Diane Sterner of Housing and Community Development Network To Receive Leadership Award

March 25th, 2013 by Elaine Clisham

New Jersey Future announced today that Diane Sterner, the founding executive director of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey, is the 2013 recipient of the organization’s Cary Edwards Leadership Award. The award recognizes individuals who have an outstanding commitment to improving the quality of life and promoting smart growth in New Jersey through sustainable land-use policy and practice. The award will be presented at the annual Smart Growth Awards on June 6 at the Metropolitan Room at the Newark Club.

The Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey, a statewide association of 150 community-based development organizations (CBDOs), was created in 1989 to enhance the efforts of these groups to create housing and economic opportunities, revitalize their communities, and improve the climate for community development. Prior to joining the network, Ms. Sterner worked as a community development consultant with non-profit housing developers and as director of housing and economic development for La Casa de Don Pedro, a community-based organization in Newark.

Ms. Sterner has helped found several other organizations to address issues critical to New Jersey communities, including New Jersey Community Capital, the Coalition for Affordable Housing and the Environment and Homes for NJ, and serves on the boards of New Jersey Policy Perspective, the National Housing Institute and New Jersey Citizen Action. As a James A. Johnson Fellow in 2006 she helped found the National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations (NACEDA) to serve as a voice in Washington, D.C., for community development practitioners and a vehicle for bringing together state and local CDC associations to support the field.

To attend the June 6 event, register here.