CDI Central

05/22/2026

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

05/22/2026

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!

05/20/2026

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]

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

05/18/2026

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

05/15/2026

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.

05/13/2026

Celebrating spring through strategic planning, team development activities, and exploring the Jewel Moore Nature Reserve on campus! 🌺

05/05/2026

Wrapped up the semester on a high note! 🎉

Our CED Fellows closed out their time together with a visit to the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce, getting a closer look at how local partnerships help drive growth and opportunity. With insights from both the Chamber and the Conway Development Corporation, Fellows learned how business support, community vision, and economic strategy come together in real time.

Thank you Corey and Grace for spending time with us!

04/30/2026

We are thrilled to officially announce the newest cohort of the Community Development Pipeline program! 🎉

These 25 leaders were chosen through a competitive application process to participate in the Pipeline program based on their passion and desire to create sustainable, positive change and impacts in Northwest Arkansas.

The program is funded by the Walton Family Foundation and designed to provide training and technical assistance to community leaders in Washington and Benton counties. You can learn more about the program and cohort here: uca.edu/cced/cd-pipeline-program/

04/24/2026

Connecting with students is one of the most rewarding parts of our work! Thank you to the UCA College of Health & Behavioral Sciences Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders for inviting us to facilitate a Poverty Simulation on-campus for their students.

04/22/2026

SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER, NOW SHOWING: LEGALLY BLONDE 🎬

⭐️ Starring CDI Year 2 Class Director Tandee White⭐️

Tandee supports and leads community and economic development efforts across Entergy's service territory in Arkansas - "what; like it's hard?"

As a graduate, partner, and sponsor of CDI, Tandee shared, "CDI provides a network of community developers like no other. The CDI family extends beyond your graduating year and you always have a resource of professionals to reach out to on community development topics."

CDI 2026 will premiere July 27 - July 31.

04/16/2026

Today marked the final day of the Arkansas Economic Developers & Chamber Executives Mid South Basic Economic Development course! staff are proud supporters and speakers of Mid South Basic.

This year’s class hailed from all corners of Arkansas and beyond to learn from some of the greatest community and economic development experts Arkansas has to offer.