Certified Community Heart & Soul Coaches

Bob has over 41 years of experience in economic development, downtown revitalization, urban redevelopment, historic preservation, brownfield redevelopment, place making, marketing and community planning at the local, county, state and national levels as well as the private sector. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan. Bob also has a Graduate Certification in Historic Preservation Planning from Eastern Michigan University and is a U.S. Navy Veteran – Honorable Discharge. Bob has served as an Adjunct Professor at Lawrence Technical University and Eastern Michigan University. A Certified Main Street Manager (CMSM), Bob is recognized throughout Michigan and the United States as a successful economic development and downtown revitalization expert and leader.

Michelle is currently a Program Officer with the Iowa West Foundation. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for more than 30 years and enjoys helping local people dream big and put those ideas into action. A native Iowan, Michelle brought her Pittsburgh-born husband back to her home state where they have raised their two children near Hastings, Iowa (population 110 plus the occasional roaming chicken). She is a graduate of the University of Iowa and holds a Masters from the University of Cincinnati. On a summer night, you’ll probably find her enjoying a glass of wine while watching lightening bugs sparkle in the soybean fields.

Jason is the Heart & Soul Coordinator at the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque (CFGD). He works with rural communities in the CFGD seven-county region to provide coaching, technical assistance, and planning support for Community Heart & Soul projects. Originally from Dubuque, Neises has spent most of his career in adult education and working with non-profits, including Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Chicago Architecture Foundation, and the Peace Corps. He volunteers in the community with the Dubuque County Historic Preservation Commission, Cub Scouts, Dubuque Museum of Art, the Dubuque Winter Farmers’ Market, and the Thomas Determan Global Perspectives Endowment. Neises has an education degree from the University of Northern Iowa. He lives on a small farm north of Dubuque with his wife and two boys.

Danielle is a native to Ohio and loves all parts of her home state, especially rural downtowns. She has a passion for historic preservation and learned to write municipal and other grants to support preservation of historic commercial structures. She lives in Toledo with her husband, son and two feline fur-babies but can be found anywhere between Lake Erie and the Ohio River on any given week day. She works with dozens of communities throughout Ohio and northern Kentucky doing whatever it takes to make projects happen: planning, consensus building, funding, phasing, and finding whatever other resources are necessary to make dreams real.

Brian Treece is a lifelong resident of Findlay and serves as the President & CEO of the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation.

A graduate of Findlay High School, Treece received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from The University of Findlay. He earned his Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Northcentral University in 2010.

Prior to coming to The Foundation, Treece worked for 15 years at The University of Findlay, serving as Assistant Dean of Students and overseeing several areas including residence life, student affairs assessment, student-run businesses, and judicial affairs. He managed a staff and served on several teams and committees, including the emergency response team, reaccreditation steering committee, and led the federal compliance committee. Treece continues to serve an adjunct instructor in the College of Education, teaching courses in Human Resource Development, Research, and Collaboration. Treece served as Program Director for Community and Organizational Development and Evaluation at The Community Foundation for over four years, where he coached two Community Heart & Soul communities, led the 2017 Community Conversations project, expanded the Organizational Strengthening program, oversaw the work of Hancock Properties and The Family Center, and developed many other community leadership projects.

Treece has been recognized for his achievements locally and regionally, as a Northwest Ohio 20 Under 40 recipient, Hancock Youth Leadership and Hancock Leadership Alumni Association’s Outstanding Service Awards, and Organization Advisor of the Year. He has served on boards for Hancock Youth Leadership, the Center for Civic Engagement, University of Findlay Alumni, Cancer Patient Services, University of Findlay College of Education, Arts Partnership and Hancock Federal Credit Union.

Personally Treece is married and he and his husband Rick are proud parents to Harper.

Brittany Beyer brings a unique understanding of business management, economic development, organizational innovation, and cultural enhancement to make the Northwoods a better place to live, play, work, and invest. She is happy to have become Grow North’s Executive Director in June of 2018, which acts as a catalyst for economic prosperity in the Northwoods region of Wisconsin. Beyer is a native of Illinois and spent almost two decades in New York City working within the arts and culture field before relocating to the Northwoods in 2016. She earned a BFA in Dance Performance from New York University / Tisch School of the Arts, having a first career as a professional dancer touring in both the United States and Europe. She returned to NYU and continued her studies, receiving an MA from Tisch’s Art and Public Policy Department, where she focused on Nonprofit Management and Social Entrepreneurship.

For over a decade, Beyer served in company management and fundraising capacities in many arts-based non-profits. During final three years in New York, Beyer was the Business Development Manager and Executive Assistant to the President of EmcArts, an arts service organization that moves organizations through complex challenges by holding workshops, coaching, and innovation labs. In Wisconsin and in many places in the US, rural arts and culture development are intrinsically intertwined with economic prosperity. After serving as the Warehouse Art Center’s first Executive Director (Eagle River 2016-2018), she stepped into the role at Grow North, leading one of the nine regions of economic development in the state. Brittany Beyer was named by the Governor of Wisconsin as the Chair of the Task Force on Broadband in July of 2020 and serves as a commissioner on the Governor’s Blue-Ribbon Commission on Rural Prosperity, starting in June of 2020. Beyer is on the Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis (2020-present), a Board member for Wisconsin Economic Development Association (WEDA, 2021-present), and a member of the Federal Sustainable Forestry Committee (2019-present). In 2021, Brittany was the recipient of the 2021 Wisconsin Idea Award, given by the Wisconsin Extension Environmental and Community Development Association.

Ben is an AICP Planner and registered landscape architect. He is the President of Downtown Redevelopment Services, a small planning firm focused on helping main streets and small communities create effective plans and redevelopment projects for downtowns. Additionally, he is a board member of the Cleveland Section of American Planning Association and serves as membership chair for the Cleveland section of the Urban Land Institute.

Cassie serves as the Community Engagement Officer for The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation. Her responsibilities include facilitating the Heart & Soul process in Hancock County. Her responsibilities include Organizational Strengthening for area nonprofits, Community Conversations, supporting grant making, and facilitating the Heart & Soul process in Hancock County. She will be supporting past Heart & Soul Communities efforts and working on identifying and building relationships with the next village partner. Prior to coming to the Foundation, Cassie was a 4-H Youth Development Educator for 15 years with Ohio State University Extension. She especially enjoyed working with teen leaders to develop youth-adult partnerships that helped the camp and service 4-H programs thrive in Hancock County. She earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Findlay and her Master of Science from The Ohio State University in Human and Community Resource Development. She is a certified Real Colors Facilitator. Personally, Cassie enjoys volunteering for 4-H, is an active Kiwanian, and running. She lives in the country outside of Findlay with her dog Daisy.

A native Iowan, Jim brings 20 years of nonprofit involvement, serving as executive director, vice president, and in senior leadership roles. Jim is currently the Illinois Main Street State Coordinator. For 14 years, he served the Historic Valley Junction Foundation in West Des Moines, IA, a leading national and GAMSA winning Main Street organization. His experience also includes leadership roles with the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, CSPS Hall and other organizations, primarily focused on community development, downtown revitalization, marketing and communication, development, arts and culture and tourism. A Certified Main Street Manager (CMSM), Jim also has a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He loves local, Dolly Parton, and Dairy Queen.

A New Jersey native, with time in Ohio before moving to Wisconsin, Darrin has spent his professional career building great places for all. He thought his path lie in historic preservation, but an internship with the German Village Society in Columbus, OH, helped him to understand that saving old buildings was a means to creating authentic places and building community. His time in this historic neighborhood just south of downtown, allowed him to experience the power of inter-generational community and shaped his future work. Darrin continued to hone his craft in Orrville, OH through downtown development, nonprofit leadership, and entrepreneurship (he and his wife, Stephanie, opened a natural pet market) and most recently with Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s Wisconsin Main Street communities before joining AARP-WI.

Darrin holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from The Ohio State University and a Masters of Business Administration from Kent State University. He shares a house in Madison with his wife, three kids (Ashton, Cora, and Grayson), four dogs (Moose, Lola, Panda Bear, and Louis) and two chickens (Porsche and Mercedes).

Kara is a graduate of the University of Nebraska – Kearney with a degree in journalism. With nearly 17 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, she has had the privilege of working at three of the premier arts and cultural organizations in Nebraska: Museum of Nebraska Art (Kearney, NE), the Willa Cather Foundation (Red Cloud, NE), and the Stuhr Museum Foundation (Grand Island, NE). Before returning to her hometown of Holdrege, NE, to become the executive director of the Phelps County Community Foundation, Kara served as the program office for the Grand Island Community Foundation. She is passionate about small towns and nonprofit organizations serving those communities. Her strengths are her energy, creativity, leadership, and vision. Currently, she happily resides in Holdrege, NE, with her husband, Ron, and son, Graham. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking, watching sports of all kinds, and spending time with family and friends.

Jill is the Grant Writer and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for the City of Romulus (MI). She has 29 years of municipal experience providing executive level support in areas of grant writing and administration, community relations, budget development, multi-agency regulatory compliance, contract negotiations and other human resource functions. Additional responsibilities include special event planning, fundraising/campaigning, emergency planning, threat and hazard identification and risk assessment. Involvement in the municipal process is an important part of Jill’s life. Serving as a board member on the City of Romulus’ Pension Committee since 2005, she currently holds the office of President. She also serves her local community as President of the LMR Fire Board. Along with extensive experience in government/public service, Jill has worked with numerous non-profit organizations. In 2008, she accepted a position as volunteer coordinator for Great Lakes Rabbit Sanctuary and has served in various capacities, she is currently the Vice President of Romulus Goodfellows Inc. Jill is a graduate of Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication with a major in Public Relations. Empty Nesters, Jill and her husband, Michael, reside in Milan, MI and own a successful real estate firm and vacation rental business.

Annie Halle is the Vice President of Operations at the Barry Community Foundation (BCF). Annie’s strong sense of community and desire to provide opportunity has made her role at the Foundation a perfect fit. Before coming to the Foundation, Annie held positions in marketing research and public relations. Annie is also a mother of three boys. Annie’s focus has always been on creating opportunity, maximizing potential, and making the place she calls home a little better. As the Vice President of Operations at the Foundation, Annie provides financial access to Barry County students seeking post-secondary educational opportunities.

In addition to her role as scholarship administrator, Annie also manages the Barry Community Enrichment Center, which is home to 11 not-for-profit groups. By creating Barry County’s only nonprofit center, BCF saves area nonprofits a combined total of over $190,000 per year in rent, which in turn allows them to invest these dollars back into the community in programs and services.

Annie has taken an active role in building community throughout Barry County. Her role as affiliate liaison for two neighboring foundations allows her to hear the voices, concerns, and strengths of these communities and facilitate positive action.

Nora Roughen-Schmidt is a Business Consultant with the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center and is a passionate supporter of community and economic development and loves working with small businesses and entrepreneurs. Nora is a creative spirit, entrepreneur and consultant, public speaker and educator, and member of the Governor’s Council on Workforce Investment. She was recognized as a 2017 “40 under 40” award recipient, and her grassroots economic development and small business initiatives have won state and national awards. She lives by the mantra that nothing is impossible.

De’an collaborates with individuals from all walks of life, community and faith-based organizations, and primarily small and rural communities across the country to help them better prepare for and recover from natural disasters. She empowers people in a way that values their unique characteristics and strengths, honors what is important to them, gives them a strong voice, and builds resilience. De’an has worked directly with three states and 25+ disaster-impacted communities, developed materials and tools reaching many more, and networked with hundreds of partners to improve local and regional capacity. Her work is informed by her background in communications, mediation, crisis counseling, group facilitation, stakeholder engagement, team building, organizational and leadership development, strategic and community-based planning, law, grants, nonprofit management, coaching/mentoring, training, and event planning. Prior to joining FEMA, De’an mediated community, family, and civil cases and trained mediators in Tennessee. She earned degrees from Emory University, University of Tennessee College of Law, and Pepperdine University School of Law’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. She loves connecting with people, exploring new places, and wandering in the glory of nature.

As a relationship builder with a strategic mindset, Matt currently serves as Executive Director for the Village of Ortonville, MI Downtown Development Authority (DDA), a Nationally Accredited Main Street Oakland County Select Level community. He first acquired the “Main Street” and economic development bug while serving as a volunteer for the Highland Township DDA for 7 years. Matt’s experience includes over 20 years in marketing, planning, fund development, communications and community development in municipal, non-profit and financial services industries. His career has centered on strategic planning, board leadership, creating growth initiatives and building high-functioning teams. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Northwood University and a Certificate in Fund Raising Management from Indiana University’s Center of Philanthropy. Matt also dedicates his volunteer time to local non-profit organizations including the Huron Valley Educational Foundation and Brandon Groveland Youth Assistance. Matt and his wife Korey live a fast-paced family focused life in White Lake, MI thanks to their 3 (adult) daughters: Erika, Taylor, and Emma.

Jen is the Executive Director of the Cozad Development Corporation. Cozad is a rural community in the center of Nebraska with a population of around 4,000. Jen has been involved in community and economic development for over twenty years, working for local, regional, and county economic development organizations. She has worked with over sixty communities over the span of her career. She earned her bachelor’s in business at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and she holds a Master of Science in Organizational Management with an emphasis in economic development and entrepreneurship from Peru State College. She is also a certified reality-based leadership coach. Jen is past president of the Nebraska Economic Developers Association and was NEDA Professional of the Year in 2013. She loves to help communities find their personality and energize leaders to bring new life to rural communities. She and her husband Mark have raised six kids and live on a small lake outside of town.

Cara Marker-Morgan is currently the Interim Executive Director of Golden Hills RC&D. She is also the watershed coordinator working on watershed management projects with Golden Hills since 2017. Cara grew up in southwest Iowa attending both Hamburg and Sidney High schools and graduated from Hamburg High. She went on to college at Peru State majoring in wildlife ecology/biology. Cara found herself in retail management from 1997 until 2005 where she was the manager for 11 Farm Store companies in Nebraska, Minnesota, and Iowa and was one of the only female Area Managers in the company. Cara returned to Peru State where she received a Bachelor of Science in Management and Marketing.

In 2005, she married her husband Brandon and they have 3 children, Mavryc, Czandrya, and Cytara. In 2008, Cara was elected County Supervisor in Fremont County where she was afforded the opportunity to be a part of many boards and organizations such as Chair of the Iowa State Association of County Supervisors, the Iowa State Association of Counties, the Loess Hills Alliance, Hungry Canyons, 4th Judicial, and many others. Cara enjoys being the leader of the Clover Catchers 4-H club and being involved in her children’s many activities. Cara and her family love activities such as gardening and beekeeping or showing their animals at the county fair. She enjoys the outdoors and living in the Loess Hills.

Pam has dedicated her life to helping individuals and communities find their unique voice. With decades of experience as a nonprofit consultant and cultural administrator, she is passionate about principled community engagement practices and fostering collective transformation and joy. Pam is a certified trainer in Restorative Justice and Civic Reflection Dialogue. Her past work includes securing millions in funding for community organizations, spearheading strategic planning and evaluation efforts, and creating collaborative programs that bring together community-building and creativity. Since 2006, Pam has served as director of Spirit & Place, a project housed in the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI that uses the arts, humanities, and religion to catalyze civic engagement in a five-county region. Her team’s innovative, race-centered dialogues have been recognized nationally and internationally, and she has won numerous awards including the IUPUI Inspirational Woman Award, as well as local and state artist awards for her creative work.

Daniel is a community planner based in western Nebraska. He has eight years of experience in rural community planning and development, with special attention to community engagement, long range planning, public health, and public resources for property redevelopment. Daniel manages rural programming for Civic Nebraska- with a focus on working alongside adult and youth community leaders to strengthen rural “civic health”- the connections, processes, and habits of involvement that sustain civic life and undergird a thriving local democracy. Daniel also has a passion for music, faith, and sharing the natural beauty of his home state with others. He has a degree in community and regional planning from Iowa State University and is conversational in Spanish.

Katy Klettlinger, LYRASIS Outreach Representative and Consultant, serves states in the Mid-Atlantic region and has over fifteen years’ experience in archival, government, and public library settings in Ohio. At LYRASIS, Katy provides strategic planning, space planning, and preservation consulting services to libraries, archives, and museums in the United States. Previously, Katy was a Library Consultant for the State Library of Ohio where she assisted public libraries with digitization, space planning, and strategic planning. Before coming to the State Library, Katy worked for six years as the Records Manager and Archivist for Licking County Government where she built the county’s program from the ground up and created its first county-wide digitization program. Her background in archival and digitization management for government settings in addition to public library needs provides unique perspectives for librarians to consider when offering quality services to their patrons. Katy takes pride in supporting colleagues and helping them succeed.

For over two decades, Eric has been living his purpose to “build flourishing communities in which ALL people can thrive.” Eric uses design thinking to help civic, residents, small businesses and agripreneurs engage in, and direct, their future. Eric has coordinated, facilitated, and led award-winning workforce development, neighborhood and community revitalization, and business and farm development programs both in Africa and across Ohio. Eric has a Master’s in Community Development. He also holds professional certifications, including in Asset Based Community Development. Eric’s affiliations include the Great Lakes Urban Restoration Network, which he directs.

Jillian Foster is the Director of Community Engagement at the Barry Community Foundation. She directs the local community leadership program, Leadership Barry County, the Youth Advisory Council. She is the president of the Rotary Club of Hastings and sits on various boards and committees of organizations that are important to her. As a lifelong learner she is pursuing her master’s degree in public administration with an emphasis on nonprofit leadership. She espouses ideas of diversity, equity, and inclusion and is always willing to learn more. In her free time, she loves to travel, read, volunteer, try new gin or beer, go to the beach, and spend time with friends and family. She lives in Michigan with her husband, daughter, and two cats.

Ramona is a Capacity Development Specialist in the Office of Policy and Strategic Development at VA Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Before coming to DHCD she was a Management Analyst with the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority (CRHA). She is a native of Charlottesville, VA. Ramona has served on nonprofit boards, is a member of the Virginia Parliamentarian Association and loves agriculture. She enjoys volunteering with several urban gardens in the Charlottesville and Richmond, VA areas. Mona holds a Master of Science in Health Administration and minor in Higher Education Administration.

Cynthia Curtis joined Arras Foundation in January 2018 as a Community Investment Officer to support partners in Lancaster and Chester counties address their health and wellness development challenges, revitalize their towns and communities, and strengthen their organizations. In July 2018 she began serving as the Heart & Soul Coach in Kershaw, SC. Her life and work experience in the development field includes 21 years in El Salvador working with international cooperation for development in the Central American region around local and economic development, equity, youth and women’s participation. In 2008, she facilitated the establishment of the Global Platform in El Salvador, a learning platform for international and local youth grassroots organizations and development practitioners that provides training for intercultural cooperation for social transformation. In 2013, she relocated to Chester, SC, where she worked with the City of Chester as Grants & Community Development Coordinator and as Development Coordinator with the Chester Downtown Development Association. She is currently studying Anthropology and Native American Studies at the University of South Carolina Lancaster. Cynthia is accompanied by her human, canine and feline family in Lancaster.

Holly Furr works for the Lancaster County (SC) Sheriff’s Office serving as Project Coordinator of a federal grant dealing with the local opioid crisis. Holly is an elder at First Presbyterian Church in Lancaster. She is currently chair of the Lancaster County Community Foundation. She is Past-President for the Lancaster Breakfast Rotary Club. She has been trained and participated as a small group leader for Montreat Youth Conferences. She is a past trainer for the FAST (Families and Schools Together) program. Holly has spent over 20 years working in the not-for-profit arena. She is a 2012 Hull Fellow with the Southeastern Council of Foundations. Holly is past chair of the South Carolina Grantmakers Network, a state-wide organization of foundations and philanthropic organizations. She has a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC. A native of Lancaster, Holly holds a BA degree in Psychology from Columbia College in Columbia, SC.

Ann Glave is the Existing Business and Project Manager for Hanover County, VA Economic Development Office. Ann’s career path has taken her into many directions which gives her insight on working with a variety of partners and stakeholders and the impact of economic development and placemaking for communities. She was the executive director for Fredericksburg Main Street Inc. for 8 years involved with grants, and numerous projects that had a high impact on the Downtown. Prior to that role, she was the executive director for the Montpelier Center for Arts & Education. Ann’s experiences include a realtor in Massachusetts and a successful entrepreneur in the retail world.

She holds an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University in Business Administration. Her undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Science in Business with a marketing major from Virginia Tech and she has completed two nonprofit certificates from the University of Richmond.

Douglas Jackson provides facilitation, technical assistance, and strategic support to community partners of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Doug served as an officer in the US Navy and holds degrees from Duke (economics); UC Irvine (urban and regional planning); and Hollins (creative writing). During an 11-year stint on the Roanoke Arts Commission, he co-chaired the development of Roanoke’s Arts and Cultural element of the comprehensive plan. A self-proclaimed book nerd, he’s now exploring the Roanoke Valley’s literary scene through the strategic blog BOOK CITY Roanoke.

Jim lives in the city of Forest Acres, a town of just over 10,000 residents located in the Midlands area of South Carolina. He and his wife, Sandra C. Manning, Ph.D., have two adult sons — Jim, who lives with his wife Amanda in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Luke, who resides in Columbia. Jim retired after his first career as a social worker and administrator in S.C. state government. He then worked with the non-profit public health organization PALSS, Inc. for more than 10 years. Now in his third career, he is an enterpriser who created an eclectic consulting business, Gray Hair Solutions LLC, where he offers conundrum alleviation. Jim has been an Adjunct College Professor for nearly three decades and was elected for three terms to the Richland County Council, from which he stepped aside in 2020. In late 2017, Jim connected as a coach with Community Heart & Soul. Utilizing his master’s degrees in Public Administration and Social Work and decades of multifaceted professional experiences, Jim approaches every opportunity with passion and eagerness. Jim also does historic preservation through adaptive reuse and is a Main Street Director, along with statewide advocacy for anti-human trafficking initiatives. Finally, he creates personal well-being by long-distance running, humoring their Cockapoo puppy (Gigi Camaro), attending his church, sightseeing, and pondering.

Kyle is a market-driven and client-focused urban planner with over 10 years of experience in project management, community development, and commercial revitalization. He enjoys leading responsible and energetic planning teams and working with community allies to catalyze downtown revitalization. Currently, he manages Virginia Main Street (VMS), a program of advanced, asset-based, commercial district economic development housed in the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Through VMS he provides downtown and neighborhood commercial revitalization technical assistance and resources to designated Virginia Main Street communities and affiliates, CDBG grantees and to any other organizations, city, town or county governments across the state. He received his undergraduate degree from James Madison University and his graduate degree in urban and regional planning from Virginia Commonwealth University. Kyle grew up in the Richmond region, has an avid taste for music and art, and enjoys outdoor, recreational pursuits and adventure travel.

Judy is a change manager who draws on years in the community development field, working inside nonprofits that execute significant revitalization projects and offer programs for the advancement and inclusion of multiple populations. She transfers career experience in Human Services, including housing preservation and homelessness prevention; workforce development; and children, youth, and families programming. She has also worked in the fields of arts, cultural resources, and entertainment, as well as tourism and hospitality.

Today her emphasis is on capacity building and sustainability for organizations who partner with other agencies, NGOs, for-profit entities, and local governments in the areas of community development, physical and economic revitalization, historic business district development, and cultural preservation. Services: Judy offers planning and tactical execution support for nonprofit organizations who are advancing community renewal, placemaking, community engagement, and preservation, thus helping organizations achieve bigger impacts and swifter results by aligning action plans with organizational objectives.

As a Johns Hopkins Fellow in Change Management, she applies the principles of Organization Development during times of transition and local transformation. As a certified Community Heart & Soul Coach she uses various approaches to facilitation, including the Appreciative Inquiry method.

“Change efforts are substantially enhanced with community-building models of inclusion, empowerment, and grassroots participation that help groups build future leadership. These methods are well suited to meet the vast challenges and opportunities of this new transformational, people-centric era.”

Jenny serves as Manager of Community Development with Georgia Electric Membership Corporation, which is the statewide trade association for Georgia’s 41 electric membership cooperatives (co-ops). Robbins is an experienced facilitator who specializes in helping communities successfully prepare to grow their local economies through leadership development and strategic planning. Robbins has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Communications from Valdosta State University. She gained local experience as a Main Street Manager for the City of Homerville and with the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension as a Family and Consumer Science Agent and an Energy Educator. Robbins is a current member of the Georgia Economic Developers Association, the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, Georgia Downtown Association, and the National Rural Economic Developers Association. She and her husband Len reside in Homerville, Georgia (population 2,450) with their three children, two cats, and one dog.

Cecile Carson has 30 years of experience in community improvement volunteer and project management, including municipal government level supervision of economic development, planning, and code enforcement divisions and director at local, state, national nonprofits. As a consultant, Cecile guides nonprofits and government entities in developing innovative programs and conducting research relating to zero waste, litter, recycling, and community engagement. In addition, she is a skilled and engaging trainer and presenter at hundreds of local, national, and international conferences. Cecile received a doctorate in Learning and Organizational Change at Baylor University, focusing on litter and blight issues in rural America. Cecile established Keep Denton Beautiful, served as the Affiliate Director for Keep Texas Beautiful, and Vice President of Litter and Affiliate Relations for Keep America Beautiful. While at Keep America Beautiful, she guided the formation of over 100 affiliates, created the National Youth Advisory Council, and directed the “Charting the Multiple Meaning of Blight” literature review. She earned the President’s Lifetime Volunteer Service Award and currently serves as the North Central Texas Council of Governments – Resource Conservation Commission Vice-Chair and California Resource Conservation K-12 Technical Committee.

Suzan has worked in the non-profit arena for 45 years and has worn many different hats. Some of the hats include Volunteer Family Coordinator for a local Habitat for Humanity, Home-Based Therapist for a psychiatric hospital, and social worker for a Head Start program. Suzan is a “force to be reckoned with” and uses her positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. She holds two degrees, Associate of Applied Science in Drug and Alcohol Counseling and a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Science. She has many hours toward a Masters in Psychology but life guided her in a different direction. Upon retiring she started a small business that includes selling vintage items, writing books, and teaching courses. She volunteers in her local community in many ways, as a board member of a non-profit, member of the beautification committee, OSU Master Gardener, and owner of a Little Library in the community garden. Suzan enjoys cooking, canning, gardening, family time, music events, thrift store shopping, and reading. She and her husband live in rural Oklahoma with their dogs and 7 “barn” cats. Her husband was in the Air Force for 28 years. They have one son, three daughters, eight granddaughters, one grandson, and one great-granddaughter (so far). Family is important!

Beverley Coleman is a graduate of Virginia State University with a degree in Business Administration. She started her career in her hometown of Roanoke, Virginia. For over 8 years she served as a Business Development Specialist with the Roanoke Valley Business League. The program was created with funding from the Department of Commerce Office of Minority Business Enterprise (OMBE). The program was started to provide small and minority owners and potential owners with business loans from banks and the Small Business Administration. In 1984, Beverley moved to Petersburg, Virginia to work with the City of Petersburg assisting small businesses as well as serving as the Co-Main Street Manager, the Enterprise Zone Administrator, assisting the non-profit organizations and directing special projects. Since being in the Petersburg area, she has worked for county and state governments. Beverley recently worked with a friend to start Main Street Petersburg, Inc., a not-for- profit organization that plans to seek state designation as an official Main Street Community. She serves on many boards and volunteers at the Historic Farmers Bank as a docent.

Beverly has spent a lifetime in service to our nation and the communities she has lived. Even while serving around the world in the Air Force, primarily as a public affairs officer, she was active in numerous community nonprofits working to achieve better schools, assist families with special needs children, and to help community leaders navigate international issues and solutions. Returning to her rural hometown of Tullahoma, Tennessee, home of Arnold Air Force Base, she is a member of the area economic development board, military affairs council, workforce development efforts, numerous aerospace heritage and recruitment initiatives, and assists city leaders in telling their story. Serving as the executive director for the Hands-On Science Center, she championed many STEM programs throughout Middle Tennessee. Passionate about communities embracing their heart and soul, she received recognition as Citizen of the Year from both Tullahoma, TN and Laguna Niguel, CA. Beverly has a wide range of people-centered skills and technical knowledge as a Project Management Professional (PMP). She received her Master of Arts degree in Psychology, Counseling and Guidance from the University of Northern Colorado. When not working on an exciting project, she is either trying to finish writing a book, hiking, or traveling.

Kit has worked with many rural communities and rapidly growing towns in her native South and across the country. She continues to explore how local assets—people and places, residents’ knowledge, collective narratives, and iconic objects and sites—weave together to strengthen communities. She believes that to tackle today’s complex challenges, we need to nurture our community networks. Her skills in asset-based community development, emergent learning, change management, mixed-methods evaluation, and process improvement apply across socio-economic opportunity areas. A seasoned facilitator, coach and trainer, she has worked with teams and communities within government, nonprofit, corporate R&D, and philanthropic sectors. These include St. David’s Foundation, Appalachia Funders Network, New Mexico Museum of Natural History, and Unilever. She headed a federal national grant-making agency, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, within two presidential administrations. She currently serves on the National Council on the Humanities within the Biden-Harris administration. While earning a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, she conducted ecological research in Costa Rica and Antarctica. She relishes grits and posole among other food delights and is an avid hiker, gardener and birdwatcher.

Caleb is a Certified Community Heart & Soul Coach and a full-time student pursuing his master’s degree in Social Work at Western Carolina University. He works part-time as the office manager for Next Step Recovery, a non-profit sober living facility for men. Before returning to school, Caleb worked and volunteered in numerous community-service oriented spaces, from food pantries to community summer camps. These experiences included several years working at a non-profit work camp facilitating volunteer groups in completing crisis housing repairs, and in leadership at a residential treatment center. Caleb enjoys spending time with his wife Madison and dog Oliver hiking, paddle-boarding, attending events in his community, and traveling.

Holly Larson Lesko is the Program Director for the Public Health & Business Continuity Team at the New River Valley Regional Commission. This work is focused on supporting community wellbeing with public and private entities across the region through education, health and wellness guidance, resource seeking, and collaboration. Her past research focus on rural and vulnerable community development through health, art, and collaborative narrative praxis influences her current engagement and practice. She has worked to address policy needs in community at the local level and to seek partners at the state and federal level to address the needs of her home community in central Appalachia. She supports work throughout Virginia and the U.S. with storytelling, collaborative facilitation, and grant seeking. Ms. Lesko has worked with communities and organizations in the New River Valley region and across the Commonwealth for the past 32 years and her focus in community development is on creating spaces and processes to enhance new ways of viewing and approaching issues and concepts through inclusive and diverse engagement.

Susan Berry Hill is a retired community planner most recently serving as the Director of Planning and Zoning for the Town of Leesburg, Virginia. Her planning career spanned over forty years and included communities in Texas, Kansas, and Virginia. She is passionate about all aspects of community development ranging from land use planning and zoning, redevelopment and revitalization, long-range comprehensive planning and supporting economic development. The best parts of her career involved projects that included community engagement and interaction with residents and businesses. Susan grew up in Iowa and received her bachelor’s degree in political science and master’s degree in planning and zoning from the University of Iowa. Since retirement she has started volunteering with a local organization developing a food cooperative and spends time gardening, traveling, reading, cooking, and being with family and friends. She has two grown children who reside in the Washington DC metro area and she resides in rural Loudoun County, Virginia with her husband and canine buddy, Charlie.

Hillary works as a grant writer, fundraiser, and volunteer coordinator for a nonprofit childcare center in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where she lives. In addition to working in childcare, Hillary’s background includes serving as an AmeriCorps Team Coordinator working with at-risk teenagers in the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps. Hillary plays an active role in and strives to enrich her community in a number of ways including with her board and volunteer service. She has served on the boards of United Way of Routt County and First Impressions of Routt County, her local Early Childhood Council. She has also held elected positions on the North Routt Community Charter School Board and Colorado Association for the Education of Young Children. Hillary meets community members every Saturday at the local farmers’ market where she and her husband are vendors selling the wellness goji berry tea they make and package along with representing several other locally made products. Hillary received her Community Heart & Soul Coach Certification working with the town of Grand Lake, Colorado. Living, working, and volunteering in Steamboat Springs for three decades has given Hillary an informed perspective of the challenges and rewards associated with growth and the tourism industry. Hillary loves travel, cooking, mountain recreation, coaching CrossFit, and spending time with her husband Paul and coonhound Della Mae.

Bill is a community development consultant for over 30 years, dedicated to supporting public and private non-profit organizations and tribes in the development and management of healthy, compassionate organizations and communities. His work is rooted in engaging people in transformative community development programs, plans, and processes. Primary elements of his practice include facilitation and planning, with special attention to methods of effective listening to key stakeholders and community members; outreach and equity, with particular expertise working with under-served people and communities (including rural); community cultural development, identifying, supporting, mobilizing local culture; research, assessment, evaluation, specifically toward the goal of continual organizational improvement; program development, management, resource development. Bill is a dedicated listener, organizer, and facilitator. He holds a Master of Science degree in Community Systems Planning and Development from Pennsylvania State University and taught from 2007-2018 for the University of Oregon. He is a recipient of a Fulbright Senior Specialist award which enabled him to research and teach in Germany for the Cultural Management Program at the Potsdam Fachhochschule — an applied sciences university in Potsdam, Germany.

Elisa is the Program Director for the Montana Community Foundation. As the Program Director, Elisa oversees all the Montana Community Foundation’s community programs and works to increase rural community vitality through grantmaking, capacity building, networking, and supporting community projects. Elisa leads Montana Community Foundations community projects including Reimagining Rural and the Foundation’s Disaster Recovery program. She works to develop, maintain, and steward community partnerships to increase the Foundation’s impact across the state and help communities prosper.

Prior to joining the Montana Community Foundation, Elisa was the Rural Community Development Manager with the Governor’s Office under the Bullock administration. In this capacity, Elisa worked to assist rural and tribal communities with various community development projects, helped identify and address roadblocks to success, and supported community efforts to increase community and economic opportunities in rural communities. She developed and managed the Main Street Montana Rural Partners Program, an initiative focusing on empowering small towns in Montana. Elisa has dedicated her career to supporting rural communities and working with them to identify challenges, capitalize on assets and opportunities, and move forward. Originally from Vermont, Elisa lives in Helena and enjoys exploring new places in Montana, mountain biking, and skiing with her husband and daughter, Sylvia.

Christine has been involved in the nonprofit industry for over 14 years and is the Leadership Services Business Manager for Rural Development Initiatives (RDI). Prior to RDI she served as the Executive Director of the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre for 11 years. During her tenure Christine led the Kenworthy through transformative years growing it from a fledgling nonprofit to a professional community-centric arts organization. She has a deep passion for making change and elevating communities through grass roots organizations.

Currently she serves as the Chair of the Moscow Arts Commission, Moscow Contemporary, and as the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Advisor for Kappa Alpha Theta. Additionally, she serves on the Latah County Community Foundation, the Moscow Chamber of Commerce Marketing Committee, and the Alternative Giving Market of the Palouse. Christine is a proud graduate of the University of Idaho earning two degrees in Music Business and Music Performance. She is a Certified Change Leader through the Idaho Commission on the Arts, a graduate of RDI’s Rural Community Leadership Program, and an accomplished cellist.

Christine lives in beautiful Moscow, Idaho with her husband and two sons. Her passion for change and growth is fueled by her children. Being a mother has taught her to be a better communicator, leader, and collaborator. During her “downtime” she enjoys baking, camping, exploring nature, telling stories, and proving that magic does exist.

Alexis comes to coaching after seven years on staff as a senior trainer at Community Heart & Soul. During this time, she trained and mentored coaches and communities in South Carolina, New Jersey, Colorado, Montana, Texas, Oklahoma, and Michigan in the Heart & Soul model. Alexis also served as a Heart & Soul Champion, and as project coordinator in her own community of the North Fork Valley, Colorado from 2012-2014. Alexis is finishing her master’s degree in Community and Economic Development at Pennsylvania State University where she is learning how Heart & Soul methods and processes fit into our country’s rich legacy of community development. Her work is also informed by her undergraduate degree in natural resource management from the University of Michigan, and prior experiences as a project manager, where she led projects in renewable energy policy and adoption, watershed management, and non-profit publishing. Alexis is a skilled facilitator and is passionate about working with communities, municipalities, and foundations on public engagement strategies and techniques, participatory evaluation (including measuring outcomes of community development), community driven economic development, impact investing, and local climate change adaptation/ long-term community resilience. She currently lives in Denver, CO with her husband, Matthew, two cats (Magic and Percy), and their awesome vegetable garden, which is their pride and joy.

DiAnn, Grand County Economic Development Director, is engaged in leading many diverse community and economic development county efforts ranging from identifying an economic resilience and diversification strategy to working with our towns on their creative economy, downtown assessments, business and customer-centric culture development (using The Disney Way Principles) and young entrepreneurship programs. She is currently working with Grand Lake Heart & Soul.

A native of Indiana or most of her life, Linda moved to Wyoming in 2015 for a western adventure and to manage the state’s Main Street program. Her career path started with volunteering in her hometown of Logansport. She served on the county’s Historical Society Board before becoming chairman of the Cass County Carousel Board of Directors and led the organization through a complete restoration of the 1900’s Dentzel Carousel and building project. She also served on the Indiana Landmarks Board of Directors and was Statewide Project Review Chairman for several years. Linda’s background is comprehensive. She was a business owner for 16 years; served on the City Council for two terms; served as Deputy Mayor for two terms; worked for the County Commissioners and the State of Indiana; appointed to the city’s plan commission for 14 years; and also, was the first Main Street manager for Logan’s Landing, a 501c3 nonprofit agency. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Indiana Wesleyan University; is a Main Street America Revitalization Professional and has an Event/Meeting Management Certification from Indiana University/Purdue University, Indianapolis. Linda has been married to David for 49 years and currently lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming. They have two sons and five grandchildren in Indiana and Mississippi.

Kirsten Sackett is a professional City Planner with 13 years of experience working in municipal government, and is currently serving as Community Development Director for Ellensburg, WA. Prior to that she worked for the City of Cortez, Colorado for nine years. She has overseen the creation of new Comprehensive Plans for each community, and has worked extensively on drafting code amendments to bring land use regulations into sync with identified community values. She is a successful grant writer, a trained facilitator, and enjoys both current and long range planning. While in Colorado she served four years as a member of a local food task force, and seven years as a board member of a non-profit housing organization. She has a B.A. in English, with graduate work in the field of political science and public policy. In her spare time, she loves reading novels from the likes of Austen and Bronte, or going on camping excursions with her husband Joe and three children, Christian, McKenzie and Madeline.

Allison Jermain is experienced in coordinating and implementing grant-funded projects in non-profit and research settings. She is also a skilled writer, editor, and translator who has helped many researchers publish their work in academic and scientific journals. Some of her interests include documentary storytelling, reading, and nature. Allison currently resides in the beautiful Sonoran Desert of Tucson, Arizona, and is looking forward to helping implement the Heart & Soul model in the Southwest.