With deep appreciation, we bid farewell to our long-time board member, Amy Tracewell, as she retires from the RDI board this fall. Amy has been a dedicated board member since 2019, and her contributions and commitment to rural go back decades.
As a dedicated community leader and lifelong champion for rural places, Amy first became involved with RDI 20 years ago when the Rural Community Leadership program, delivered by RDI and supported by The Ford Family Foundation, was introduced to Cottage Grove, OR. Amy’s curiosity led her to apply to participate in the cohort, an experience she found meaningful and energizing. As work in rural communities is often volunteer led, being in the cohort helped Amy feel seen for the work she was doing in her community. The resources, connections, and knowledge gained led her to immerse herself in the program, becoming a community trainer, and later receiving The Ford Family Foundation Community Fellowship Award.
Amy recognizes rural communities as places where people are living rich lives full of relationships, meaning, connection, and community. Despite an often lack of resources, rural places are defined by resourcefulness, interdependence, and creativity that people bring in the face of limited infrastructure. As Amy reflected, “We don’t see the limits, we just see the possibilities. There’s a constant sense of innovating, adapting, and resilience that deserves recognition and investment.”
The learning opportunities provided by the Rural Community Leadership Program allowed Amy to continue serving her community, until she moved to a more urban setting and found it difficult to identify ways to get involved. Although she was no longer living in a rural place, Amy still saw the world through a rural lens, and wanted to stay connected to supporting rural. This led her to pursue a role on the RDI board, which she feels brought her back to who she is and what she stands for. Amy wanted to be “a part of the organization that I feel helped launch my own leadership journey.” As she put it, “I didn’t see myself as a leader until I took those classes and learned what it means to be a leader and how to develop those skillsets.”
As an RDI board member and through her role as Board Chair, Amy led with authenticity, openness, and passion and was a thought partner as she helped shape and strengthen RDI’s organizational systems and leadership. As past chair, Amy collaborated with current RDI Board Chair Taylor Sarman to shepherd systems change work and implement a strategic planning process focused on an impact-driven approach that incorporates high-level thought leadership and a driving vision, a strategy that is continuing to position RDI in policy conversations on both regional and national levels.
Amy has since returned to life in a rural community, and as she reflected on her journey both serving on the RDI board and participating in RDI programs, she highlighted the impact of RDI’s Regards to Rural conference, convenings she describes as a “symbol of joy that can come from bringing people together to collaborate and celebrate all of our little pockets that we’re living in.”
We will miss Amy but know her legacy will endure as she continues to be a champion for rural people, places, and leaders, especially through her work as Director of Pacific University’s Master of Nonprofit Leadership program, an online program that prepares students with the skills and experience needed to lead extraordinary organizations. As Amy put it, “Now more than ever we need leaders, and we need leaders in rural. We need people who have the skills and drive necessary to be the change they want to see in their communities.” Immense gratitude to Amy and her continued efforts to support and strengthen rural places and community leaders.
