News Release

Ohio Wesleyan University Panel to Discuss Nation’s Affordable Housing Needs
Sagan National Colloquium Event to Feature Three University Graduates, Urban Planning Experts

October 22, 2007

DELAWARE, OHIO – When searching for safe, affordable housing in U.S. cities, too many working-class and low-income Americans have the welcome mats pulled out from under them. So what can be done to address urban housing needs?

Three nationally recognized experts in the planning and development of large metropolitan areas will tackle this and related issues during a panel discussion at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 31 at Ohio Wesleyan University. The discussion, part of the university’s 22nd annual Sagan National Colloquium, will be held in the Benes Rooms of Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave.

Discussing the topic “Urban Planning, Urban Development, and the Politics of Affordable Housing in America” will be Ohio Wesleyan graduates Claudia Cappio ’76, Carol Galante ’76, and Deborah McColloch ’77.

• Claudia Cappio is the director of development for the city of Oakland, Calif., which has a population of nearly 415,000. Since 1988, the city has funded the development of more than 4,300 housing units to help provide residents with affordable places to live. During Mayor Jerry Brown’s administration from 2000 to 2006, Cappio oversaw the planning and construction of more than 6,000 housing units, including several affordable projects working closely with Carol Galante.
• Carol Galante is the president and CEO of BRIDGE Housing Corporation in San Francisco. The nonprofit company creates and manages homes for working families and senior citizens. Since 1983, BRIDGE has helped to develop more than 12,000 homes valued in excess of $3 billion. Galante also serves as vice chair of the national Housing Partnership Network and is a director of the California Housing Consortium and the Center for Creative Land Recycling. She holds a master’s degree in city planning from the University of California, Berkeley.
• Deborah McColloch is the director of the Office of Housing and Community Development for the city of Philadelphia, which has a population of nearly 1.5 million. In that role, McColloch administers a budget of almost $120 million to support housing production and preservation, and community and economic development programs. She holds a master’s degree in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania and also has served as an Ohio Wesleyan trustee since 1993. 

Each year, Ohio Wesleyan University’s Sagan National Colloquium examines an issue of national and global significance with its fall lecture series. The theme of this year’s Colloquium is “Cities and Suburbs: Life in a Metropolitan World.” Past Colloquium speakers have included President Gerald Ford, Nobel Peace Prize winner Jody Williams, and author Kurt Vonnegut. A full schedule of this year’s Colloquium events is available at snc.owu.edu.

Ohio Wesleyan University is an undergraduate liberal arts college that transforms the lives of its students through a combination of rigorous academics, mentoring relationships, and real-world experiences. Featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” the private university’s 1,850 students come from 40 states and 45 countries. Visit www.owu.edu for more information.