There will be nine vacancies on the CIC board as of January 1, 2019. Three board members have served two full terms and are now term-limited. Two board members are leaving after one term because of changing professional or personal circumstances. In addition, four current board members are seeking a second term on the board.

The CIC Nominating Committee has put forth a slate of five new candidates and four incumbents for the CIC Board of Directors. This slate is supported by the Board of Director and is now presented for approval by the membership. All CIC members in good standing are invited to vote between October 15 and November 16 (*).

Read more about each of the five new candidate:

  • Luis Estevez. Dr. Estevez is Associate Professor of Planning & Community Development in the Dept of Geography & Planning at St. Cloud State University. His research and experience focus in master planning, affordable housing, land use regulations, and assessment of indexes. Recently, he has focused on strategies addressing the need of neighborhood indicators, specifically for the assessment of quality of housing. Dr. Estevez, a Fulbright scholar, earned his PhD in Urban & Regional Science from Texas A&M University, and two MAs in urban planning from Texas A&M University and the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (National Autonomous University of Mexico)
  • Florencia Gutierrez. Ms. Gutierrez has worked with the Annie E. Casey Foundation for past 9 years. In her role as a Sr Research Associate she develops and maintains the KIDS COUNT Data Center, KIDS COUNT Data Book and related national KIDS COUNT products and provides technical support around data and research to the KIDS COUNT networked. She also leads the Census work. Previously she was at the Center for Public Policy Priorities where she worked on KIDS COUNT at the state-level, researching issues in the area of education, wealth, and the economy. She has a MA in Education and another in Public Policy from the University of Texas-Austin.
  • Allison Liuzzi.  Ms. Liuzzi joined Minnesota Compass in 2012 and became Project Director in 2017. She leads the STEM section of Minnesota Compass, North Dakota Compass and South Dakota Dashboard, and Black Hills Knowledge Network. She has a BA in Mathematics and Sociology from Luther College, Master of Science in Park, Recreation & Tourism Resources from Michigan State, and completed doctoral coursework in Sociology at University of New Hampshire. Minnesota Compass won CIC Impact award 2012.
  • Jennifer Temmer. Ms. Temmer is Project Officer at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)’s SDG Knowledge Program. She helps communities implement the SDG framework and works with communities to establish their own local indicator systems. She is also involved with PEG, Winnipeg’s Community Indicator System, and is responsible for the data and technology aspects of the system and designing capacity development workshops on data literacy and knowledge about issues important to well-being in Winnipeg. She has a BA in International Development & Spanish from Dalhousie University, a MSc in Rural Planning & Development (International) from University of Guelph. She was named a CIC Emerging Leader 2018 and PEG won Impact Award in 2014.
  • Nancy Watson.  Ms. Watson is Managing Director of Engage Nova Scotia. She is leading a call to action for Nova Scotians to step up to improve quality of life and economic conditions. She is an architect of new Nova Scotia Quality of Life Initiative; adept at engaging and building collaborative networks among governments, educators, businesses, community organizations and the general public. She is well connected throughout Nova Scotia at community level and with provincial government; Past Director of Communications for Government of Nova Scotia. BA Mount Allison University and MA University of Toronto in English Literature.

The four incumbents are:

  • Linda McKessock.  Ms. McKessock is Project Manager of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW). She is a graduate of the University of Waterloo in Environmental Studies. Her long and varied career has provided a depth of experience in the the public sector in both provincial and federal environment agencies; private sector in consulting and as a business owner; and more recently, in the not-for-profit sector at the Foundation where the CIW was incubated.  As a member of the CIW Leadership Team, Linda was instrumental in the successful transitioning of the CIW from a Foundation to a research-intensive University in 2011. Her interest is in connecting people and wellbeing initiatives for broader impact.
  • Rhonda Phillips.  Dr. Phillips’s research and outreach efforts focus on quality of life and well-being in community and economic development. At Purdue, she serves as Dean of the Honors College, and a Professor in the Agricultural Economics Department. Honors include being awarded three times as a Fulbright Scholar – as the 2006 UK Ulster Policy Fellow Fulbright Scholar in Northern Ireland, a 2012 Fulbright Senior Specialist to Panama, and most recently a 2015-2016 specialist again to Panama. Rhonda is author or editor of 21 books, including Growing Livelihoods: Local Food Systems and Community Development; Sustainable Communities, Creating a Durable Local Economy; Community Development Indicators Measuring Systems; and Introduction to Community Development. She is editor of the series Community Quality of Life and Well-Being published by Springer in partnership with the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies. She was recently inducted into the College of Fellows, American Institute of Certified Planners (FAICP), and degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Southern Mississippi.
  • Frank Ridzi. Dr. Ridzi is Vice President for Community Investment at the Central New York Community Foundation, Associate Professor of Sociology at Le Moyne College and President of the Literacy Funders Network, an affinity group of the Council on Foundations. He has conducted research and written in the areas of literacy coalitions, sociology of work, and student affairs. His writings have appeared in such places as the Foundation Review, the Journal of Applied Social Sciences, the Journal of Organizational Change Management, and Review of Policy Research.  Dr. Ridzi oversees and monitors the grantmaking process and conducts research on issues or concerns of importance to the community.  He holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration and a Ph.D. in Sociology from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School. He also carries a Certificate of Advanced Study in Women’s Studies.
  • Sarah Treuhaft. Ms. Treuhaft is Senior Director at PoliciyLink where she coordinates the organization’s work on demographic change and the economy, collaborating with local and national partners on research and action projects that aim to build a more equitable economy. She oversees the All-In Cities initiative, which equips city officials, community advocates, and other civic leaders with policy ideas, data, and hands-on assistance to advance racial economic inclusion and equitable growth. She also manages the research partnership between PolicyLink and the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) at the University of Southern California, which provides community leaders with data and analysis to make the case that equity is both a moral imperative and the key to sustainable economic prosperity. The PolicyLink/PERE partnership maintains the National Equity Atlas data and policy tool. She holds master’s degrees in city planning and international and area studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

(*) if you are a CIC member and have not received your invitation to vote via email on October 15, please contact CIC.