Rural Development Learning Series Webinars
Held in January 2018, the six-part Rural Development Learning Series aimed to connect Colorado communities with rural economic development experts, increasing knowledge of best practices and inspiring solutions. Webinar recordings are available below. The series was co-presented by the Colorado Nonprofit Development Center, The Colorado Trust and some of the resident teams taking part in The Colorado Trust’s Community Partnerships work: Antonito, Avondale, Dove Creek, Olathe, Saguache and San Luis. For more information about the webinar series, please contact Arden Trewartha via email or (719)239-1200.
Connecting Rural Colorado Communities with Emerging Market Dynamics, State Initiatives, and Opportunities to Think and Collaborate Regionally
Featuring Stephan Weiler, PhD, Regional Economic Development Institute, Colorado State University
Jan. 8, 2018
Bio: Stephan Weiler holds the William E. Morgan Endowed Chair as Professor of Economics at Colorado State University. He received his BA (Honors) in Economics and MA in Development Economics from Stanford University in 1988, and his Economics PhD from University of California, Berkeley in 1994 where he studied with eventual 2001 Nobel Laureate George Akerlof. From 2004 through 2006, Stephan was appointed as Assistant Vice President and Economist at the Federal Reserve’s Center for the Study of Rural America to lead the Center’s applied research work. The Center was the focal point in the Federal Reserve System for rural and regional development issues, providing cutting-edge research perspectives to private, public and nonprofit decision makers. Stephan became a frequent speaker before industry, university and public policy audiences throughout the nation, is a regular contributor to media outlets ranging from The Wall Street Journal to National Public Radio, and has published over 100 articles, book chapters and policy papers. He served as Research Associate Dean for CSU’s College of Liberal Arts from 2006 to 2016. His research, teaching and mentoring have spanned a variety of development and labor market issues in Africa, Appalachia, Europe and the American West. His current work focuses on regional economic growth and development, particularly in rural and inner-city areas, combining theoretical, empirical and policy analyses on topics such as information, innovation, industrial restructuring, land use, public/private partnerships, immigration, entrepreneurship and the environment. These various elements informed his role as founding research director of the Colorado Innovation Report with a broad-based coalition of leaders from the private, public and nonprofit sectors to understand and enhance the state’s innovative capacities. He is distilling these three decades of experience into the Regional Economic Development Institute, partnering with the City-Region Economic Development Institute (City-REDI) at the Birmingham Business School in the UK to provide fresh, timely and cutting-edge information to enhance economic growth and development prospects for regions across the globe.
CareerWise: Youth Apprenticeship Model
Featuring Ashley Carter and Hollis Salway, CareerWise Colorado
Jan. 11, 2018
Bio: Ashley Shuyler Carter is the Chief Strategy Officer of CareerWise Colorado. Ashley previously served as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer, bringing the organization’s ambitious early vision to life as its first official employee. As CareerWise continues to grow and expand, Ashley stepped into the Chief Strategy Officer role to help refine organizational strategy, manage strategic expansion initiatives, and develop and lead the organization’s new national consulting efforts aimed at supporting other states and communities around the country to develop youth apprenticeship programs. Prior to joining the organization, Ashley worked in management consulting at the Boston Consulting Group in San Francisco, where she led projects for the firm’s social sector, technology and health care clients. Previously, she founded AfricAid, a nonprofit organization with offices in Denver and Tanzania that supports women’s education and entrepreneurship training in East Africa. She led the organization for 10 years as the Founder and Executive Director and continues to serve on AfricAid’s Board today. The combination of her time working with leaders in the business world and building educational and training programs for students in East Africa has led to Ashley’s passion for investing in youth and cultivating the next generation of talent for Colorado’s businesses. Ashley earned her BA from Harvard University and her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. In 2010, she was named one of Denver Business Journal’s “Forty under 40” and in 2011 received the Linda Childears Free Enterprise Award. She grew up in Golden, Colorado and loves spending time in the Colorado mountains with her husband, Phil, her daughter, Kinley, and her Tanzanian dog, Kimba.
Bio: Hollis Salway is thrilled to join the team at CareerWise Colorado as the Director of Development. She believes strongly in the power of bringing together the private sector, nonprofit and public leaders to drive positive change in our communities. Prior to joining CareerWise, Hollis was the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver where she led the organization in moving toward a more outcomes-focused conversation with its funders and individual donors, and where she helped the Clubs’ corporate supporters make tailored investments in Denver’s youth. While living in Boston, Hollis also helped to launch and expand a nonprofit focused on growing the talent pipeline for the nonprofit sector, New Sector Alliance. At New Sector, Hollis worked as part of the management team to build partnerships with leading consulting firms like Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey, Bain and the Bridgespan Group to train emerging leaders and provide nonprofits across Boston with strategic solutions to pressing capacity-building issues. She has also lived and worked in New York, New York and Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Hollis earned her BA from Harvard University. She enjoys reading short stories, vintage furniture shopping, hiking, skiing, camping, brewery bike-touring with her hubby, trying new recipes and re-experiencing the joys of childhood with her daughter, Sadie, and son, Harrison.
A Case for Coworking
Featuring Brian Watson, Proximity Space
Jan. 12, 2018
Bio: From a very young age, Brian knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur. In 2005, he graduated high school early to start his first company with his dad. Since then, he’s helped start, run and grow several other organizations. Today, Brian does business development for Hoptocopter Films, is an owner of 3 coworking spaces on the Western Slope, and partner of Proximity Space. In addition to running companies, Brian is passionate about economic development and understanding the key factors for growing communities.
Lessons in Community Leadership through Colorado Blueprint 2.0
Featuring Danielle Lendriet, Colorado Blueprint
Jan. 16, 2018
Bio: Danielle Lendriet oversees Blueprint 2.0 for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, empowering rural communities to identify catalysts for positive economic change through technical assistance. She has BA in economics from the University of Colorado Boulder with an environmental and natural resource emphasis.
Rural Economic Development: Understanding Modern Economic Development Principles and Practices
Featuring Chris Markuson, Pueblo County Department of Economic Development
Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018
Bio: Christopher Markuson serves as the Director of Economic Development and Geographic Information Systems (EDGIS) for Pueblo County. Chris works to improve Pueblo County’s economy through progressive economic development. He also leads the effort to expand the availability and use of GIS technology throughout the County’s enterprise and the community. Under his leadership, the County’s Economic Development and GIS programs have significantly increased County revenues and reduced costs of operations. By utilizing GIS technology, the County has downsized budgets, works more efficiently, effectively coordinates with other agencies and better serves the public’s needs. Chris has been recognized numerous times nationally for innovations in economic development, virtualized GIS and applying GIS in emergency preparedness. Chris was proud to receive Esri’s Significant Achievement in GIS award for his department’s work in GIS-driven economic development. Chris was honored to work with the United Nations, helping create systems to rapidly process and re-deploy satellite imagery to first responders working in the recovery efforts of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Chris has worked in a variety of capacities in both government and the private sector. He has served as Director of Information Technology for Natrona County, Wyoming, President of Calico Multimedia, and IT Manager for Cottonwood Press, Inc. Chris received his BS in Landscape Architecture from Colorado State University, and he has obtained several certifications and awards. Chris was appointed to the Utility Consumers’ Board for the State of Colorado’s Office of Consumer Council by the Speaker of the House and currently serves as the board’s chairman. He served as the local government representative to Governor Hickenlooper’s Colorado State Government Data Advisory Board from 2008-16. He is the Vice Chair of Pueblo’s Historic Preservation Commission. Chris also serves on the Pueblo Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors, Pueblo County Community Development Corporation Board of Directors, and the Pueblo Community Health Center Board of Directors. He is an active member of numerous community activities and programs. He and his wife are proud parents of three children and are proud to call Pueblo home.
Successfully Engaging Youth and Growing Young Entrepreneurial Talent
Featuring Craig Schroeder, Nebraska Rural Development Commission, Center for Rural Entrepreneurship and the Heartland Center for Leadership Development
Jan. 18, 2018
Bio: Craig Schroeder grew up on his family’s farm near Holbrook in southwest Nebraska, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1986. In 1989, after an early career in international agriculture trade, Craig and his new bride, Dawn, a Los Angeles native, moved back to his hometown of 223 people and experienced firsthand what it is like for a farm boy to come home and a city girl to move to the country. This decision resulted in an 11-year experiment in young adult recruitment and rural revitalization emerging from the eighties agricultural crisis. Craig’s work during this period included the conversion of his former high school into a regional business incubator that has also served as home base for GROW Nebraska for the past two decades. Craig has committed his career to helping rural communities create more prosperous futures; working as a local economic developer, rural telecommunications policy leader, Executive Director of the Nebraska Rural Development Commission, Senior Fellow with the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, and President of the Heartland Center for Leadership Development. He has also served on several prominent state and national rural development boards and commissions during his career. Craig’s work extends across 47 states involving well over 40,000 youth, and in Canada, Australia and Russia, helping community leaders, educators and economic development professionals implement effective youth engagement, workforce development and entrepreneurship strategies. Closer to home, Craig created the Youth Attraction Formula to help rural communities in the Great Plains set attainable goals for addressing chronic youth out-migration and population loss. In 2007, Craig was a contributing author for a textbook on entrepreneurial development published by Lexington Books. His work has been published in Great Britain as one of five content experts globally for a study by Youth Business International, in Russia for the national Parliament, and in a variety of publications in the United States and internationally. In 2017, Craig was inducted in the Nebraska Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. For more information, please contact Craig.
