I started working in community development because I wanted to impact my hometown. I dug in my heels at the grassroots level, connecting with public groups and organizations to affect homegrown change and assisting local businesses to attract investment through market-supported growth.My focus is helping projects and communities move forward, and I use a broad set of tools focused on finance specializations, targeted property/brownfield redevelopment, community interaction and outreach, capacity and relationship building, and engagement with public and private sectors to coordinate data-driven development in rural downtown communities. By listening to - and working together with - development and community partners, I've become attuned to what it takes to take a project from conception to completion, ensuring inclusive growth and opportunity.