The Global Rural Network Project: Other States Involvement

Friday, July 23, 2010

Other States Involvement

What follows are individuals and organizations, within the United States, involved in Phase One development of the Global Rural Network.

Pennsylvania	There is a monthly teleconference with a “master capacity builder group to help develop skills and knowledge for building capacities for transformation. Helene Nawrocki, Director of the Potter County Educational Council, is the contact. She will be connected to Lana Carter in Best, NC
Nebraska	A core group of “master capacity builders” are involved with a Visioning 2026 in Norfolk, NE. Jennifer Adams is the contact and will be connected to Nancy Jackson in Scotland Neck, NC Larry Wenzl will be connected to Rick McClurd in Valdese, NC.
Oklahoma	Tim Hight, Director of Economic Development, Claremont, OK has agreed to be involved with seeding Molecular Economy ideas and methods.
California	John Woolley, a supervisor ( elected official ) in Eureka, has agreed to become the model of a “community connector” by identifying and recruiting local leaders to be involved with seeding capacities for transformation. He will be connected to Robin Rhyne and Valerie Oberle in Surry County (Elkin), NC.
Ohio	Dave Baldwin, President of Aquarian Technologies, Inc in Lexington, OH, will be connected to Ed Halllyburton of Valdese, NC.
New York	Dave Currie, past President of the United Way in Larchmont, NY, is going to frame a concept to have their United Way play a major role to build capacities for transformation
Virginia	Skip Skinner, past County Administrator of Wise County and now Regional Director of Lenowisco, has agreed to be connected to Doward Jones of Plymouth, NC
Texas	Bob Hart, City Manager of Kenneville, TX would like to have his community involved. He will be connected to Cliff Matkins and Dave Parrish of Yanceyville, NC.
Arkansas	Jerry Smith, Director of the Leadership Institute in Jonesboro, AR will involved the leadership institute and one rural area each in AR, LA & MS. He will be connected to Greg Bethea of Pine Tops, NC
Michigan	Gaila Gilliand, Director of Economic Development for Crawford County will involve a core group of leaders in their area. She will be connected to Mary Smith and Freddie Killough of Marion, NC
Oregon	Erin Stone, an entrepreneur who owns a sheep farm will be connected with Susan Murphy of Sparta, NC
South Carolina	Ed Duffy, VP of York Tech, in Rock Hill will work with me to get Lancaster, SC involved in GRNP. Bri Niggel has agreed to be the Lancaster contact if she and her husband do not move. She is the Program Director of the Sims Foundation
Tennessee	JC Bowman, President, EPPC Global Management, Cleveland, TN is developing a process that would include transformational capacity building.
Georgia	Susan Knox, a consultant for rural health care systems in the southeast, has agreed to collaborate to connect with rural areas in GA as a part of her rural health initiative.
New Mexico	Jan Hauser, an entrepreneur and one time Apollo 11 astronaut, will be the rural contact in New Mexico

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The Overall Concept of GRNP

The idea for a Global Rural Network has evolved as a result of a dialogue that began almost a decade ago in 1999 between several individuals: Rick Smyre, a noted futurist who specializes in the emerging field of community transformation; Robin Pulver, past Vice President of the NC Rural Center and architect of the NC Step program that is connected to the Global Rural Network; and Phil Sharre, Director of Community Development for the Tennessee Valley Authority. The goal of the GRN is to develop an international network of interested rural individuals and organizations who would

Share ideas with each other
Be involved in research and development projects to help prepare rural areas for a constantly changing
Develop a community culture that will support continuous innovation.

There are three objectives of the GRN:

Develop core groups of rural leaders who are coached in the new leadership concepts and methods that relate to community transformation:
Establish multiple parallel capacity building processes (e.g. broadband infrastructures, 21st century neighborhood networks, Transformational Learning, etc ) that support the ability of a local rural area to transform itself in ways that are aligned with a constantly changing society; and
Create interlocking networks at all levels ( intra and intercommunity; intra and interstate; and international ) to design and implement research and development projects that develop capacities for rural transformation.

Global Rural Net

As a parallel effort to the NC Step Project sponsered by the North Carolina Rural Center in Raleigh, NC a collaboration was established with the Center for Communities of the Future (COTF) to develop the Global Rural Network (GRN), a network of rural leaders in all fifty states and ten other countries interested in preparing their communities for a different kind of future that is constantly changing. Communities of the Future is a network of individuals and organizations in forty-six states and six other countries who are involved with helping to develop new ideas and methods for the emerging field of community transformation. The Center for Communities of the Future is located in Gastonia, NC and is responsible for recruiting people and organizations interested in identifiying new trends and weak signals and collaborating to develop community research and develp transformational projects. During 2008, individuals and organizations in eighteen states and four other countries were recruited. By the end of 2009, it is expected that connections in twenty additional rural areas in the U.S. and three other countries will be made. By the end of 2010, the intent is that the GRN network will include representatives from all fifty states and ten countries.

NC Step/NC Rural Center

In 2006, the NC Rural Center announced a major state effort to help prepare local rural areas in different parts of the state for a different kind of future. To support this effort, the NC Legislature provided $10.5 million dollars over three years. Known as the NC Step project, the NC Rural Center sent out an RFP (request for proposal) throughout the state to key organizations in communities under 10,000 in population. Eighty communities responded to become part of the project. Twenty communities were selected to be aligned with individual coaches who are working to develop basic leadership and economic development skills with these rural areas.

Beginning in June ’07, one “community innovator” was selected within each community to begin work with Rick Smyre to establish and develop a state network of “master capacity builders” (transformative leaders) for each of the selected rural areas. “Master Capacity Builders” is a new type of leader who are able to: identify “weak signals,” see connections among disparate ideas, build parallel processes to support systemic change and build capacities for transformation for the longer term.