By Huston Gibson

Hello CDS! My name is Huston Gibson. I hold a PhD in Planning and I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional & Community Planning at Kansas State University where I serve as the program Director for our online graduate certificate in and Master of Science in Community Development (M.S. CD). I also serve as Faculty Coordinator for the Great Plains IDEA Community Development online graduate program consortium, which our Community Development academic program is part. In addition to serving on the CDS Board of Directors I am also a U.S. country correspondent for the International Association of Community Development (IACD) and serving as guest editor for the March 2019 edition of Practice Insights, a special edition of the magazine focused on CD education. As a CDS board member, I am interested in the society’s foci and relationships related to the practice of community development, as a professional field and academic discipline.

I have a passion for helping create sustainable, resilient, and livable communities; I have worked domestically and internationally helping promote downtown viability, economic development, environmental conservation, ecological consciousness, social equity, land-use compatibility, housing options, public school quality, and neighborhood amenities.

As an academic I regularly speak at local, regional, national, and international events and I have published my work in multiple peer-reviewed outlets, including Community Development, the journal of the CDS. I have been a member of the CDS since 2014 when I attended my first conference in Dubuque that year, and I have attended every annual conference since. Hope to see you at the next one!

As we are gearing up for our big 50th Anniversary celebration in Columbia, Missouri next July (be sure to get your proposals in by November 30!), this is an opportune time for reflection on our organization - who we are and where we want to go. Your board has been working on this, in particular revising our bylaws and considering the roles of officers, directors, and staff. Keep an eye out for your opportunity to weigh in on the process! In the meantime, please reach out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., who are leading this process with any of your thoughts and concerns.

In October, the board discussed finances and staff to keep the organization running smoothly. We are very fortunate to have such a long-standing history of investment in our organization and so many members who care about the society. The discussion on these areas is ongoing and we can't wait to share with you how your leadership is taking this organization forward!

November is a month of thanks. I am very thankful for all our members. For the way that you contribute to our society. For the way that you work tirelessly to improve your communities. For the way that you lead our world. Thank you. Thank you for shining a light on community development and for lifting up us all.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to share a bit of timeline and explanation of events that happened over the past couple of years. There have been many transitions in our organization as we all work together to carry forward. Because of these changes, there have been many questions about when, why, and how things have happened. In an effort to help communicate to our members around these transitions, I am writing about some of those items here - to the best of my recollection and using our board minutes as a guide. Hopefully this will help - here we go!

• October 2016 - Conference proposal for El Paso 2018 withdrawn because of difficulty with institutional support
• December 2016 - Call for proposals for 2018 conference hosts, although there was some interest the call ended with no concrete host proposals
• December 2016 - AOM submitted contract renewal to the board 15 days ahead of contract expiration with 25% increase in fees
• April 2016 - I put forth Detroit as a potential host location for 2018 although there was only 1 other active member from Detroit who was able to support the proposal (no institutional support). This was done to avoid losing members by not having a conference because a large proportion of our annual memberships come from new members and renewals associated with the conference.
• June 2017 - 2016-2017 Board of Directors approves conference in Detroit and signs contract committing the organization to approximately $150,000 in costs to the host hotel
• June 2017 - AOM and CDS officially part ways after Big Sky conference
• June - October 2017  - Julie White, formerly of AOM, serves as interim administrator as Vice President of Operations Talmage lead board through development of Managing Director position and staff search
• October 2017 - Board retreat in Detroit, conference planning on track, board tentatively agrees to re-shape officer roles and committees through revision of POG and bylaws
• November 2017 - Justin Fallon-Dollard hired as CDS Managing Director
• November 2017 - President Hains indicates work on bylaws and POG forthcoming to Executive Committee
• January 2018 - Vice President of Operations Talmage presents summary of proposed bylaws changes to Board of Directors with digital response requested afterwards
• February 2018 - Proposed bylaws changes were voted on and passed by the board, I expressed interest to properly communicate changes to membership with President Hains and Director Williams agreeing to take responsibility for
• March 2018 - President Hains and Vice President of Operations Talmage resign
• April 2018 - Board of Directors agree to revert back to operating under 2004 bylaws because bylaw changes passed in February 2018 had not been published in Vanguard, as required for implementation according to 2004 bylaws
• April 2018 - Vice President of Programs Cindy Banyai ascends to President as prescribed by 2004 bylaws and confirmed by Board of Directors
• May 2018 - Jane Leonard appointed by Board of Directors to vacant Vice President of Operations position
• July 2018 - Conference held at provisional location in Detroit

Although this may not be a comprehensive timeline, I hope that it helps to clarify the timing of events to bring a better understanding of our organization's leadership and management transitions. I am happy to continue discussing these or any other items of concern that our members may have. Please feel free to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.or call/text (239) 464-6976. I'm listening.

From Como Ave, Minnesota to CoMo in the heart of Missouri, USA.

By Jane Leonard, CDS 2019 annual conference program chair

I live in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, a few blocks away from Como Ave, and not too far away from Como Lake, so when I attended the CDS Board Meeting in Columbia, Missouri last month, I was curious about all the references there to “CoMo.” Sometimes I’m a little slow on the “aha”, but once I got it, I was utterly charmed by the term of endearment for the city that we from CDS will all call home next July 14-17, 2019, for the 50^th anniversary and homecoming of our association, and our annual international conference.

As the Columbia Visitors Bureau aptly points out, Columbia, MO is “what you unexpect!” And being someone who loves intact, walkable, and diverse downtowns, I was unexpectedly pleased with the great vibe in CoMo, the beautiful campus of Mizzou - the University of Missouri, and the extra friendly people all around.

In July, we’ll be in the Alumni Center on campus for the conference program, with lodging nearby at The Broadway downtown near the north end of campus, and the Hampton Inn & Suites Columbia (near the Tiger Stadium and south end of campus). Shuttles, scooters, bikes, and short walks will get you around (and there’s a parking garage right next to the Alumni Center, too).

I can’t say enough good things about our Local Host Committee of Missourians who have every logistical detail in hand. You will have an extraordinary time! Please make plans to come, and please share your experiences, ideas, and/or research by submitting a presentation proposal to the program committee by November 15! It’s easy and it’s online at Coming Home to Cultivate the Future.   

So whether you are from the Como neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, or Lake Como, Italy, or anywhere in between, plan to head to CoMo this summer, where together “We’re Columbia…What You Unexpect!”

And checkout the Citizen Jane Film Festival at Stephens College – just happening this past weekend in Columbia. For some reason I love that name, too!

http://www.visitcolumbiamo.com/

Maps & Directions

Columbia Accolades

Community Resources

The Community Development Society (CDS) is seeking a qualified, proactive, and creative candidate for the volunteer position of Editor of the Community Development (CD) Practice publication, effective immediately.

Interested? 

Check out the CD Practice Editor position description for more information!

Community Development Practice: The Community Development (CD) Practice is an online-only, peer-reviewed publication of the Community Development Society. It presents innovative approaches, tools, and techniques that can be readily applied by community engaged researchers, community development practitioners, applied researchers and pracademics. The purpose of Community Development Practice is to describe and promote appropriate and useful tools, resources and practice(s) for all aspects of community development. Readers of Community Development Practice papers should be able to take lessons from, adapt, and/or use the tools, resources and practice(s) described. All presented tools, resources and practice(s) must be grounded in community development (or other related fields) theories, frameworks and/or methods that have a demonstrated record of positive impact in/for communities. We especially welcome submissions focused on innovations in practice. 

Community Development Practice focuses much more on the “how” of strategy and implementation, including key ingredients for success and pitfalls to avoid. Community Development Practice submissions should be aligned with the Community Development Society’s Principles of Good Practice (provided) and should clearly document methodology, data-driven results, success stories, resources and/or lessons learned. Citations of research and resources are expected in every manuscript. Successful submissions and published manuscripts should also reference the Community Development Society Principles of Good Practice.

Questions?

Please email Communication Committee Co-Chairs, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Thank you!

GRANTS

Updated October 16, 2018

The grants listed below represent a small selection of United States Government grants which may be of interest to the Community Development Society membership. There are many other departments and grant options which can be viewed at www.grants.gov.us. For regular updates, the site offers a notification and saved search options. Please verify the grant details and deadline on the official website.