Scholarships

Thanks to our sponsors, we are offering scholarships for former federal, state, and non-profit employees with lead poisoning prevention or healthy housing expertise who want to stay engaged. Funds are limited. Click here to inquire.

The Purpose and Scope of the Conference

The new Administration has undertaken a dramatic restructuring and tremendous downsizing effort of the federal government that is likely to fundamentally alter lead poisoning prevention and healthy homes efforts across the country. Congress will be weighing in as it considers FY2026 appropriations bills in July.

In light of the federal situation, lead poisoning prevention and healthy housing communities need to be able to evaluate their options, recalibrate their approach, and make decisions on next steps. While we don’t know what will happen over the next few months, we expect more information about the federal landscape to be available when we’re meeting in August.

The 2025 National Lead and Healthy Housing Conference provides communities with an opportunity to engage and collaborate with peers and other stakeholders, so you have a clear-eyed understanding of what happened and can chart a path forward for your organization.

Whatever happens to the federal government, mold, cockroaches, mice, rats, radon, carbon monoxide, lead hazards, VOCs, and asbestos will remain a threat to families’ ability to thrive and contribute to society. Families and communities will continue to rely on lead poisoning prevention and healthy housing professionals to help understand, identify and prevent, and remediate these health hazards.

Who Should Attend?

Anyone seeking to prevent lead poisoning or make homes healthier. They include:

• State and local childhood lead poisoning prevention program staff;
• HUD lead hazard control and healthy homes grantees including those supporting older adults home modifications, building capacity, or conducting technical studies;
• Housing code enforcement officials;
• Risk assessors, inspectors, and trainers focused on lead, mold, radon and healthy homes;
• Community-based organizations promoting healthier homes or reducing lead exposure;
• Researchers evaluating healthy homes and lead exposure issues;
• Abatement and remediation contractors, especially for lead-based paint;
• Equipment and service providers supporting risk assessors and contractors;
• Property managers, landlords, and developers wrestling with healthy homes issues;
• Families impacted by lead or other home health hazards;
• Compliance managers for renovation firms; and

Former federal, state, local and non-profit employees who want to stay or get engaged with healthy homes issues. Scholarships available!

Why Attend?

Participants will:

• Get the latest on the fast-changing federal situation from insiders and experts so they can be better prepared for what may be coming next.
• Network with peers to gain insights on how to deal with change and uncertainties.
• Learn how to better engage and cultivate the private sector—property owners, contractors, and investors—as well as non-profit allies to leverage existing funding and be ready if grants dry up.
• If new to the field, get up to speed through pre-conference workshops and conference sessions, so they can have greater impact in the communities they serve.

Preliminary Schedule

Monday, August 4, 2025

7:30 a.m. On Site Registration

8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Three Concurrent Pre-Conference Workshops

• Workshop #1 on Healthy Housing Technical Issues: Myths, Mysteries and Mistakes
  • Mike Sharp of Janus Corporation (LEHA Board)
• Workshop #2 on Lead Detection and EPA’s New Dust-Lead Standards
  • Tom Neltner of Unleaded Kids (LEHA Board)
  • Ron Peik of Alpine Environmental (LEHA Board) (Invited)
  • Howard Varner of EHS Labs (LEHA Board)
• Workshop #3 on Managing HUD Grants: Sharing Tips, Tools and Q&A for Program Success
  • Kate Kirkwood of Lead-Edu (LEHA Board)

12:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. – Opening General Session

12:15 Welcoming Remarks

• Moderator: Steve Weil (LEHA)
• Mayor Quinton Lucas of Kansas City, Missouri

12:50 Keynote: New Landscapes and Horizons on Healthy Housing / Importance of Whole Home Approach

Ruth Ann Norton, President/CEO, of Green & Healthy Homes Initiative

1:50 Latest on Federal Changes and Implications for States

• Moderator: Tom Neltner of Unleaded Kids (LEHA Board)
• John Belt of Ohio Department of Health
• Teresa Wortmann of Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services (Invited)
• Michael McKnight of Green & Healthy Homes Initiative
• Amanda Reddy of National Center for Healthy Housing
• LaTricea Adams of Young, Gifted and Green

2:50 Break – Exhibit Hall Open

3:20 Local Program Perspectives on Federal Changes:

• Moderator: Kate Kirkwood of Lead-Edu (LEHA Board)
• Amy Roberts of City of Kansas City, Missouri Health Department
• Larry Brooks, formerly of Alameda County Healthy Homes Department (LEHA Board)
• Laura Brion of Childhood Lead Action Project in Rhode Island
• Rebecca Jim of L.E.A.D. Agency

4:10 Private Sector Perspectives on Federal Changes:

• Moderator: Howard Varner of EHS Labs (LEHA Board)
• Stephen Thompson (or Chris Oakes) of Lowes Home Improvement (LEHA Board) (Invited)
• Pete Roque of 4Leaf
• Greg Krueger of LEW Environmental Services (LEHA Board)
• Ron Peik of Alpine Environmental (LEHA Board)

5:00 Presentation of Lifetime Achievement Awards

• Presenter: Kate Kirkwood of Lead-Edu (LEHA Board)

5:30 Adjourn

5:30 p.m. – Networking Reception and Exhibit Viewing

__________________________

Tuesday, August 5,2025

7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. – Special Q&A and Troubleshooting Session for HUD Grantees

• Kate Kirkwood of Lead-Edu (LEHA Board)

8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Healthy Housing Track

Track Moderator: Mike Sharp of Janus Corp (LEHA Board)

8:30 Welcome and Introductions

8:45 State Coalitions – Models for Action in NJ, OH, PA, and RI

• Moderator: Amanda Reddy of National Center for Healthy Housing (Invited)
• Laura Brion of Childhood Lead Action Project in Rhode Island (Invited)
• Heather Sorge of Lead-Free New Jersey (Invited)
• Fred Strahorn of Ohio Healthy Homes Network (Invited)
• Rosemarie Halt or Janet Planning of Lead-Free Promise Project in Pennsylvania (Invited)

9:30 Environmental Measurement for Healthy Home Assessments – What You Need to Know

• Kevin Kennedy of Healthy Indoors Training and Consulting

10:00 Break – Exhibit Hall Open

10:30 Translating Housing Data into Health Data

• Neal Wilson of University of Missouri at Kansas City
• Matthew Robinson of Center for Economic Information at University of Missouri at Kansas City

11:00 Ask the Expert:

• Mike Sharp of Janus Corp (LEHA Board)
• Carl Grimes of Haywood Score

12:00 Adjourn

Lead Poisoning Prevention Track

Moderator: Kate Kirkwood of Lead-Edu (LEHA Board)

8:30 Welcome and Introductions

8:45 Partnerships, Persistence and Progress in Buffalo

• Thomas Muscarella of Erie County Health Department
• Cara Matteliano of Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo
• Sarah Wooton of Partnership for the Public Good

9:30 Lessons from New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island on Proactive Rental Inspections and Rental Registries

• Judah Boulet of Rhode Island Department of Health (Invited)
• DeeAnn Guo of Childhood Lead Action Project (CLAP) in Rhode Island
• Ben Haygood of Isles in New Jersey
• Thomas Muscarella of Erie County Health Department in New York

10:30 Break – Exhibit Hall Open

11:00 Using AI to Extract Lead Hazard Data for Public Mapping

• Kristen Milbrath of Marion County Public Health Department

11:30 Lead Screening Kits and Indiana Pilot

• Heidi Beidinger of Notre Dame

12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Buffet Lunch Provided

1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. – Two Concurrent Educational Tracks continues

Healthy Homes Track

Track Moderator: Mike Sharp of Janus Corp (LEHA Board)

1:30 Contracting for Healthy Homes Education through Code Enforcement

• Larry Brooks, formerly of Alameda County Healthy Homes Department (LEHA Board)
• Pete Roque of 4Leaf
• Ceci Muela of Monarch

2:15 Comparison of Kitchen and Bath Exhaust Ventilation on Indoor Air Quality

• Dave Jacobs of National Center for Healthy Housing (LEHA Board)

2:45 Break – Exhibit Hall Open

3:15 Fall Prevention

• Kevin Chan of Green and Healthy Homes Initiative

3:45 Engaging Parents and Communities

• Jameela Maun of Healthy Homes Coalition of Western Michigan

4:15 Healthcare Funding/Engagement for Healthier Homes

4:45 Diversifying Funding Streams

• Moderator: Teresa Wortmann of Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services
• Brandon Boccher of National League of Cities
• Becky O’Meara of National League of Cities

5:30 Adjourn

Lead Poisoning Prevention Track

Track Moderator: Kate Kirkwood of Lead-Edu (LEHA Board)

1:30 Calculating Societal Benefits of Reducing Lead Exposure

Policymakers must pick and choose from an array of important priorities in which to invest their time, energy, and funding. While framing the expected health benefits from reducing lead exposure in terms of dollars can appear crass, it is an important tool to help compare priorities. And it is less abstract than health endpoints such as blood lead level, IQ points lost, or risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Fortunately, EPA has provided important tools to quantify the societal benefits of reducing lead exposure. Tom Neltner will explain how to use those tools to help evaluate your work and persuade others to support it.

• Tom Neltner of Unleaded Kids (LEHA Board)

2:15 Lead in Drinking Water: LCRI, LSLs, Schools and Child Care

• Roya Alkafaji of Environmental Defense Fund
• Deandrah Cannon of Lead-Free New Jersey and New Jersey Future

3:00 Break – Exhibit Hall Open

3:30 EPA’s Dust-Lead Standards and State/HUD Implementation

• Tom Neltner of Unleaded Kids (LEHA Board)

4:00 Pregnancy, Lead and Mercury

• Eric Bind of New Jersey Health Department and Newark Hospital (Invited for In-person or Virtual)
• Elyse Pivnick of Isles (Virtual)

4:45 Lead in Food: Baby Food, Cookware, and Vitamins

• Brian Ronholm of Consumer Reports
• Mariah Walters Orose of Unleaded Kids
• Katie Fellows of King County Hazardous Waste Program (Virtual)

5:30 Adjourn

__________________________

Wednesday, August 6,2025

8:00 p.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Closing General Session

8:00 Session Overview

• Moderator: Kathy Harris of EHS Labs (LEHA Board)

8:25 Finishing the Job on Lead

• Michael McKnight of Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI)

9:15 Perspectives on Next Steps

• Tom Neltner of Unleaded Kids (LEHA Board)

10:00 LEHA’s Role and Support

• Kate Kirkwood of Lead-Edu (LEHA Board)
• Kathy Harris of EHS Labs (LEHA Board)
• Neal Freuden of EnviroPlan (LEHA Board)

10:30 Finding the Path Forward and Taking Action, hosted by National Safe and Healthy Housing Coalition

• Sarah Goodwin of National Center for Healthy Housing (LEHA Board)
• Michael McKnight of Green & Healthy Homes Initiative

12:00 Adjourn

Exhibitors / Sponsors

Interested in Exhibiting or being a Conference Sponsor?

If you are interested in learning about the benefits of being an exhibitor or a sponsoring organization, fill out the form linked here, and we will contact you with details.