COIC, a leader in rural community development in Oregon, provides the expertise, management, and area connections needed to support GRO. COIC has 50 years of experience heading initiatives in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties, the cities of Bend, Culver, La Pine, Madras, Metolius, Prineville, Redmond and Sisters, as well as the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. COIC employs more than 100 people and provides services in the following areas: employment and training, alternative high school education, business loans, transportation, and community and economic development. COIC is a dynamic, and trusted leader in economic development across the state, an ideal home for Growing Rural Oregon.
Visit: www.coic.org
COIC Team

Patti Norris
Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Builder

Julia Baumgartner
Community Development Programs Manager

Scott Aycock
COIC Director of Community & Economic Development & GRO Project Supervisor
The Ford Family Foundation was established in 1957 by Kenneth W. and Hallie E. Ford. Its mission is “successful citizens and vital rural communities” in Oregon and Siskiyou County, California. The Foundation is based in Roseburg, Oregon, with a scholarship office in Eugene.
Visit: www.tfff.org
The Ford Family Foundation Team

Kathleen Flanagan
Director of Community & Economic Development
E2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems helps communities and regions connect, learn, and share best practices for building sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems across North America.
With roots in rural America and more than 30 years of experience, we believe e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems is a go-to resource for communities and regions of all sizes wanting to pursue entrepreneurship as a development strategy for long-term, sustainable prosperity. You are invited to explore our long history in the field.
Our extensive network of partners, field-tested eCommunities development process and framework, books, custom analytics and more create robust learning opportunities for communities to build scalable ecosystem models that work.
e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Team

Don Macke
Vice President, e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Tara Risewick
Director, e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
NetWork Kansas, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, is dedicated to making entrepreneurship a priority for economic and community development in the State of Kansas. NetWork Kansas connects aspiring entrepreneurs, emerging and established businesses, to a deep network of business-building and community development resource organizations across the state. NetWork Kansas facilitates the development of an entrepreneurial ecosystem within participating communities through the E-Community Partnership. Contributing factors to successful development include the availability of financial capital, support by local leadership, and development of educational resources. All of these factors combine to increase entrepreneurial activity in participating towns, leading to increased startup activity, business expansion, job creation, and more. NetWork Kansas is also the home of e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (e2) and Entrepreneurial Growth Ventures.
Visit: www.networkkansas.com
Network Kansas Team
Steve Radley
Chief Executive Officer, NetWork Kansas
Erik Pedersen
President and Chief Operating Officer, NetWork Kansas
Pam Bishop
GRO Community Coordinator
Program and Policy Insights is helping GRO to evaluate, measure, and share our programs strengths as we grow as an organization and learn alongside our inaugural cohort. Program and Policy Insight (PPI), LLC is dedicated to providing high-quality evaluation, research, facilitation, and technical assistance to government agencies and nonprofit organizations. PPI is a federal and state-certified woman-owned and emerging small business whose underlying mission is to improve social and economic opportunities for individuals, families, and their communities. PPI and our extensive network of professionals provide many substantive and methodological competencies that support equitable economic growth and social well-being, including: comprehensive evaluation design and implementation services; expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methods; capacity building services to promote data literacy and evaluation fluency; consensus-driven facilitation methods to elicit stakeholder feedback; public engagement strategies that share data decision-making with community stakeholders to facilitate greater social equity; and expertise in assessing gaps in outcomes, services, and structures to support more transparent and equitable policy and programmatic decisions.
Visit: programandpolicy.com
Program and Policy Insights Team

Kendra Lodewick
PPI Principal
