The University of Central Arkansas Community Development Institute (CDI) has announced the appointment of six new advisory board members.
Lisa Johnson
Bill Luther
Talicia Richardson
Lorie Robertson
Kevin Sexton
Amy Williams
The six new members include Lisa Johnson, president of the Bossier Chamber of Commerce in Louisiana; Bill Luther, president and CEO of the El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce; Talicia Richardson, executive director of 64.6 Downtown; Lorrie Robertson, director of marketing for Chaffee Crossing; Kevin Sexton, director of tourism and community affairs at Hot Springs Village; and Amy Williams, executive director of the Cabot Chamber of Commerce.
In addition to serving on the CDI Advisory Board, each of these individuals also serves as CDI class directors. The role of a CDI class director is to facilitate a positive learning environment for all CDI participants by providing oversight of all class activities each day. Essential responsibilities include encouraging networking, participation and discussion throughout the week, as well as introducing speakers and keeping the class on schedule.
Individuals are invited to join the CDI Advisory Board based on their experience and knowledge and desire to work with the board for the purpose of advancing community and economic development practices in Arkansas and surrounding states. Advisory board members work in conjunction with the staff at the UCA Center for Community and Economic Development (CCED) to provide marketing assistance, coordinate activities and identify speakers for CDI.
“Our CDI class directors are vitally important to our staff during the week of CDI,” said Shelby Fiegel, director of CDI and CCED. “They serve as the boots on the ground and directly engage with our participants and speakers every day. We are excited to add these individuals to our Advisory Board because they are community and economic development experts and well-respected leaders in their communities and regions.”
The 34th annual CDI will be held at UCA Aug. 3-7. To learn more, visit uca.edu/cced/cdi.
About CCED:
The Center for Community and Economic Development’s mission is to have a positive impact on communities by equipping leaders with economic tools and resources, building consensus to achieve community goals and bringing UCA resources and communities together. CCED envisions communities across Arkansas and the country with robust economies, a flourishing quality of life and diverse and engaged citizen leaders. CCED provides customized training and technical assistance to communities and their leaders and is part of UCA’s Division of Outreach and Community Engagement.
About CDI:
The Community Development Institute, established in 1987 at the University of Central Arkansas, trains community and economic development professionals from Arkansas and surrounding states. The complete CDI experience is a three-year training program, with five days of training per year. Participants move through the program curriculum in cohorts and are exposed to a comprehensive, applied approach to the field of community and economic development.
