Join us on Thursday, April 18th at Noon (CST) as we host the director of Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, Christopher Merrett, for our local government education webinar, Are Demographics Destiny for the Rural Midwest? Economic Development Implications for Rural Youth Population Decline for our Region. Merrett will discuss challenges and recommendations related to rural population decline. Local officials, community leaders, and professionals in community and economic development are encouraged to attend and participate in a discussion after the presentation.
Christopher D. Merrett is Director and Professor in the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA) at Western Illinois University. As IIRA director, Merrett oversees a university-based research, outreach, teaching, and policy development unit comprised of 20 community development faculty and professionals.
In addition to his management role, he teaches courses in Principles of Community Development, Non-metro Planning, and Philosophy and History of Geography. He also serves on the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council, is current Chairperson of Rural Partners, and has raised over $6 million in external grant funding to support community and economic development outreach and research. His current research focuses on cooperatives and community development. Merrett co-edited two books on this topic, including A Cooperative Approach to Local Economic Development (2001) and Cooperatives and Local Development: Theory and Applications for the 21st Century (2003).
There is no cost to attend the webinar; Contact Anne Silvis at asilvis@illinois.edu more information.