Community Development Institute (CDI)
The mission of CDI is to empower people with the knowledge and skills necessary to proactively improve the physical and human resources of their communities, thereby increasing the quality of life for all citizens.
CDI can effectively and positively impact economic and social development by building the capacity of individuals and communities through practical, interactive, and comprehensive training designed to meet the needs of economic and community development professional working in a fast paced environment.
The program consists of three, four-day training sessions which can be completed in subsequent years at the same site location or by fast tracking to multiple sites within the CDI network in a single year or more. Participants are exposed to a comprehensive, applied approach to community and economic development. In addition to learning from successful practitioners, CDI also offers valuable networking and peer‐to‐peer learning opportunities.
Who Should Attend?
Participants include community and economic development practitioners, city, county and state officials and community volunteers, non-profit staff and board members, chamber staff, private industry, municipal districts, and academics, all of whom find the institute to be a valuable learning tool for the development of individual and community leadership skills. Attendees will expand their ability to identify community assets, set goals, encourage collaboration, and respond to a broad range of economic and quality of life issues.
CDI Across the Nation
CDI is a national network of training sites endorsed by the Community Development Council (CDC), a nationally-recognized, non-profit organization with the mission of advancing the practice and profession of community development.
CDI Central
Director: Shelby Fiegel
University of Central Arkansas
201 Donaghey Avenue
Brewer-Hegeman 102
Conway, AR 72035
Email: sfiegel@uca.edu
Phone: 501.450.5269
2023 Training Dates:
July 31-August 4
Brewer Hegeman Conference Center
University of Central Arkansas
201 Donaghey Avenue
Conway, AR 72035
2023 PCED Exam Dates:
March 14 (1 p.m. CST)
Brewer Hegeman Conference Center
201 Donaghey Avenue
Conway, AR 72035
August 4 (1 p.m. CST)
Brewer Hegeman Conference Center
201 Donaghey Avenue
Conway, AR 72035
October 2023 (1 p.m. CST)
Brewer Hegeman Conference Center
201 Donaghey Avenue
Conway, AR 72035
CDI Mid-Atlantic
Director: Roger Hesketh
University of Delaware
Biden School of Public Policy & Administration
100 W. 10th Street
Wilmington, DE 19801
Email: rogergh@udel.edu
Phone: 302.573.4422
2023 Training Dates:
July 24-27
Community Education Building
University of Delaware
1200 N. French Street
Wilmington, DE 19801
CDI Midwest
Co-Directors: Christopher Merrett and Sandy Wittig
Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
Western Illinois University
518 Stipes Hall 1 University Circle
Macomb, IL 61455
Phone: 309.298.2281
Email: info@midwestcdi.org
2023 Training Dates:
August 14-17
President Abraham Lincoln Springfield
a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel
701 E. Adams Street
Springfield, IL 62701
2023 PCED Exam Dates:
August 17 (12:30 p.m. CST)
President Abraham Lincoln Springfield
a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel
701 E. Adams Street
Springfield, IL 62701
CDI Northwest
Director: Jerry Miller
Idaho Commerce
700 West State Street, Boise, ID 83702
Email: jerry.miller@commerce.idaho.gov
Phone: 208.287.0780
2023 Training Dates:
July 10-14
The Riverside Hotel
2900 W. Chinden Boulevard
Garden City, ID 83714
2023 PCED Exam Dates:
July 14
The Riverside Hotel
2900 W. Chinden Boulevard
Garden City, ID 83714
CDI Southeast
Director: Mary Patterson, CPA, SHRM-CP
College of Continuing Studies
The University of Alabama
240 Paul W. Bryant Drive
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
Email: mpatterson@ccs.ua.edu
Phone:205.348.7049
2023 Training Dates:
June 12-15
Bryant Conference Center
The University of Alabama
240 Paul W. Bryant Drive
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
CDI Texas
Director: Kay Fitzsimons
Lone Star College
5000 Research Forest Drive
The Woodlands, TX 77381
Email: kay.l.fitzsimons@lonestar.edu
Phone: 832.813.6623
2023 Training Dates:
March 6-9
Lone Star Community Building
Lone Star College-System Office The Woodlands
5000 Research Forest Drive
The Woodlands, TX 77381
2023 PCED Exam Dates:
March 10 (10 a.m. CST)
Lone Star Community Building
Lone Star College-System Office The Woodlands
5000 Research Forest Drive
The Woodlands, TX 77381
