Rural Development Innovation Group
Convened in 2016 by the Northern Forest Center, U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, and the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group, the Rural Development Innovation Group is made up of rural development practitioners, intermediaries and others who have been deeply involved in advancing rural community and economic development. Learn more
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John T. Cooper Jr.Associate Professor of PracticeTexas A&M University ...Cooper is vice president in charge of Public Partnership & Outreach, has directed outreach for the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center, and served as director of Texas Target Cities at…View Profile -
Nils ChristoffersenExecutive DirectorWallowa Resources ...Nils D. Christoffersen is the Executive Director of Wallowa Resources, a community based non-profit working to sustain working lands and livelihoods in eastern Oregon. Over the past 18 years, Mr.…View Profile -
Mariano DiazLead PartnerR&M Consulting Group ...Mariano is Lead Partner with R&M Consulting Group with over 35 years of nonprofit management and development experience including; strategic planning, program design and evaluation, and fund development, in the…View Profile -
LaMonte GuilloryChief Communications OfficerLOR Foundation ...LaMonte Guillory, Chief Communications Officer, joined the LOR Foundation in August 2014 with the mission of creating, developing and guiding the Foundation’s strategic communications initiatives. LaMonte, a graduate from Southern…View Profile -
Marten R. Jenkins, Jr.PresidentNatural Capital Investment Fun ...Marten is the President and CEO of The Natural Capital Investment Fund (NCIF) a community development financial institution based in Shepherdstown, WV. NCIF is an affiliate of The Conservation Fund. Prior…View Profile -
Deborah M. MarkleyCo-Founder and Managing DirectorCenter for Rural Entrepreneurs ...Deb is co-founder of the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, a national non-profit organization supporting business, social and civic entrepreneurs.View Profile -
Bernie MazyckPresident & CEOSouth Carolina Association for ...Mazyck directs the South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development (SCACED), a coalition of individuals and organizations who support the development of healthy and economically sustainable communities throughout South Carolina.…View Profile -
Alan McGregorVice PresidentU.S. Endowment for Forestry & ...McGregor has worked with nonprofit organizations for 35 years. Over that time, he has been a leading voice in the American South for connecting philanthropy to community-based organizations and rural…View Profile -
John MolinaroPresident and CEOAppalachian Partnership for Ec ...John Molinaro joined the Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth in July 2012 as its first President and CEO. He brings 30+ years’ experience growing economies of rural and small-market urban…View Profile -
Ines PoloniusCEOCommunities Unlimited, Inc. ...Ines Polonius is CEO of Communities Unlimited, Inc., a CDFI and non-for-profit organization driving community economic development through infrastructure improvements coupled with the growth of small businesses in rural communities…View Profile -
Rob RileyPresidentNorthern Forest Center ...Riley joined the Northern Forest Center in 2007 and guides the organization’s work across the northern portions of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Prior to joining the Center,…View Profile -
Kelly RyanPresident & CEOIncourage Community Foundation ...For nearly 20 years, Kelly Ryan has led Incourage – an organization that is nationally recognized as an innovative place-based philanthropy – in realizing its simple yet bold vision of…View Profile -
Joe ShortVice PresidentNorthern Forest Center ...Short leads regional economic strategy initiatives in the rural Northern Forest of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York. He recently led development of a regional investment strategy for the…View Profile -
Connie StewartExecutive DirectorCalifornia Center for Rural Po ...For the past 8 years, Connie Stewart has been Executive Director at the California Center for Rural Policy (CCRP) at Humboldt State University, a non-profit research center committed to informing…View Profile -
Janet TopolskyExecutive DirectorCommunity Strategies Group ...As director of CSG, Janet Topolsky leads the program’s Rural Development Philanthropy Learning Network (RDPLN), which engages statewide and regional community foundations in peer-learning activities to grow locally controlled rural…View Profile -
Dennis WestPresidentNorthern Initiatives ...Dennis West has spent over 30 years in the Community Economic Development Movement, having worked on a broad range of community-based civic and professional activities. Since 1997, Dennis has served…View Profile
Our Teams
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Leadership TeamThe Aspen Institute is led by a president and CEO and five executive vice presidents.View Leadership Team
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Our Experts & StaffOur experts focus on an array of relevant critical issues and ideas. They come from a diverse range of backgrounds and have made it their mission to further the ideals of the Aspen Institute.View Our Experts & Staff
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Aspen Wye FellowsSupporting FellowsThe Aspen Wye Fellows is a group of Chesapeake Bay area residents who share the Aspen Institute’s interest in global dialogue and who play a key role in sustaining the Institute’s mission, expanding its programs, and…View Aspen Wye Fellows
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