Travois Annual Conference
Agenda
Monday, Sept. 21, 2026
Pre-conference session: Locked in! Find the keys to great teams. LIMITED SEATS AVAILABLE
1–2:30 p.m.
Stay tuned for updates.
Keeping your ducks in a row: LIHTC asset management and compliance essentials
3–4:30 p.m.
Location: Atelier Ballroom
Successful LIHTC compliance depends on staying organized, documenting every step, and maintaining accurate records throughout the property’s compliance period.
This session provides practical strategies for keeping your “ducks in a row” by strengthening file documentation, avoiding common compliance pitfalls, preparing for monitoring reviews, and reporting requirements.
Whether you’re new to LIHTC or looking for a refresher, you’ll leave with actionable tips to help keep your property audit-ready and in compliance with Section 42 requirements.
Attendee check-in
4:30–5:30 p.m.
Location: Gallery Foyer
Welcome reception
6–8 p.m.
Kick off the conference at our welcome reception, featuring Indigenous cuisine prepared by Chef Crystal Wahpepah, along with drinks and networking in the beautiful outdoor courtyard between our host hotel, the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SOMA, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Chef Crystal Wahpepah, a proud member of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma, is a passionate advocate for Indigenous food sovereignty and founder of the celebrated Wahpepah’s Kitchen in Oakland, California. Her accolades speak for themselves — featured in the Native American Almanac, a competitor on Food Network’s “Chopped” and “Beat Bobby Flay,” a 2022 James Beard Award finalist for Emerging Chef, and her restaurant was named Best New Restaurant in the Bay Area.
The welcome reception offers a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and meet Tribal housing and economic development professionals from across the country.
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026
Attendee check-in
7:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Location: Gallery Foyer
Breakfast buffet
7:30–8:30 a.m.
Location: Gallery Foyer and Ballroom
Welcome and introductions
8:30–9 a.m.
Location: Gallery Ballroom
Affordable Housing 101
9–9:45 a.m.
Location: Gallery Ballroom
Our housing development team will introduce the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, the largest affordable housing tool in the country. Learn how your Tribal nation can leverage tax credits to build new homes or rehabilitate existing housing.
LIHTC developments can be tailored to provide housing for people with low incomes or extremely low incomes, families, elders, the workforce, people with special needs, and students. At the same time, you can fund community buildings and amenities to benefit your members.
Interactive development: Real-time decisions for affordable housing
9:45–10:15 a.m.
Location: Gallery Ballroom
If you had complete decision-making authority over your next housing project, what would it be?
Join the Travois housing development team in an interactive session where we poll the room on core decisions shaping affordable housing.
We explore how attendees can utilize the LIHTC program, including discussions around project type, number of units, design aesthetics, how project location impacts scope, and more. Attendee participation is encouraged to explore with fellow attendees what decisions you would make for your community.
Coffee break
10:15–10:45 a.m.
Location: Gallery Foyer
The view from Capitol Hill: Advocating for housing and jobs
10:45–11:15 a.m.
Location: Gallery Ballroom
The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) works closely with other sources of housing funding such as Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA) funds.
We will discuss the status of NAHASDA reauthorization and the ways other proposed legislation, such as the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, impacts Tribal housing.
Now that the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) is permanent, panelists will discuss implementation and potential reforms, including those proposed in the Tribal Tax and Investment Reform Act.
Architecture that inspires
11:15 a.m.–Noon
Location: Gallery Ballroom
This architect-led session will immerse attendees in the field of architecture and highlight key concepts for designing sustainable and culturally significant buildings for all generations in Indian Country.
Panelists will share the guiding principles that make the Travois Architecture team industry experts and, in turn, make our clients successful.
The session will highlight innovative design features, equitable and accessible design, and strategies that support health, welfare, and resilience in a project.
Panelists will also share lessons learned from real-world applications. As an attendee, you will gain insight into this unique approach that supports your community and provides inspiration for your next development.
Lunch buffet and keynote speaker Bethany Yellowtail
Noon–1:30 p.m.
Location: Gallery Ballroom
Please be seated in the Gallery Ballroom by 12:30 p.m. for the keynote address.
We are excited to welcome Bethany Yellowtail, the award-winning designer and founder of B.YELLOWTAIL, as the keynote speaker for our conference.
Bethany is a citizen of the Northern Cheyenne Nation and proudly hails from the Mighty Few District of the Crow Nation. She founded B.YELLOWTAIL, a women’s fashion and lifestyle brand dedicated to sharing Authentic Indigenous Design with the world.
A 2009 graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, she founded her label in 2015 upon leaving a career in corporate fashion. Driven by the desire to see herself and her communities authentically and equitably represented in mainstream fashion, Bethany has built B.YELLOWTAIL into a leading voice in the industry.
In 2022, she was selected for Visa’s “She’s Next in Fashion” and honored at the Green Carpet Fashion Awards alongside Aurora James, Rashad Robinson, and Tom Ford.
As an award-winning designer and business leader, Bethany’s artistic vision and work are inseparable from her vision for her community.
She is an active organizer in her Tribal nations and is passionate about using fashion as a tool to uplift women and young girls, and to support MMIWG preventative resources.
Resilient paths to housing: Turning constraints into communities
1:30–2 p.m.
Location: Gallery Ballroom
Join us in a discussion with California housing visionaries. These tenacious leaders will share experience from their recent LIHTC projects, inspiring your team to overcome challenges and achieve your own affordable housing goals.
NMTC flexibility: Economic development projects in California
2–2:30 p.m.
Location: Gallery Ballroom
The New Markets Tax Credit Program is a flexible economic development tool. On this panel, we will discuss three separate California projects from the Elk Valley Rancheria and the Yurok Tribe — including how they qualify under the rules, the funding used, and the positive impacts on the local economy.
Closing remarks
2:30 p.m.
Location: Gallery Ballroom
Connect and refresh: A networking event with snacks and a headshot photo opportunity
2:45 p.m.
Location: Gallery Ballroom III
Finish off our first day of sessions on a lively note with an interactive networking event!
Feel free to grab refreshments, chat with fellow attendees, or even get a professional headshot taken. It’s your time to connect and unwind.
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026
Attendee check-in
7:30 a.m.–noon
Location: Gallery Foyer
Breakfast buffet
7:30–8:45 a.m.
Location: Gallery Ballroom
Welcome back
8:45–9 a.m.
Location: Gallery Foyer
New Markets Tax Credits 101
9–9:45 a.m.
Location: Gallery Ballroom
The New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) is a powerful tool for economic development in Native communities. It can support homeownership, health care, education, infrastructure, grocery stores, hotels, and more.
Join us as we lay the foundation with basic NMTC concepts you can use to engage in deeper discussions with other attendees about your community’s goals.
Preparing to use NMTCs on your next economic development project
9:45–10:15 a.m.
Location: Gallery Ballroom
Stay tuned for updates.
Coffee break
10:15–10:45 a.m.
Location: Gallery Foyer
Asset Management and Compliance 101: Building a strong foundation
10:45–11:30 a.m.
Location: Gallery Ballroom
We will break down the compliance fundamentals of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program into clear, easy-to-understand concepts.
Participants will explore the key requirements that impact day-to-day property operations, including tenant eligibility, income and rent limits, student rules, certifications, required documentation, equity investor requirements, and ongoing compliance monitoring.
Through real-world examples and practical guidance, you’ll gain the knowledge and confidence to understand the ongoing compliance requirements and keep your property on track for successful LIHTC compliance.
Travois Superhero Awards
11:30 a.m.–Noon
Location: Gallery Ballroom
Celebrate the best of the best in Indian Country development as we honor this year’s Travois Superhero Award winners. Prepare to cheer for your fellow housing and economic development professionals!
Always an inspiring highlight of our conference, the award categories for this event include:
- Project Team of the Year
- Groundbreaking Team of the Year
- Transformative Initiative of the Year
- Housing Professional of the Year
- Economic Development Professional of the Year
- Pillar of the Year
- Haven of the Year
Lunch buffet
Noon–1 p.m.
Housing at every scale: Planning and delivering Tribal multifamily housing
1–1:30 p.m.
Location: Gallery Ballroom
Tribal communities are exploring housing solutions at a variety of scales to meet growing and changing needs. This session will highlight how multifamily housing has become an important tool for expanding housing opportunities, while sharing lessons learned from planning and delivering these complex projects.
Through project examples, panelists will discuss key considerations in project planning, design, and construction. Attendees will gain practical insights into the opportunities, challenges, and strategies that can help Tribal communities successfully deliver multifamily housing.
TOKA San Miguel Homes: A New Markets first delivering medium-income Tribal housing
1:30–2 p.m.
Location: Gallery Ballroom
The Tohono O’odham Ki:Ki Association (TOKA), in partnership with U.S. Bank and the Chickasaw Nation Community Development Endeavor, closed the first New Markets Tax Credit for-sale housing development on Tribal land in 2025.
Join representatives from TOKA, Travois, and Ginsberg Jacobs to discuss the why and how of using the New Markets Tax Credit program to supplement the housing stock for medium-income families in your community.
Interactive closing session
2–2:45 p.m.
Location: Gallery Ballroom
Stay tuned for updates.
Closing remarks
2:45 p.m.
Location: Gallery Ballroom
Join us in San Francisco!
Reserve your spot today — we can’t wait to see you.
