CDI Central

Congratulations to Mallory Nelson of the Little Rock Regional Chamber on her Arkansas Business "20 in their Twenties" recognition! Mallory is a current participant, former UCA CCED Community and Economic Development Fellow, and University of Central Arkansas graduate. Mallory is an exemplary example of cultivating the community and economic talent pipeline. She is a young leader who has accomplished so much and has more impact to come!

We are convening leaders in the I-49 corridor to discuss two major workforce barriers: housing and childcare.

The conversations today feature experts from Bring It Home, Community Partnership of the Ozarks Child Care Works, The P3 Group, City of Fayetteville Arkansas Government, Groundwork Arkansas, Red Roof Early Childhood Learning Center and Child Care Consulting, LLC, Child Care Aware of NWA and Arkansas Excel by Eight.

Thank you to our partners Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, NorthWest Arkansas Community College, University of Arkansas, and Crowder College!

First official convening of the 2026 - 2028 Community Development Pipeline cohort in downtown Springdale at Gaskins on Emma! 🎉

This group is comprised of leaders from across Washington and Benton counties, urban and rural communities, various fields of work, diverse backgrounds, but they all have one thing in common: they want to build exceptional places that their family, friends, and neighbors can thrive in.

Members of the CDI Alumni Network and our colleagues in UCA Outreach & Community Engagement convened at Providence Park Homes to hear about the life changing impact they have on the chronically homeless in Pulaski County.

We are thankful for the team at Providence Park for hosting us and sharing their story! Our hope is that others engage with this valuable resource to better understand homelessness in our communities and how we as leaders can be advocates in ensuring all Arkansans have opportunities that lead to dignity, safety, and a good quality of life.

Tonight we celebrated women in community and economic development and educated up-and-coming community and economic development leaders during the last session of the Women's Leadership Network Academy!

Thank you to Julia Dossett Morgan, PCED of the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, Mallory Nelson of the Little Rock Regional Chamber, Shawanna Rodgers of the Conway, Arkansas, City of Colleges, and Kim Williams of Conway Downtown Partnership for joining us as experts during this session.

Director Shelby Fiegel has been selected as a 2026 Aspen Ideas Festival Fellow! This June, she will travel to The Aspen Institute campus to engage with visionary thinkers and innovative doers from all over the world and represent Arkansas as a part of those conversations. A big thank you to the Walton Family Foundation for nominating Shelby for this opportunity to represent our state!

Learn more about the Aspen Ideas Festival here: http://uca.edu/go/aspenideas

Not only do festivals support local economies when visitors eat, stay, and spend in our communities, they can also give back to critical non profit organizations like the Arkansas Imagination Library!

Thank you to Toad Suck Daze for their generous donation to the Faulkner County Imagination Library!

Our team is searching for a current UCA student who is interested in an on-campus internship/student worker position! This position will support the Community Development Institute, training events, and technical assistance projects across the state.

The position is 20 hours a week for the summer and fall.

Please share the position found at this link: https://jobs.uca.edu/postings/19147

Any questions can be sent to [email protected]

Student Worker The Center for Community & Economic Development Student Worker provides support for the team’s various trainings, events, and community projects throughout the year.

The Bollinger Foundation is welcoming nominations of families in which the deceased parent worked — or the surviving parent continues to work — in the field of public/affordable housing or community and economic development. Importantly, the deceased parent or guardian does not need to have been working in the field at the time of their passing for the child to be eligible.

The Foundation primarily provides funds for children’s education. This can include — but is not limited to — grants towards special educational needs, school materials, and college tuition. They have also awarded funds for counseling and other special needs. Grants are awards will not exceed $8,000 per grantee annually with a lifetime cap of $32,000.

Applications may be submitted directly by families, and nominations on behalf of others are also welcome. If you know a child or family who could benefit from this support, we encourage you to share this opportunity with them! Apply or nominate someone here: https://www.bollingerfoundation.org/grants

How do we develop future community and economic developers? Connect with Arkansas K-12 students to introduce them to the industry and what careers CED offers!

Our staff participated in GEAR UP Days at UCA and engaged with upcoming 9th and 10th graders from Jacksonville, Little Rock, and Camden Fairview in fun activities and conversations to spark interest in the field of community and economic development.