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Milt Sharp, Jr. is a Senior Homeownership Specialist for NeighborWorks^®America’s National Homeownership Programs. Milt’s duties include overseeing financial education and homeownership programs, including NeighborWorks Financial Fitness Program. He is active in wealth building strategies, such as Individual Development Account (IDA) programs, EITC-VITA programs and minority homeownership efforts. Additionally Milt is the homeownership center coordinator for the national network of NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Centers, a series of “one-stop shops” which provide access to all the products and services needed by existing and perspective homeowners.  Milt’s primary focus is to assist the Centers in building capacity in the areas of service delivery, marketing and design, homebuyer education, and partnership development.

Previously Milt was the Vice President of the Financial Self-Reliance Program at Isles, Inc., a nonprofit in Trenton New Jersey. His responsibilities included the development and overall management of Isles’ Homeownership, Individual Development Account (IDA), and Financial Fitness programs. Prior to Isles Inc., he worked for nine years in the retail banking industry and managed several large financial institutions where he specialized in educating the community in the areas of business development, community economic development and homeownership/financial literacy programs for adults and youth. He is a regular trainer at the NeighborWorks Training Institute and is pursuing his masters in community economic development at Southern New Hampshire University.

 NeighborWorks America, working with national partners, has developed a “Financial Fitness” program to help individuals and families develop sound money management skills. More than 85 NeighborWorks organizations participate in the financial fitness program.

Financial Fitness education has become a critical tool in successful community development, given today’s business climate of deregulated government institutions and increasingly complex financial services.