2009 CDS Member Spotlight Profiles
Peter Redvers-Lee
VA, USA
How long have you been a member of the CDS, and what is the organization with which you are affiliated and/or your profession?
· 5 years
Describe your work in community development, or your favorite part of your work.
· Teach sustainable community development at Emory & Henry College. Work on participatory action research projects in Ecuador.
Why do you belong to CDS?
· For the articles in the journal.
List things you like about CDS.
· The journal.
What difference has CDS made in your career?
· Journal articles keep me up to date.
Letitia Johnson
MO, USA
How long have you been a member of the CDS, and what is the organization with which you are affiliated and/or your profession?
· 12 years. University of Missouri Extension.
Describe your work in community development, or your favorite part of your work.
· Regional rural focus, project areas include food systems, emergency management, local government assistance, and GIS. Favorite part is working on wildly different projects - it's never boring!
Why do you belong to CDS? What does CDS mean to you?
· I've gotten a great deal of value out of the conferences: the resources, education, and making connections to other CD types.
List 3 things you like about CDS.
· Networking, professional dev., sharing knowledge
What difference has CDS made in your career?
· 1) Increased my ability to be effective by providing access to knowledge and resources. 2) Provided opportunities for professional leadership (i.e. conference presentations).
What are your hopes for the future of the community development profession?
· That we will become more relevant, visible, and and valued by communities and decision-makers.
Kari Keating
IL, USA
How long have you been a member of the CDS, and what is the organization with which you are affiliated and/or your profession?
· Less than one year
Describe your work in community development, or your favorite part of your work.
· Bringing my career experience in economic development into academics
Why do you belong to CDS? What does CDS mean to you?
· To learn
List your special interests/expertise/favorite book or quote
· Economic development; leadership development
What are your hopes for the future of the community development profession?
· As US national politics may change, so to may there be renewed attention on the importance of community develoment and the people who dedicate their lives to it.
Sarah Hultine
MO, USA
How long have you been a member of the CDS, and what is the organization with which you are affiliated and/or your profession?
· 3 years
Describe your work in community development, or your favorite part of your work.
· I work in 8 rural counties in the Ozarks region of Missouri. Projects include youth leadership, tourism, local food systems/farmers' markets, healthy lifestyles.
Why do you belong to CDS? What does CDS mean to you?
· CDS has given me great networking opportunities and the chance to give presentations and hear feedback on my research, even when I was a student.
What difference has CDS made in your career?
· I've had the chance to present at conferences, publish book reviews and a paper in the journal, and met great people who've shared advice and ideas.
List your special interests/expertise/favorite book or quote.
· local food systems
Kent Gustafson
MN, USA
How long have you been a member of the CDS, and what is the organization with which you are affiliated and/or your profession?
· 30 years +
Describe your work in community development, or your favorite part of your work.
· Working with community groups interested in tourism as an economic and community development strategy
Why do you belong to CDS? What does CDS mean to you?
· It is THE major associaton for community development professionals
List things you like about CDS.
· The journal; network of like-minded professionals
What difference has CDS made in your career?
· It has been a major resource for professional development and networking
List your special interests/expertise/favorite book or quote (re: community development)
· Good to Great (Jim Collins)
What are your hopes for the future of the community development profession?
· That it continues to grow and advocate for the necessity of viewing communities within a wholistic framework
Cory Fleming
ME, USA
How long have you been a member of the CDS, and what is the organization with which you are affiliated and/or your profession?
· ~ 15 years
Why do you belong to CDS? What does CDS mean to you?
· I believe in need for community development and that the only sustainable change that can occur in a community must come from broad cross-section of the population. CDS supports community developers so I want to support CDS.
Brian Salmons
FL, USA
How long have you been a member of the CDS, and what is the organization with which you are affiliated and/or your profession?
· 2 years
Describe your work in community development, or your favorite part of your work.
· I am a graduate student in Community Development at Iowa State. I hope to enter the field professionally soon.
Why do you belong to CDS? What does CDS mean to you?
· I belong to CDS because it is the professional organization for the field of Community Development and I hope to benefit from it by being part of a network of individuals with similar interests and career goals.
What difference has CDS made in your career?
· Reading the journal has helped me learn about the field. Attending the conference in Appleton last year was somewhat useful to me in that I met some of the Iowa State graduate faculty in person for the first time.
List your special interests/expertise/favorite book or quote (re: community development)
· Affordable Housing, Homelessness, Food Systems
Robert Silverman
NY, USA
How long have you been a member of the CDS, and what is the organization with which you are affiliated and/or your profession?
· 5
Describe your work in community development, or your favorite part of your work.
· Teaching
· Research
· Applied projects
Why do you belong to CDS? What does CDS mean to you?
· Networking
· Journal
· Conference
List 3 things you like about CDS.
· Journal, accessibility, collegues
What difference has CDS made in your career?
· Lots of opportunities to learn about best practices
List your special interests/expertise/favorite book or quote (re: community development)
· Community organizing and activism
What are your hopes for the future of the community development profession?
· More opportunities to change how decisions are made, more grassroots activities
Doris Littrell
MO, USA
How long have you been a member of the CDS, and what is the organization with which you are affiliated and/or your profession?
· My husband and/or I from the beginning
Describe your work in community development, or your favorite part of your work.
· I serve as a volunteer community development consultant to Together for Hope, a 20-year commitment that the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has made to 20 of the poorest counties in the US. The goal is to bring them out of poverty through community develo
Why do you belong to CDS? What does CDS mean to you?
· It's the premier professional organization in community development. Great way to make contacts, keep up with the latest in the field, and gain support.
List 3 things you like about CDS.
· The people, the publications, the energy
What difference has CDS made in your career?
· Ideas, support, sounding board for my work over the years.
List your special interests/expertise/favorite book or quote (re: community development)
· Practicing Community Development by Littrells
What are your hopes for the future of the community development profession?
· That basic community development principles and processes can be used to make the world a better place.
Joyce Hoelting
MN, USA
How long have you been a member of the CDS, and what is the organization with which you are affiliated and/or your profession?
· 7
Describe your work in community development, or your favorite part of your work.
· Marketing, Communications and Strategic partnerships
List things you like about CDS.
· The journal
Adam Alleman
CO, USA
How long have you been a member of the CDS, and what is the organization with which you are affiliated and/or your profession?
· 1 year
Describe your work in community development, or your favorite part of your work.
· I am currently a student.
Why do you belong to CDS? What does CDS mean to you?
· I am interested in community development and creating stronger communities as I move through my career.
List 3 things you like about CDS.
· I like the journal.
List your special interests/expertise/favorite book or quote (re: community development)
· Co-production, community currencies
What are your hopes for the future of the community development profession?
· Lead a career of creating strong communities.
Mary Emery
IA, USA
How long have you been a member of the CDS, and what is the organization with which you are affiliated and/or your profession?
· 18 years
Describe your work in community development, or your favorite part of your work.
· Working with communities and organiztions so they can achieve their dreams.
Why do you belong to CDS? What does CDS mean to you?
· Place to learn from others and find out new ideas and new ways of doing things.
List things you like about CDS.
· Less academic feel
Carla Main
WA, USA
How long have you been a member of the CDS, and what is the organization with which you are affiliated and/or your profession?
· 25
Describe your work in community development, or your favorite part of your work.
· I have worked in both rural and urban environments and have done community development work as a professional and a citizen volunteer. My major focus has been leading/staffing/ and supporting community organizing efforts.
Why do you belong to CDS? What does CDS mean to you?
· CDS has given me a support system that has been invaluable over the years. I emerge from each conference excited by new ideas, inspired by the work of others, and renewed because of the wonderful friendships I have been lucky enough to develop.
List things you like about CDS.
· Great conferences
Terrence Jantzi
VA, USA
How long have you been a member of the CDS, and what is the organization with which you are affiliated and/or your profession?
· 3 years
Describe your work in community development, or your favorite part of your work.
· Practitioner-Consultant and researcher in international community development work. Primary work now in program evaluation, used to focus on agricultural development and community organizing.
Why do you belong to CDS? What does CDS mean to you?
· Interested in nexus of practice and research in North American context.
List 3 things you like about CDS.
· Interesting people, diversity of initiatives.
What difference has CDS made in your career?
· Interesting connections, new ideas.
List your special interests/expertise/favorite book or quote (re: community development)
· Social capital and community development
Thomas Johnson
MO, USA
How long have you been a member of the CDS, and what is the organization with which you are affiliated and/or your profession?
· 4 years
Describe your work in community development, or your favorite part of your work.
· Working with communities to help them better understand their economies and economic future.
Why do you belong to CDS? What does CDS mean to you?
· CDS includes many colleagues who I respect and enjoy working with. I learn from this colleagues continuously.
List 3 things you like about CDS.
· Applied nature, focus on community, colleagiality
List your special interests/expertise/favorite book or quote (re: community development)
· Rural economic development
Dixie Ray
IN, USA
How long have you been a member of the CDS, and what is the organization with which you are affiliated and/or your profession?
· 20 years
Describe your work in community development, or your favorite part of your work.
· My work is mostly in organizational development and always try to convince them of the value of involving the broader community their efforts.
Why do you belong to CDS? What does CDS mean to you?
· CDS provides links to the broader area of community development and helps me to keep up with the literature through the journal and especially through the book reviews.
List 3 things you like about CDS.
· Breadth of issues covered
John Bloch
VT, USA
How long have you been a member of the CDS, and what is the organization with which you are affiliated and/or your profession?
· Eighteen years
Describe your work in community development, or your favorite part of your work.
· Currently working with telecommunications and access media around community develop issues. One of which in effective connection to broad band.
Why do you belong to CDS? What does CDS mean to you?
· It affords me the opportunity to be in contact with others from various backgrounds that are in community development work.
List 3 things you like about CDS.
· Diversity,Journal,fun People
What difference has CDS made in your career?
· It allowed me to draw from a wide of outstanding professionals in the field of community development when I was faced with the development for a new program. There after I had strong friendships from who I could share with my efforts and some crashes.
List your special interests/expertise/favorite book or quote (re: community development)
· Building community, "The Wealth of Networks",
What are your hopes for the future of the community development profession?
· To be more inclusive and open to a wide variety of approaches to assisting and supporting community as they move towards sustainability of themselves.
John Gulick
MO, USA
How long have you been a member of the CDS, and what is the organization with which you are affiliated and/or your profession?