Community Strategies Group

Who We Are

Janet Topolsky co-directs the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group (CSG).  She helps design, lead and deliver CSG’s work focused on strengthening family economic success, community philanthropy, and regional vitality.  She has developed a special knack for designing simple or complex convenings that produce action plans and results.  Janet came to CSG in 1993 following a decade of work in state and local community development, economic development and anti-poverty efforts. 

From 1990-93, Janet worked independently as a development policy analyst and writer for a wide range of nonprofit, business and government clients.  From 1985-1990, she was director of communication for CFED – a national non-profit organization that develops and promotes innovative asset building and economic opportunity strategies for people and places – where she edited CFED’s Entreprenerial Economy Review. From 1983-84, Janet served as special assistant to the director of the Michigan Department of Commerce.  Fresh out of college, she learned her first ropes as a political organizer and youth policy advocate.

Janet is a graduate of James Madison College of Michigan State University (1976) and holds a Masters of Public Policy from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan (1983).  Janet originally hails from and loves Detroit, but now manages to walk to and from life without owning an automobile.  For more than two decades of inspiration and joy, she has been singing alto in the mighty St. Augustine Gospel Choir in Washington DC.

John Molinaro is co-director of the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group.  John has more than 30 years of experience working with nonprofits, foundations and units of government to improve the viability of communities and regions and the economic success of families – especially in rural areas.  John came to CSG from West Central Initiative, a hybrid community foundation / community development corporation in Minnesota, where he served as vice president, responsible for grantmaking, strategic planning and evaluation, community and economic development, leadership development and regional planning.  While there, John led a workforce development initiative that transformed the economy of a rural region by increasing the marketable skills of its workforce. 

In prior positions, John served as executive director of a nonprofit serving families and children, as a metropolitan planner, and as a researcher and evaluator of human service programs.  John has consulted with numerous organizations on governance, management and organizational development.  He was selected as a policy fellow of the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, and as a multi-term appointee to the Minnesota Governor’s Workforce Development Council.  He is certified in economic development finance and housing development finance by the National Development Council, holds a Masters of Community and Regional Planning, and has pursued  advanced studies in theology, leadership and policy.  John’s advice to new colleagues, “Ask me about the meaning of life or how to revitalize a community -- but not about anything to do with pop culture!”

 Elsa Noterman is the Communications and Research Associate at the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group.  She first came to CSG in 2008 following work on the truth and reconciliation process in Guatemala.  Elsa manages the RuFES Action Network composed of over 1,200 rural community leaders working to improve the economic success of rural families.  As part of that work she publishes bi-weekly RuFES action alerts that update community leaders on tools, strategies, funding sources and ideas to promote famility economic success.  Elsa also organizes periodic webinars on RuFES-relevant topics and works on a variety of other projects at Aspen CSG focused on improving prosperity and quality of life in rural and urban communities.

Elsa is a graduate from Haverford College and is originally from Takoma Park, Maryland.