, but also supports over 70 nonprofit partners in a year by providing ready-to-eat meals that are distributed free of charge to individuals in need. In 2024 alone, the organization prepared and donated over 206,000 meals using more than 109,000 pounds of recovered, surplus food—92.6% of which came from donated sources. These meals reached people across 26 zip codes in the Greater Dayton region through a wide network of partners offering wrap-around services like housing, recovery, and employment support. In addition to meals, nearly 20,000 pounds of donated groceries were distributed to partner organizations to strengthen their food access efforts. The organization is powered by a small, dedicated team and a growing community of volunteers—817 in the last year alone—who contributed more than 3,500 hours of service, creating an economic impact of nearly $120,000.

LarKesha Burns, Burten, Bell, Carr Development, Inc., Stephanie J. Bevens Award Winner. As the Director of Business Development at Burten Bell Carr Development, Inc., LarKesha has played a pivotal role in the process of revitalizing Cleveland’s Buckeye, Central, and Kinsman neighborhoods communities that are historically underserved and predominantly African American. With a strong foundation in education and community development, LarKesha brings an entrepreneurial spirit to every initiative she leads. Under her guidance, BBC has supported over 400 entrepreneurs in accessing more than $4 million in capital since 2022. She has developed dynamic partnerships, creating programs like Building a Better Business, Get Funded Lunch & Learn, and estate planning clinics that empower families and build generational stability. LarKesha also successfully led and managed the $1 million SBA-funded Community Navigator Pilot Program, a national initiative designed to reduce barriers for underserved entrepreneurs. Under her guidance, the initiative became a model for equitable technical assistance and capital access, connecting hundreds of minority-owned businesses to funding, mentorship, and long-term support. Her work is a testament to the power of intentional, equity-centered leadership. LarKesha is more than a program director. She is a community advocate, ecosystem builder, and change agent

Caren Bauer, New Home Development, Ned D. Neuhausel Award Winner. Since 1991, Caren’s leadership has made New Home the primary low-income housing agency for mental health consumers in Defiance, Fulton, Henry, and Williams counties. She has developed and managed safe, decent, and affordable housing, securing vital resources through partnerships with Federal, State, and local funders. Caren’s leadership goes far beyond administration. Her deep compassion and empathy for those she serves are evident in every action. Caren’s fierce advocacy has challenged systems and inspired collaboration, ensuring her tenants have the stability and dignity they deserve. She has invested her own time, energy, and even personal resources to meet needs—moving tenants in the rain with her own vehicle or providing emergency shelter out of her own pocket. Caren’s unwavering belief in the dignity and potential of mental health consumers has led to stable, supportive housing and lasting change in their lives. Her personal relationships with tenants and her willingness to do whatever it takes have left an indelible impact. Caren’s legacy is one of true servant leadership, transforming not just housing, but lives and communities across Northwest Ohio.

Awards List

These awards are given to individuals who are staff of OCDCA Members:

Stephanie J. Bevens Award
The award honors Stephanie Bevens, a long-time OCDCA Board Member, an innovative director of microenterprise programs at Pike County Community Action, and a tireless advocate on behalf of low-income entrepreneurs. A CDC staff member deserving of this award has an entrepreneurial spirit and is a strong advocate on behalf of low- to-moderate income people.

CDC Staff Member of the Year
An outstanding staff member, full or part-time who has made the work of the CDC a success.

These awards can go to individuals who do not work for OCDCA members, so long as they are affiliated with one:

Ned D. Neuhausel Award
In honor of Ned Neuhausel, long-time leader in Ottawa County's disability support system and Executive Director of Ottawa Residential Services, Inc. A CDC staff member deserving of this award has played a key role in providing affordable housing for vulnerable people and been a strong advocate on their behalf.

These awards are given to OCDCA Members:

CDC Project of the Year
This award gives recognition to an outstanding CDC project related to affordable housing, community economic development, community engagement, financial empowerment or food access.

CDC of the Year
A CDC (nonprofit OCDCA member) that has done outstanding work this year.

This award is given to a partner organization of an OCDCA Member:

Community Development Partner of the Year
May be a special non-profit or faith-based organization, business, financial institution, foundation, intermediary, government agency or other entity that has provided support to a CDC.