Deb Martin

Program Development Coordinator |
GLCAP

Debra Martin has been working in rural community and economic development for more than twenty years, both domestically and internationally. She has been a trainer for the U.S. Department of State on rural development issues in several countries and was responsible for the creation of new CED initiatives in the Great Lakes RCAP region, bringing in over $1 million to date to support these initiatives. She is a certified Wealth Works Coach, a certified Economic Gardening Administrator, a certified Destination Business facilitator, a certified Ice House Entrepreneurship Program trainer, and has currently completed all required coursework for the International Economic Development Council's (IEDC) Entrepreneurship Development Professional certification. Ms. Martin recently was one of the authors of the Federal Reserve's book Investing in Rural Prosperity and has been a presenter at many national conferences and events. She has more than twenty-five years of experience in program management and leadership. Debra has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Findlay.

Session One:
Track: TAP Skills: CED
Title: RCAP Regions and Community Economic Development: Connecting the Dots
Day/Time: Tuesday, 8/16 | 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Description: Connecting the dots between environmental work and community economic development – what does this mean in our daily work? How does this translate into positive change for our communities? How can we meet our mission to build resiliency in rural America? This participatory session will allow space for discussion, challenging assumptions, and creative thinking as we identify how we do this now – and what needs to happen to re-wire our approach for even greater impact.  Be prepared to share, inspire and leave with new strategies to elevate our collective impact in meeting our mission. 

Session Two:
Title: World Cafe – Why Community Economic Development is So Important
Day/Time: Thursday, 8/18 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Description: Pathways to Prosperity: Why CED is so important to RCAP’s Mission