People

Rob’s work focuses at the intersection of city planning, real estate development, economic development and environmental policy. At PSI, Rob has helped shape green building and infrastructure strategies for catalytic development projects including the Brewery Blocks (Portland, OR), South Waterfront (Portland, OR), and 2010 Olympic Village (Vancouver, BC); creating the EcoDistricts Initiative, and leading the development of a clean economy roadmap (Climate Prosperity Greenprint) for the Portland metro. Previous work with the Clinton Climate Initiative included developing a Residential Energy Efficiency Pilot project and a Municipal Green Building Policy Capacity Building Framework.

As a Mel King Fellow, Rob looks forward to connecting to a group of practitioners and researchers with complementary expertise to flesh out concepts to deploy in the EcoDistrict pilot projects in Portland in the short term, and nationwide in the long term if the model can prove to be scaled.

Portland Sustainability Institute (Portland, Oregon) engages representatives from the business, higher education, non-profit and municipal sectors to drive initiatives for urban sustainability in the Portland area.

http://www.pdxinstitute.org/

Keith is interested in Triple Bottom Line investing that supports projects that have economic value, social benefits or equity, and are compatible with the environment. He is particularly interested in how rural communities interact with urban communities and how community economic development organizations can more effectively integrate environmental sustainability and social equity into the economic development field. In his current position, Keith is responsible for development and management of the $11 million Northern Heritage Development Fund and developing CEI’s expertise and impact on forestry and forest-based job-creating businesses including nature-based tourism, renewable energy and sustainable materials (e.g. housing). Previous experience included policy work with Rapoza Associates in Washington DC, research with Coastal Enterprises in Maine and independent consulting.

As a Mel King Fellow, Keith looks forward to the opportunity to interact with other practitioners who struggle with similar challenges, and from the students and faculty at MIT, who can share their practical, analytical and theoretical insights and experience, since in the day-to-day work of community economic development, it is rare to have such time to stop, think and share.

Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) (Wiscasset, Maine) is a private, nonprofit Community Development Corporation and Community Development Financial Institution that provides financing and support for job-creating small businesses, natural resources industries, community facilities, and affordable housing.

http://www.ceimaine.org/

Adam is interested in exploring the economic development potential of climate resilience activities. In his current work with the City of New York, Adam led the process to update PlaNYC, the City’s long-term sustainability plan, and manages internal staff in the sustainability office and oversees outside consulting teams on a variety of issues, including solid waste, freight mobility, and resilience. Prior to holding his current position, Adam was the Senior Policy Advisor for Climate Change Adaptation for the City of New York. His other experience included work with the Office of the New York State Comptroller, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and positions with political campaigns and the Chief of Staff position for New York State Assemblywoman Joan L. Millman.

As a Mel King Fellow, Adam wants to deepen his understanding of the economic development potential of climate resilience activities. Specifically by measuring the benefits associated with utilizing green and grey infrastructure for storm water management, and identifying the skills and knowledge needed to create and maintain resilience in our communities, infrastructure, and buildings.

Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability (New York, NY) is responsible for guiding the environmental agenda for the City of New York. Goals include; improving the quality of the city’s air and water, creating more affordable housing, providing better access to open space, increasing transit capacity, cleaning up the city’s contaminated land, improving and maintaining the city transportation network, upgrading the city’s energy infrastructure, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

http://www.nyc.gov/planyc

Bob’s interests with COUP are to realize a tribal community economic development strategy based upon utility and community scale, on- or off-grid renewables (wind, solar and geothermal) and create a housing strategy that is sustainable, affordable, future-proof and energy efficiency. With COUP, the goal is to work on the development of a scalable renewable energy generator/ storage unit that may involve a variety of cost-effective storage systems. As a lawyer, Bob’s previous experience included work as a public defenders, a tribal attorney, and a consultant, in additional to numerous affiliations with organizations and academic institutions.

As a Mel King Fellow, Bob wants to continue working towards the Council’s goal of developing a scalable renewable energy generator/ storage unit.

Intertribal Council on Utility Policy (Ft. Pierre, SD) has representatives from ten Tribes from South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska and provides policy analysis and recommendations about utility issues, as well hosts workshops about telecommunications and climate change.

http://www.intertribalcoup.org/

Andrew is an entrepreneur and “early adopter” of renewable energy in the business world, which speaks to his passion to build businesses with socially and environmentally responsible aspects. In his current position with the Green Launching Pad, he is responsible for connecting start-up companies with this public-private collaboration, while mentoring entrepreneurs to ensure that they meet or exceed their goals. He also directs efforts to install large scale solar energy systems around New England at Revolution Energy and previously started the first all biofuels company on the East Coast.

As a Mel King Fellow, Andrew seeks to tackle specific issues such as the impact of current incentives (federal, state & utility) on the entrepreneurial community, and questioning how streamlining this “path to transition” can unite the business, academic and public entities.

The Green Launching Pad (New Hampshire) is a public and private sector initiative, between UNH, NH OEP & US Department of Energy that enables local start-ups to bring green solutions to market.

http://greenlaunchingpad.org/

Eric addresses issues of the knowledge economy and associated development through his work as a policy advisor and project leader on economic development projects in regions and cities that have high poverty. In his current state government role, Eric is responsible for developing and managing projects such as the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center, an advanced manufacturing initiative, state policies for innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives. Eric has held previous position in economic development and policy research with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the University of Massachusetts and a private consulting firm.

As a Mel King Fellow, Eric hopes to gain insight into how to integrate policies that combine the often compartmentalized areas of community development, ecological thinking and economic development, and apply this knowledge to develop and implement policy with a greater transformational impact on the communities.

Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, (Commonwealth of Massachusetts) has the primary mission to create homes and jobs in the Commonwealth.

http://www.mass.gov/

Yorman is interested in playing a role in lifting people out of poverty through redesigning the economic system that is our economy. His commitment to redesigning systems to address the causes of poverty emerged out of his work as a community organizer. He is currently working on a project to use the purchasing power of major institutions in the Bronx to develop new local and worker owned enterprises. Previously, Yorman has managed and organized issue, political and community campaigns and initiatives throughout the boroughs of New York.

As a Mel King Fellow, Yorman seeks knowledge and insights to support economic development projects that can address the root causes of a dysfunctional Bronx economy rather than implementing band-aid solutions. He hopes his experience in the Bronx can contribute solutions to national economic development debate.

Red Horse Strategies (Brooklyn, New York) works as campaign managers, field organizers, public relations professionals, speechwriters, fundraisers, and legislative aides for state and national elected officials, as well as labor organizations and not-for-profits.

http://redhorsestrategies.com/

Sara believes the key to transition in Appalachia lies in the idea (and goal) of New Power—the necessity for new economic power, new clean energy power, and new political power. She views such change as key to transitioning this high poverty region into one with a prosperous and sustainable future. In her current position she organizes grassroots campaigns to halt the use of coal-fired power, she runs multiple electric cooperative board campaigns, and organizes co-op members to demand clean, affordable energy and good governance practices. Sara has previously worked as a freelance writer, researcher, web designer and Managing Editor at The Southeast Review.

As a Mel King Fellow, Sara wants to learn about various forms of community economic development with the goal of bringing the unique perspective of economic transition in extractive regions.

Kentuckians For The Commonwealth (Berea, Kentucky) is a statewide citizens organization working for a new balance of power and a just society, and finding solutions to address real world problems. Membership is open to anyone committed to equality, democracy and non-violent change.

http://www.kftc.org/

Andre is a proven organizational leader and manager having extensive experience managing complex organizations and projects which have significant impact on public policy and economic development. In his current position with this nonprofit, Andre works to support regional communities in transforming their economies through “green” innovation, energy efficiency, capital formation, business growth and job creation. Previously, as the Executive Director of the Office of Economic Development for the City and County of Denver, Andrew launched the city’s “Greener Denver” economic development strategy in support of Denver’s climate action program under Mayor John Hickenlooper (now Governor of Colorado).

As a Mel King Fellow, Andre is interested in updating the definition of sustainable economic development and expanding its application in low-income, distressed communities where economic opportunity and job creation are the priorities. Generally he seeks to understand how policy changes at the state and federal levels can generate energy savings, economic opportunities and job creation within distressed low-income communities.

Climate Prosperity Project, Inc. (Washington DC) is a network of regions and business partners that believe that climate change represents an environmental imperative and an extraordinary economic development opportunity.

http://www.climateprosperityproject.org/

Cathy draws on experience in law and housing finance to inform in her current efforts to foster economic development, energy efficiency and growth of Minneapolis’ cleantech sector. In her current position, she is responsible for the City’s Business Finance, Business Development, and Youth and Adult Employment and Training Divisions. Cathy has worked to create a marketing program for the City, develop a new finance and business attraction tools, participate as a member of Mayor’s ARRA steering committee and represent the Mayor on various regional economic task forces.

As a Mel King Fellow, Cathy intends to take the time to more rigorously analyze the preliminary results of a variety of green policies and programs, and to use those findings to evaluate and redirect theories of green economic development.

The Department of Community Planning and Economic Development (Minneapolis, Minnesota) works to grow a sustainable city.

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/

Shanna’s is interested in a profoundly different paradigm of development that requires significant re-thinking of how to internalize externalities, discover synergistic solutions based on shared self interest, and avoid exploitation that leads to depreciation of resources over time. With Yellow Wood Associates, she works with clients on community economic development projects that recognize, preserve and grow community wealth in all forms: human, financial, social, ecological, and physical (infrastructure). And, as the managing grantee for the Ford Foundation’s Wealth Creation in Rural Communities initiative, Shana has been engaged in developing and testing hypotheses regarding how to create seven forms of wealth that stick in poor rural regions through intentional exploration and construction of inclusive value chains that improve livelihoods.

As a Mel King Fellow, Shana intends to further her thinking and practice with respect to wealth creation and livelihood development that benefits rural areas through regional economic linkages.

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. (St. Albans, Vermont) is a consulting firm specializing in rural community economic development, each word means something special. Our interest in rural comes from a deeply held belief in the necessity of supporting people who work with and live close with the land, and empowering communities that live closest to our natural resources to be effective stewards of our shared resource heritage.

http://www.yellowwood.org/

Wilnelia’s is interested in alternative strategies and critical thinking capacity to continue building a progressive political infrastructure in historically disenfranchised communities. In her current position with Neighbor to Neighbor, Wilnelia oversees the strategic development and implementation of the statewide issue and electoral agenda for this community-based environmental and economic justice organization. Previously, Wilnelia has worked as a staff union organizer.

As a Mel King Fellow, Wilnelia seeks to develop alternative strategies and deepen her knowledge and skills to implement social and economic change in the lives of low-income and working families.

Neighbor to Neighbor (Massachusetts) is a membership led community based environmental and economic justice organization that functions under the assumption that sustainable change is long term and effective.

http://www.n2nma.org/

Desiree is interested in triple bottom line funding mechanisms at the household/small business level to simultaneously drive environmental and economic development. In her current position, she develops and implements triple-bottom-line lending products and programs to improve water quality, energy efficiency and create jobs in the residential and small business sectors. Additionally, Desiree convenes cross-disciplinary teams and works in close partnership with public and private sectors. Her previous work includes, independent consulting and grant making with Bay Area Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).

As a Mel King Fellow, Desiree hopes to explore the future potential and effectiveness of triple bottom line funding mechanisms, specifically related to issues of scalability and impact in low-income communities.

Craft3, formerly Enterprise Cascadia, is a non-profit community development financial institution with a mission to strengthen economic, ecological and family resilience in Pacific Northwest communities. They achieve this mission by providing loans and assistance to entrepreneurs, non-profits, individuals, and others, including those who don't normally have access to financing.

http://www.craft3.org

Elizabeth’s work focuses on the intersection of sustainability and economic development in the U.S., including writing three major reports to educate the economic development profession on this important topic. In her current position, Elizabeth works on a wide variety of economic development technical assistance and research projects and serves as the project manager of IEDC’s Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) Program, a means of recognizing professional excellence in economic development organizations. Elizabeth brings a diverse experience in research, consulting and project management related to sustainable economic development and a passion for social-economic justice to the Mel King Fellows Program.

As a Mel King Fellow, Elizabeth looks forward to learning from peers in new and different ways, and is interested in collaborating to learn how economic development systems can change and adapt as sustainability becomes a more paramount goal for communities.

International Economic Development Council (Washington DC): is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to helping economic developers do their job more effectively and raising the profile of the profession. It supports its members to create more high-quality jobs, develop more vibrant communities, and generally improve the quality of life in their regions.

http://www.iedconline.org/

Reverend Dr. Barber serves as Pastor of the Greenleaf Christian Church and Chairperson of the Rebuilding Broken Places Community Development Corporation. He is also the President of the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP and serves as National Board Member of the NAACP and Board Member of the NC Justice Center.

As President of the NC NAACP, Dr. Barber fought and helped to secure over 200 million new dollars for low wealth and disadvantaged students. He also joined with the Center for Civil Rights filing an amicus brief to the NC Supreme court and the US legislative district and helped to win a minimum wage raise.

As Chairperson of “Rebuilding Broken Places,” Dr. Barber has helped to develop homes for flood victims, first time homebuyers, led the effort to secure a low moderate-income senior citizen’s complex, and the construction of a Community Development Resource Center.

Dr. Barber graduated --cum laude from North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C., receiving a B.A. in Political Science. Received a Master of Divinity degree from Duke University-- was a Benjamin Mays Fellow and a Dean scholar. Dr. Barber has a Doctoral degree from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, with a concentration in Public Policy and Pastoral Care.

Scott Douglas, III, a native of Nashville, TN, attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where he co-founded the UT Black Students Union. Residing in Birmingham since 1976, he served as executive director of the Southern Organizing Committee for Economic and Social Justice from 1984-1989. He was southern regional representative of the Partnership for Democracy Foundation from 1989-1992. After a stint as Environmental Justice Grassroots Organizer for the Sierra Club/Southeast, Scott became executive director of Greater Birmingham Ministries. GBM is an ecumenical, multi-faith, multi-constituency, and multi-racial organization that provides emergency services to families in economic crisis while assisting low-income neighborhoods empower themselves to reclaim their communities on a basis of participatory, transparent, and democratically accountable inclusiveness.

Scott serves as Secretary of the Birmingham Center for Affordable Housing and is a board member of Democracy South, the Alabama Poverty Project, the Progressive Technology Project, the Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama, AIDS Alabama, and Equality Alabama. Scott also serves as a member of the advisory council of the Gulf Coast Fund for Community Renewal and Ecological Health and the steering committees of the Alabama Organizing Project, the Deep South Leadership Network and the PushBack Network. Scott is an alumnus of Leadership Birmingham and Leadership Alabama and is a founding board member of the Nonprofit Resource Center of Alabama.

An aggressive racial justice advocate with 20 years of civil rights experience, Penda Hair has a stellar record of victories both in and out of court. A leader in the national struggle to protect affirmative action, Hair developed crucial Fair Housing Act amendments, argued major civil rights cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, and won the most extensive redistricting remedy ever imposed in a litigated voting rights suit. She is the author of the Rockefeller Foundation's report on innovative civil rights strategies, Louder Than Words: Lawyers, Communities, and the Struggle for Justice (2001) and former Washington, DC office director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. A 1978 Harvard Law School graduate, Hair also served as a clerk for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Wilfred Feinberg and former Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun. In 1998, The American Lawyer named Hair one of the top public interest attorneys under age 45. Hair is admitted in Washington, D.C.

Derrick Johnson is State President of the Mississippi State Conference NAACP. Elected in 2004, he is the youngest State President in the country. He earned his Jurist Doctorate Degree from South Texas College of Law in Houston, TX and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Tougaloo College in Jackson, MS. He served as a Fellow with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in Washington, DC, while working in the office of Congressman Bennie G. Thompson and as a Fellow with the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management Minority Fellowship Program. In the aftermath of Katrina, Mr. Johnson served as Vice-Chair of the Governor’s Commission for Recovery, Rebuilding, and Renewal. Mr. Johnson also serves on the boards of the Mississippi ACLU, Hope Community Credit Union, and on the Advisory Council of the Mississippi Economic Policy Center. In February 2008, he was elected to the NAACP National Board of Directors by the Association’s board members. Additionally, Mr. Johnson was appointed by the Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court as a Commissioner to the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission.

A former university professor and transportation research director, Joyce is currently Director of the Jubilee Institute, a community-based leadership development and training entity. Joyce assisted the Beloved Community Center of Greensboro (BCC) in developing the Jubilee Institute to provide institutional support, social and political analysis, training, and leadership development for the broad-based progressive movement in that city. Joyce also serves on the North Carolina NAACP State Executive Board, the Guilford Education Alliance Board, the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, and the Faith Community Church Council.

Nelson Johnson has been active in the movement for social and economic justice since high school in the late 1950’s. He served as a local and national student leader including Vice President of the SGA at A&T State University, in Greensboro, NC in 1970. Between high school and college Rev. Johnson served four years in the United States Air Force. He continues to work for social and economic justice in Greensboro as Pastor of Faith Community Church and Executive Director of The Beloved Community Center of Greensboro.

Though involved in a myriad of initiatives, Rev. Johnson centers his efforts on facilitating a process of comprehensive community building, which include a convergence of racial and ethnic diversity, social and economic justice, and genuine participatory democracy. At the Beloved Community Center, he and his colleagues attempt to bring together the homeless, the imprisoned, impoverished neighborhoods, and other disenfranchised groups in the spirit of mutual support and community.

Rev. Johnson is a native of Halifax County, NC. He received a baccalaureate degree in political science from North Carolina A&T State University and a Master of Divinity Degree from the School of Theology at Virginia Union University.

Dr. Jacquie L. Kay, President of WPI, Inc., an international trade and development firm, (www.wupi.com) has for over the past 35 years, spent both her professional and personal life engaged in community economic development, planning and leadership training. She is a strategic planner, – able to provide vision and implementation, analysis and action at all levels of business, government and society. Her work spans workforce and business development to financing sustainability; corporate social responsibility for businesses to policy reform for countries; assisting communities in planning and execution of development projects and building leaders. She has worked directly with community leaders, and as one, has sought to access resources for the community. She has established extraordinary connections in government and business throughout the world, and, advised and organized workshops and seminars on planning and execution in both the private and public sector. She co-founded and was the founding President of the Asian Community Development Corporation and serves on numerous boards, covering finance and business, education, arts and culture, and the environment.

Her academic background includes a doctorate from Harvard University, an M.A. from New York University; and an executive MBA and B.A. from the University of Washington.

Burt Lauderdale is the Executive Director of Kentuckians For The Commonwealth. KFTC is a statewide, membership-based social justice organization that uses community organizing and grassroots leadership development to address a wide range of public policy issues. For over 28 years, KFTC members and chapters have organized winning campaigns around natural resources, water protection, fair housing, voting righs, tax policy, mine safety, and more. KFTC’s current campaigns include ending mountaintop removal, new energy policy, rural electric coop reform, comprehensive state tax reform, restoration of voting rights for former felons, and economic transition in Appalachia.

Lauderdale grew up in Alabama and is a graduate of Auburn University. He and is wife Jenny have two teenage sons. He lives and works in rural Laurel County, Kentucky and has worked for KFTC as a chapter organizer, staff coordinator, and executive director. Burt serves or has served on various national network and organization boards or steering committees related to community organizing and progressive change, including the Pushback Network, the Alliance For Appalachia, the Progressive Technology Project, Southern Organizing Cooperative, and the New World Foundation.

Malia's work is focused on exploring the opportunities for deepening democratic practice among youth through the development of an experimental Urban Lab. Specifically she is developing the Urban Lab by exploring effective models to reach urban youth using social media and networks to build communities and create critical citizens. The goal is to understand how this demographic interacts with social media and how social media platforms can be used by social justice organizations to build a network of urban youth that helps to support their meaningful participation in civic conversation and develop agency in shaping their future. America's current president and his stimulus package affords an opportunity to build bridges from the academy to main street and include young people of color in all levels of democratic dialogue. Malia is exploring how technology can allow such efforts to reach a large number of unengaged youth and track their network building and policy outcomes.

Juan Leyton has devoted his career to economic justice and building power in low-income communities. He was an activist in his native Chile, before moving to the Boston area where he worked as a community organizer for eight years at the East Boston Ecumenical Community Council. Juan served as the Executive Director of City Life/Vida Urbana for six years. He expanded City Life from a single-issue organization based in Jamaica Plain to a city-wide organization with a multi-issue focus and multi-ethnic constituency. He most recently served as a program officer for the Solidago Foundation, a national foundation invested in developing a progressive movement through funding strategies. Juan has worked with organizations around the country on issues like worker and immigrant rights, tax reform, corporate accountability and gentrification.

Penn Loh is Professor of the Practice at Tufts University's Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning. From 1996 to 2009, he served in various roles, including Executive Director since 1999, at Alternatives for Community & Environment (ACE), a Roxbury-based environmental justice group. He holds an M.S. in environmental science and policy from Energy and Resources Group of the University of California at Berkeley and a B.S. in electrical engineering from MIT. Before joining ACE, he was Research Associate at the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security in Oakland, California and a Research Analyst at the Tellus Institute for Resource and Environmental Strategies in Boston. He has published broadly on environmental and social justice issues. He has served on the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council's Health and Research Subcommittee, the Massachusetts Environmental Justice Advisory Committee, and on the boards of the Environmental Support Center, the Environmental Leadership Program, and Community Labor United. He is currently a board member of the New World Foundation and the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board.