President's Update

By Cindy Banyai

Early in my career I spent time living and working in Taiwan, having initially studied international relations and eventually working as a teacher to gain cultural experience. One Chinese saying has stuck with me this whole time - "crossing the river by feeling the stones." This was the phrase used to describe relations between Taiwan and mainland China. The meaning is that no one really knows the future or how to plan for it, but that one needs to continue reaching out and adapting in order to make progress. This is where I feel we are together as a society. We are jubilantly celebrating our 50th year, but the landscape of our field and the composition of our organization has undergone dramatic shifts that make a path forward murky.

As I noted in my last update, your board has been working to try to paddle together and we will be meeting for an intensive workshop and to tour the upcoming conference facilities in Columbia, Missouri October 6-7. Our workshop will focus on moving the organization toward Policy Based Governance, helping to craft clearer boundaries and expectations of board members, staff, and committees. If there are pressing issues or thoughts that you have about our organization, please reach out to me or any member of our Board - we are here for you!

CDS Conference 2019

Celebrate the 50 ^th Anniversary of the Community Development Society at the 2019 Conference in Columbia, Missouri. Look forward to s pecial celebrations, an inspiring program, and dedicated family activities all located in the hub of community development. 

Mobile workshops will include heritage and agritourism, community resiliency, entrepreneurship, community arts, trails, energy sustainability, and neighborhood development.

The conference Call for Proposals opens September 21, 2018 and closes November 15, 2018. Notification will go out to international proposals by February 1, 2019 and to other proposals by March 1, 2019. Follow us on Facebook for details.

Caitlin Bletscher is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development in the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences at Washington State University. She teaches courses in communication and leadership, global issues, systems thinking, global citizenship, and community leadership. Prior to her time in academia, she spent several years working with internationally displaced and migrant populations in the domestic and international fields among nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies, and university outreach.

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