WNY Leadership Summit seats Dr. Raven Baxter on its UB Distinguished Keynote Panel
Dr. Raven Baxter joined three fellow University at Buffalo alumnae on the UB Distinguished Keynote Panel at the 4th Annual WNY Leadership Summit on May 29, 2026.
National Fair Housing Alliance opens its 2026 conference program with Dr. Raven Baxter and Lisa Rice
Founded in 1988, the National Fair Housing Alliance is the only national group devoted solely to ending housing discrimination, with a consortium of more than 290 members
Baxter speaks during her fireside chat with Lisa Rice at the Capital Hilton in Washington. Photo: Jason Dixson Photography for NFHA
Dr. Raven Baxter opened the main program of the National Fair Housing Alliance's 2026 National Conference on June 28, 2026, at the Capital Hilton in Washington. Right after the welcome, she sat with NFHA President and CEO Lisa Rice for the fireside chat "Qualified, Capable, and Denied: Housing Discrimination in Plain Sight."
NFHA framed the session around Baxter's own case. She was in contract on a home in Virginia Beach, and the seller tried to pull out of the deal after learning she is Black. The New York Times documented it in 2024. In its conference release, NFHA said Baxter "has since become one of the most visible faces of the fair housing movement."
Rice, left, and Baxter on stage for the Sunday fireside chat. Photo: Jason Dixson Photography for NFHA
The conference met as federal fair housing rules were shifting. In January, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposed removing its Fair Housing Act disparate impact rule. In February, NFHA led 174 organizations in a comment letter opposing the change. On June 12, HUD announced 15 fair housing enforcement actions and said it had cut a backlog left by the Biden administration by 27%.
NFHA gave its own account of the moment. Its June 25 release said federal fair housing enforcement "has contracted" and that protective rules "are being rewritten or rolled back." The alliance's 2025 Fair Housing Trends Report counted 32,321 housing discrimination complaints in 2024.
"The housing crisis in this country isn't an accident. That means the solutions must be intentional and impactful," Rice said in the release.
The full chat has not been posted publicly. In NFHA's recap video of the conference, Baxter spoke to people facing housing discrimination. "There is an entire group and community ecosystem of people who are ready, willing, and trained, and prepared to help you get through whatever you're going through," she said.
Conference attendees in the Capital Hilton ballroom during the chat. Photo: Jason Dixson Photography for NFHA
Founded in 1988 and based in Washington, NFHA calls itself "the only national organization dedicated solely to ending all forms of housing discrimination." It is a consortium of more than 290 private nonprofit fair housing groups, state and local civil rights agencies, and individuals.
Rice helped craft sections of the Dodd-Frank Act and helped establish the Office of Fair Lending at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Time named her one of its 2024 Closers.
The 2026 conference, "Building the Future We Deserve," ran June 27 to 30 and was NFHA's first hybrid edition. The program included a Fair Housing Awards Luncheon on June 29 honoring former HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge. Rep. Rashida Tlaib gave a Townhall keynote on June 30. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Marsha Blackburn sent recorded addresses.
Rice and Baxter embrace at the close of the session. Photo: Jason Dixson Photography for NFHA
Baxter is a molecular biologist and science communicator with a Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo, where her research focused on science communication. She partners with NFHA to help people across the country learn their housing rights.
The full program is on NFHA's conference agenda and release, and the alliance posted its 2026 National Conference Recap on YouTube.
