Ron Whitmore has experience-based expertise in the
following fields:
Community and international development,
including 17 years experience in
community
development, 6 years experience
with international development projects, and 3.5 years direct international experience (examples listed below)
Capacity building,
including 6 years experience with leadership development, 7 years
experience with organizational development, and 9 years experience with
community mobilization
(examples
listed below)
Food systems development, including 10 years
experience in sustainable agriculture, international agricultural
development,
and aquaculture (examples listed below).
Community and
International
Development Experience
Engaged 100s of volunteers in an ongoing visioning-planning process as founding CEO of the
NorthWest Lansing Healthy Communities Initiative (now the NorthWest Initiative), a
resident-driven
community development corporation (2000-2005). Launched and supervised: the WestSide Alliance commercial
corridor
revitalization project; the Vision 2020 targeted, comprehensive
development
project; and a free tax preparation site that emphasized access to the
Earned
Income Tax Credit, which is proven to be one of the most effective
federal
poverty alleviation programs.
As part of the Design Regional Detroit initiative,
facilitated a series of community conversations designed to engage a
broad spectrum of community stakeholders in a comprehensive planning
process (2006)
Founding Board Member and de facto President, Renaissance
Neighborhood
Association (1999-2005). Catalyzed the creation of the association
and contributed toward building a strong sense of community and
neighborhood
identity.
Board Member, Downtown Neighborhood Association (2000-2003)
Served as International Program Development Assistant for the
Bean/Cowpea
Collaborative
Research Support Program, which developed and
disseminated
improved varieties of staple food crops in less industrialized
countries
(1996-1999)
Served as a Technical Trainer, Volunteer Leader, and Aquaculture
Extension
Agent with the Peace Corps in West Central Africa (1992-1995)
Facilitated the design and pilot launch of the Hawaii County Resource Center's pilot Alaka`i leadership development program (2008)
Provided organizational capacity building support to three Hawaiian Civic Clubs participating in the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs’ Native Hawaiian Business Plan Competition (2008)
Assessed the capacity of fourteen community- and faith-based
organizations, developed organization-specific capacity-building
recommendations, and supported capacity-building work plan development and
implementation for the Capital Area (Michigan) Power of We Consortium
(2005-2008)
Facilitated the launch of St. Vincent Catholic Charities’ new Economic Advisory Council,
which engages business leaders in the development of strategies to help
low-income clients find jobs and become financially independent (2006)
Founding Executive Director, NorthWest
Lansing Healthy Communities
Initiative (now the NorthWest Initiative)
(2000-2005). Established legal, financial, and management systems and
launched and supervised a variety of capacity-building programs,
including: community
promotions, resource awareness and access through grassroots
outreach,
community building handbooks, and leadership development dialogues.
Board Member, Great Lakes Bioregional Land Conservancy
(1999-2000)
Food Systems Development Experience
Crafted a funding proposal for Sustain Hawaii's demonstration farm in Waimanalo (2010)
Conducted research into the administrative and financial structure of student farms and prepared a report summarizing organizational structures for Michigan State University's Student Organic Farm to consider (2007)
Wrote a funding proposal for the Capital Area (Michigan) United Way to enhance the capacity of the Red Cross’ Regional Food Distribution Center (2006)
Launched and supervised the NorthWest Lansing food systems development project, which focuses on increasing food security in some of
Lansing's
poorest urban neighborhoods (2003-2005)
Assisted with the initial development of the W.K. Kellogg
Foundation's
Food Systems Higher Education-Community Partnership Program, which
focuses on enhancing the capacity of universities and colleges to work
with government, private sector, and community-based partners on local
food systems innovations (2001-2002)
Served as a land stewardship apprentice at the Land Stewardship
Center, a 120-acre land restoration demonstration site in Michigan's
Lapeer
County (1999)
Arranged a 45-activity/year sustainable agriculture program,
including
a seminar series, dialogue sessions, and field trips, and developed
and facilitated a sustainable agriculture course for the Michigan
State
Sustainable Agriculture Network (1997-1999)
Facilitated project development and monitoring an international
agricultural
development project for the Bean/Cowpea
Collaborative
Research Support Program (1996-1999)
Served as a technical trainer for new Peace Corps aquaculture
extension
agents (1995)
As a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon (1992-1994), programmed and implemented a grassroots outreach plan for local
aquacultural extension and provided technical assistance to small-scale farmers interested
in integrating fish ponds and agroforestry techniques into their
farming
systems
There have been just a handful of people with whom I have worked who are able to create and guide a complex project from visioning, to planning, to implementation. Ron Whitmore is one of those people and is a professional you want on your team.
There have been just a handful of people with whom I have worked who are able to create and guide a complex project from visioning, to planning, to implementation. Ron Whitmore is one of those people and is a professional you want on your team.