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Topic: Real Estate/Housing

Tony Hernandez

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Tony Hernandez, MSW, is an affiliate professor in the Department of Social Work at Metropolitan State University of Denver. His areas of expertise include housing and community, and economic development. He currently teaches graduate courses that include Social Policy Analysis, Advanced Integrative Practice: Clinical, and Advanced Policy and Advocacy.

Prior to joining MSU Denver, Hernandez worked on a presidential appointment as an administrator of Rural Housing Services for the United States Department of Agriculture. He was also the director of the Division of Local Government for the State of Colorado. Hernandez served five terms as a Colorado state representative. He is currently the president and CEO of Innovative Action Consulting on the Community, Housing and Economic Development team, where he provides consulting services in policy work, nonprofit training and more.

Hernandez has been recognized for his extensive community involvement and advocacy work. He has won the Excellence in Leadership Award from Rural Housing Services, the Housing and Urban Development Secretary’s Leadership Award, the HUD Secretary’s Customer Service Award and the Good Guys Award from the Colorado Women’s Political Caucus for his commitment to political, economic and judicial equality for women, among many others.

Hernandez received a master’s in Management and Public Policy from Carnegie-Mellon University Pittsburgh in 1981, a Master of Social Work from the University of Denver in 1975 and a bachelor’s in Social Work from Colorado State University in 1973. He is also a certified Housing Development Finance Professional, granted by the National Development Council in 2003.

Hollie Hendrikson

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Hollie Hendrikson, M.A., is an affiliate professor in the Department of Political Science at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Hendrikson has over 12 years of experience working with government agencies, legislatures, advocacy organizations, academic institutions and research think tanks to develop data-driven policies for municipalities, states and organizations. She has worked with several communities to develop data-driven strategic plans that create opportunities for affordable housing. In addition, she ran a small consulting firm that specialized in social policy research and strategic planning, qualitative and quantitative research projects and developed policy options for governments. In this role, she also worked with clients to successfully complete and submit HUD Consolidated Plans and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice.

Her other previous experience includes working at the National Conference of State Legislatures where she led the organization’s public health policy work. During her tenure at NCSL, she provided technical assistance to legislatures in all 50 states, facilitated policy planning conversations with several groups of public health policy stakeholders as well as wrote over 30 magazine articles, journal articles and policy white papers.

Hendrikson received her master’s in social policy and development form from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2009, where she earned the top classification for her research on migrant women’s access to services in the United States. In addition, she holds a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Colorado.