CED Specialists Bring Place-based Leadership Training to Communities
Research has shown that “[i]f our communities are to adapt, prosper, and retain decision-making capabilities, it is essential that local leadership capacity be developed (Brennan, 2013).”
“Community leadership is a specific form of the general concept of leadership. It is frequently based in place and so is local, although it can also represent a community of common interest, purpose or practice....In many localities, it is provided by a combination of local volunteers, business, and government and is best served by what is called ‘place management,’ i.e., a combination within a region of government resources, professional and business skills and the energies of the local community. (Sorenson and Epps, 1996:115–117; Osborne and Gaebler, 1993).”
In response to such findings, Leading Communities: A Place-Based Leadership Program is being rolled out across Iowa to revive community engagement and participation.