2010 Keynote Speakers
Bryan Greene
Bryan Greene has devoted his professional career to fighting housing discrimination. From his start as a fair housing investigator in the Boston Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to his current position as the General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing, where he serves as the highest-ranking career-executive in HUD’s Office of Fair Housing, Mr. Greene has always worked to promote diverse, inclusive communities.
In his position as General Deputy Assistant Secretary, Mr. Greene oversees the policy direction and operational management of HUD’s 600-person Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. Under his leadership, HUD has pursued large-scale high-profile cases that address systemic discrimination and provide widespread relief. Under his direction, HUD has launched more Secretary-initiated investigations in the last three years than in the preceding 15 years combined. Mr. Greene oversees HUD’s investigation of nearly 2,500 complaints annually, and the administration of the Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP), which provides over $25 million to state and local agencies for the investigation of over 8,000 complaints each year. Mr. Greene also oversees the administration of HUD’s Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP), which provides $27 million to nonprofit organizations for private enforcement and fair housing outreach.
During his tenure at HUD, Mr. Greene has also served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Programs, as its Director of Fair Housing Policy and Legislative Initiatives, and as a Special Assistant to senior officials.
In his various capacities, Mr. Greene has represented HUD on Capitol Hill, among other federal agencies, and at The White House. Mr. Greene also speaks on behalf of the Department on television, radio, and in the print media, having given interviews to The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, CNN, National Public Radio, among scores of other national and local news outlets.
Mr. Greene was the 2007 recipient of the Presidential Rank Award, the highest federal honor bestowed upon federal senior executives for outstanding service.
Mr. Greene earned his degree in Government from Harvard University. While a student, he worked part-time at the Massachusetts Commission against Discrimination, investigating complaints of discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations. This experience, along with a course taught by veteran civil-rights activist Julian Bond, shaped his interest in civil rights.
Michael Allen
Michael Allen is a partner in the civil rights law firm of Relman, Dane & Colfax, PLLC where his practice focuses on litigation under the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and Americans with Disabilities Act. He joined the firm in June 2006, after 21 years of litigation and other advocacy on behalf of poor people and people with disabilities. Michael has litigated and lobbied at the federal and state levels, and appeared in national print and electronic media. He is a 1979 graduate of Georgetown University, and received his law degree in 1985 from the University of Virginia. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Virginia. Michael has written, lectured and consulted widely on civil rights and NIMBYism.
Michael has developed and litigated a number of innovative cases, including:
- United States ex rel. Anti-Discrimination Center v. Westchester County, 495 F.Supp.2d 375 (S.D.N.Y. 2007)(recipients of federal housing and community development funds required to identify and analyze race-based fair housing impediments as a condition of receiving those funds); --- F.Supp.2d ---, 2009 WL 455269 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 24, 2009)(as a matter of law, County filed repeated false certifications and claims concerning the obligation to “affirmatively further fair housing”).
- National Fair Housing Alliance, et al. v. A.G. Spanos Construction Co., et al.,542 F.Supp.2d 1054 (N.D. Cal. 2008)(Havens continuing violation doctrine applies to FHA design and construction obligations)
- Overlook Mutual Homes v. Spencer, 666 F.Supp.2d 850, 2009 WL 3486364 S.D.Ohio July 16, 2009)(emotional support dog could, without specialized training, qualify as reasonable accommodation under FHA)
His writing includes: