News Release for Immediate Release July 20, 2004 OPGD Director to Moderate Capacity Building Panel at August Conference The Mayor’s Office of Partnerships and Grants Development (OPGD) announces that its director, Lafayette Barnes, will moderate a panel discussion at The Alliance for Nonprofit Management’s conference - Empowering the Nonprofit Sector. The Alliance for Nonprofit Management (The Alliance) is a professional association focused on improving the management and governance capacity of nonprofits, as well as promoting quality in nonprofit capacity building.  Each year, The Alliance convenes a major conference.  This year’s conference will feature more than 40 sessions, 16 different full- and half-day workshops for in-depth learning, and 120 presenters who will share their insights on topics ranging from nonprofit advocacy and collaboration to scenario planning and fundraising.  Mr. Barnes’ session, Public Sector Technical Support to Nonprofits:  City, County, State and Federal Capacity Building Programs, will emphasize the important role that government can play in nonprofit capacity building at the city, county, state, and federal levels.  According to Mr. Barnes, this panel discussion will highlight the fact that “public sector organizations can be key resources—financial and technical—that are in the position to strengthen and sustain the organizational development and leadership skills of nonprofit service providers throughout the United States.”  Representatives from the District of Columbia’s Department of Housing and Community Development, Fairfax County’s Office of Partnerships, and the US Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Adminisration (SAMHSA) will participate in the panel.  The conference will be held at the Capital Hilton, Washington, DC, from August 12-15, 2004. Wendy Puriefoy, president of the Public Education Network, Kim Klein, publisher of Grassroots Fundraising Journal, and Mayor Williams are featured speakers.  For further information on The Alliance or its conference, go to: http://www.allianceonline.org/.