Regional Rural Development Hub
As a place-based rural development hub organization, RDI works hand-in-hand with communities to strengthen rural people, places, and economies in the Pacific Northwest. Rural Development Hubs work to advance an asset-based, wealth-building approach to rural community and economic development.
Our work includes leading and partnering in the RuraLead learning initiative, a network of organizations that came together to identify imperatives to support and develop rural leaders guiding local change, support the advancement of equity in rural places through leadership development, and make the right investments in rural and Indigenous America. Support for this program was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
RDI has also partnered with the Reser Family Foundation to convene an ongoing collaborative leadership development and civic engagement series to explore systems change for a more vital rural Oregon. The group has met virtually and in person to work together to expand our networks as rural service providers; build relationships and collaborations; develop deeper connections; identify our service areas; discuss space equity and inclusion; and think about community-centered approaches. Participants engaged in activities such as a mapping exercise which provided a great visualization of the communities we serve, where we overlap, and where gaps in our services exist in Oregon, prompting insight into how to better serve rural people and places.
In 2023, the collaborative participated in the in-person “Rural Forward: Toward Rural Power” event. Click here to learn more about the Rural Forward event. Thanks to the Reser Family Foundation and The Ford Family Foundation for their support of this work.
MEET OUR TEAM
Heidi Khokhar
Executive Director
hkhokhar (at) rdiinc.org
Kendra Schaffer
Policy and Networks Manager
kschaffer (at) rdiinc.org