Innovators in Rural Community Economic Development

Education/Research Institution

DASH-NY Coalition Conference: Keep the Good Work Going, "Increasing Your Organization's Impact Through Collaboration"

Melissa Levy presented a workshop, “Increasing Your Organization’s Impact through Collaboration,” as part of the DASH-NY Coalition Conference on March 19, 2015 in Albany, NY. This workshop on collaboration was an interactive, highly participatory workshop,…

Cornell University, Strengthening Rural-Urban Linkages to Support Rural Economic Development

Yellow Wood Associates is working with Cornell University to facilitate working sessions with their research and extension advisory teams to systemically apply the WealthWorks theory of how wealth is created and retained in rural areas to the rural-urban…

WealthWorks Training, October 2014 - August 2015

Participants in the third WealthWorks training, which began in October 2014 and runs through August 2015, come from organizations and states across the country, including Agricultural Utilization Research Institute…

Rural Research Report on WealthWorks for the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs

Melissa Levy co-authored a report, along with Barbara Wyckoff of Dynamica Consulting, for the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs.  The report, titled “Connecting Community Assets with Market Demand for Lasting Livelihoods: Meeting New Challenges…

Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, 25th Annual Rural Community and Economic Development Conference Sessions

Melissa Levy presented two “You Get What You Measure®” workshop sessions at the 25th Annual Rural Community and Economic Development Conference, as part of a program of workshops on community and economic development techniques. The conference was…

What Works III and National Value-Added Agriculture Joint Conference in Baltimore, “Developing Measures that Matter”

The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development's What Works Conference Series hosted a joint regional conference with the National Value Added Agriculture Conference on "Enhancing Food Security and Rural Viability through Innovative Food System…

WealthWorks Training, April 2014 - February 2015

Participants in the second WealthWorks training, which began in April 2014 and runs through February 2015, come from organizations and states across the country, including Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group…

WealthWorks Training, December 2013 - September 2014

The WealthWorks Training provides coaches and coordinators from nonprofit, for profit, and government agencies with an introduction to the Wealth Works approach and framework and a guided six to nine month Wealth Works…

Cornell University, Wealth Creation in Rural Communities Presentations

At the invitation of Mann Librarian Outreach and Engagement Specialist Jeff Piestrak, Shanna Ratner made two presentations followed by participatory engagement, one at Mann Library and one at the Tompkins County Library, respectively entitled: A Wealth…

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012 Mel King Community Fellows

Shanna Ratner was selected as a member of the 2012 Mel King Community Fellows cohort. The 2012 Mel King Community Fellows Program is devoted to convening leading economic development and community development practitioners from across the United States…

Knowledge and Learning Transfer and Training for the Wealth Creation Approach to Rural and Regional Development Project, The Aspen Institute

Yellow Wood collaborated with the Aspen Institute’s Community Strategies Group to develop a knowledge transfer platform for development practitioners who want to use the wealth creation approach developed through the Ford Foundation’s Wealth Creation…

eXtension Evaluation Professional Development Community of Practice, Strategic Planning Services

The eXtension Evaluation PDCoP is charged with providing assistance, resources, and expertise in evaluation to colleagues throughout the Cooperative Extension Service of USDA and across all Extension content areas using electronic media. The eXtension…

Rural Futures Conference: Connecting Innovation, May 2012

Shanna Ratner was an invited participant at the Rural Futures Conference, hosted by the University of Nebraska in May 2012. This conference was held as part of the process of creating the Rural Futures Institute at the University of Nebraska.

Woody Biomass Energy Research Symposium for the Northern Forest – “Community Roadmap to
 Renewable Woody Biomass” (Panel)

Panelists Kamalesh Doshi and Samantha Dunn, along with panel organizer Sarah S. Smith, discussed the The Community Roadmap to Renewable Woody Biomass Energy (the Roadmap) as part of a panel at the Woody Biomass Energy Research Symposium. The roadmap…

Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center, 5Capitals Toolkit for Pro-Poor Value Chain Development

Shanna Ratner was invited to serve as one of three external advisors to Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) to help refine and finalize 5Capitals - A toolkit to improve impacts of pro-poor value chain development. The…

Community Economic Development: Building Sustainable Economies, UVM

Shanna Ratner presented on the wealth creation approach as a guest lecturer for this five-day intensive summer program offered by the UVM Institute for Global Sustainability, taught by Professor Rhonda Phillips of Arizona State University.

Community Economic Development: Building Sustainable Economies, UVM

[this project is set to unpublished as it is a duplicate record]

Shanna Ratner presented on the wealth creation approach as a guest lecturer for this five-day intensive summer program offered by the UVM Institute for Global Sustainability,…

Cornell Sustainable Indicators: Local Agriculture Sustainability Indicators (LASI) and Vital Indicators for Enhancing Well-Being in NYS (VIEW)

Yellow Wood worked with Cornell University Community and Rural Development Institute using You Get What You Measure® in Use to assist diverse groups working on two projects: Local Agriculture Sustainability Indicators, and Vital Indicators for Enhancing…

Ohio University, Session on Participatory Research with the Community Based Participatory Research Group

Yellow Wood facilitated a session on Participatory Research with Ohio University's Community Based Participatory Research Group. This three and one half hour facilitated workshop on participatory research provided participants with a highly interactive…

Ohio University, Regional Nonprofit Alliance You Get What You Measure Workshop

Shanna Ratner and Rob Petrini facilitated a full-day You Get What You Measure® workshop for the Regional Nonprofit Alliance at Ohio University, on May 27, 2009. The Regional Nonprofit Alliance is an outreach effort of Ohio University’s Voinovich School…

Becoming a Measurement Guide Training, November 2007

The November 2007 Becoming a Measurement Guide class included Molly Anderson, College of the Atlantic, Maine; Valerie Esposito, Gund Institute, Vermont; and Daniel Spies, consultant, Illinois. Since 2002, Yellow Wood has been offering professionals…

Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Outcome Funding Evaluation

Yellow Wood evaluated the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program and its work helping advance farming systems that are profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities through a nationwide research and education…

Rural Policy Research Institute Community Clustering Initiative

Yellow Wood provided assistance to the manager of RUPRI's Community Clustering Initiative in considering how to evaluate progress toward the Initiative's goals related to strengthening local governance. This innovative project uses computer communications…

Becoming a Measurement Guide Training, February 2005

Members of the February 2005 Becoming a Measurement Guide class included Lorie Higgins, University of Idaho and Susan Youmans, Executive Director, Environmental Partnerships, Inc., Massachusetts. Since 2002, Yellow Wood has been offering professionals…

27th Annual Municipal Officers' Management Seminars, Fall 2004, "Assessing Rural Community Infrastructure to Cut Costs and Protect the Environment"

Yellow Wood presented "Assessing Rural Community Infrastructure to Cut Costs and Protect the Environment" at the 27th Annual Municipal Officers' Management Seminars in October 2004. Participants learned about the range of alternative technologies available…

University of Minnesota Extension Service Business Retention and Expansion Program

The University of Minnesota Extension Service Business Retention and Expansion Program selected Yellow Wood Associates to develop a tool to test the theory that building social capital in communities while focusing on community economic development…

University of Minnesota Extension Service Leadership and Civic Engagement Program

The Leadership and Civic Engagement Program of the University of Minnesota Extension Service selected Yellow Wood Associates to work with a team of Extension professionals to create an interactive tool to measure social capital in Minnesota communities.…

HomeGrown Wisconsin

Worked with HomeGrown Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives and other participants to study the feasibility of an agriculture/food facility for downtown Madison that would include an indoor farmers’ market, a storage, processing,…

Workshop on Participatory Research presented in cooperation with the Middlebury College Alliance for Civic Engagement and Vermont Campus Compact

Shanna Ratner presented a participatory research workshop at Middlebury College on November 20th, 2003. The workshop was presented by the National Community Forestry Center Northern Forest Region in cooperation with the Middlebury College…

Looking Forward 30 Years – Adirondack Park Conference

Shanna Ratner participated in the panel discussion "Economy: Directing Development to "Acceptable Areas"." The discussion focused on current and future development trends and opportunities and how the Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan can…

Navajo County Forest Health Strategic Planning Workshop, Arizona Natural Resources Working Group

Yellow Wood Associates facilitated a two-day Navajo County Forest Health Strategic Planning Workshop for town, county and tribal participants, using You Get What You Measure®. The workshop focused on forest health and reducing threat of catastrophic…

Analysis of Community-Based Forestry Initiative, Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group

The Aspen Institute’s Community Strategies Group, which is administering the Ford Foundation’s Community-Based Forestry Initiative in the United States, invited Shanna Ratner of Yellow Wood Associates to review and analyze the monitoring plans of nine…

Rural Community Capacity Building Learning Cluster

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. surveyed members of the Learning Cluster to determine the variety of approaches being used to build rural community capacity, resulting in a report entitled Community Capacity Building, What Is It? for the Aspen Institute.…

Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program Outcome Funding

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with NESARE in piloting an outcome-funding approach to grantmaking. The work included two year’s participation in the design process, proposal reviews, interviews with potential grantees, committee work to select…

The Informal Economy in Rural Community Economic Development

Awarded a grant by TVA Rural Studies to conduct research. Yellow Wood Associates produced a paper on the role of the informal economy in rural communities. The paper reframes rural development in terms of the whole economy, and begins to articulate…

Pilot Computerized Database of Alternative Crops

Yellow Wood created a pilot computerized database of alternative agriculture initiatives. The pilot was presented at the “What Works!” Conference in Ithaca, New York.

Study Tour of the Adirondacks for Madagascar Protected Area Management Specialists

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. and the Madagascar Collaborative Program of the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development provided an administrative framework for a six-day, five-night Adirondack study tour that provided exposure…

Cornell Cooperative Extension Statewide Conference

Shanna Ratner presented a keynote speech on "Why Capacity Matters and What You Can Do About It" at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Statewide Conference in Waterloo, New York, in October 1998.

Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities National Training

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. continued its collaboration with the Community Partnership Center of the University of Tennessee and the Center for Community Change to further develop a participatory evaluation training curriculum and to adapt the methodology…

Reflections and Visions on the Learning Community-The Community Development Society Annual Conference

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. presented two interactive workshops on promoting learning communities through measuring progress toward community goals. The learning process requires a continuous cycle of action reflection action. Participants learned…

Rural EZ/EC Benchmark Analysis

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. analyzed the EZ/EC Communities’ Annual Benchmark Progress Reports and prepared a summary document for the Community Partnership Center of the University of Tennessee. The report discussed areas of accomplishment, common…

Consultation and Training for Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with John Gaventa at the University of Tennessee and Vicki Creed to prepare a workbook, training manual, and four-day workshop on participatory evaluation of rural Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities. Recipients…

Forest Stewardship and Economic Development for Rural Communities

Yellow Wood received a grant from the Vermont Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research to prepare a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant proposal. Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. proposed to develop a Participatory Training Program…

East Tennessee Foundation

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. was invited by the Aspen Institute to participate in a review of the East Tennessee Foundation’s rural communities initiative. Offered feedback and advice on delivering technical assistance to community groups.

Participatory Evaluation of the Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities

Presented results of the training in participatory evaluation developed in conjunction with the Community Partnership Center of the University of Tennessee and the Heartland Center for Leadership Development as well as information on indicators of…

Preliminary Survey of State Programs Supporting Rural Community Development

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Aspen Institute to survey eleven states supporting rural community development. The purpose of the work was to identify the role of state government in supporting communities after they have completed some…

Essex County Strategic Farmland Protection Plan

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Essex County Farmland Protection Board to develop a plan for farmland protection based on a strategic analysis of opportunities to strengthen agriculture in Essex County. Work included a survey of farmers…

Rural Development Options

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. prepared a publication for the Center for Rural Studies at the University of Vermont on rural development options, including main street revitalization, enterprise zones, community cooperatives, and small business incubators.

The Role of Social and Environmental Capital in Landscape Protection

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. prepared a chapter for a book on the role of social and environmental capital in landscape protection with the support of the Community and Rural Development Institute of Cornell University (CARDI).

Aspen Institute, Community Foundation Learning Cluster Retreat

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. served as a resource for the Aspen Institute’s Community Foundation Learning Cluster retreat in Polson, Montana. The purpose of the retreat was to provide a mid-course correction for the foundation. Yellow Wood Associates,…

Rural Women's Health Needs

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Women's Studies Program and the University of Vermont to assess potential impacts on women of health policy proposals initiated by the Vermont Health Care Authority. Analysis included the areas of coverage,…

Business Development Presentation, Agricultural Opportunities Seminar and Trade Show

Presented “Is There a Market for My Product?” at this day-long seminar for farmers and agricultural developers in Washington County, New York.

North Country Food First

Potsdam College retained Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. as a technical consultant to the North Country Food First program. Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. prepared a quarterly newsletter, assisted in workshop development for buyers and growers, presented…

Workshop on Rural Community Economic Development

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. prepared and co-presented, with the North Country Economic Research Center of Potsdam College, a two-day workshop on rural community economic development to leaders in the Town of Schroon Lake, New York. Day One of the…

Strategy Development, Maine Food Strategy Steering Committee

The Maine Food Strategy Steering Committee is a diverse group of stakeholders from around the state. Initiated in December of 2013, the Steering Committee is responsible for guiding the direction of the Maine…