November 18, 2025 Webinar – Future Forward: Building an Adaptive Field

Future Forward: Building an Adaptive Field

Tuesday, November 18, 2025 — 2:00 pm Eastern Time (US & Canada)

To view the webinar recording click HERE

To view the PDF version of the presentation slides click HERE

Click here to view The Seven System Elements (discussed during presentation)

Click here to view The Roadmap to Equity Full Report (buildingtheengine.com by Madhavi Reddy)

The world is changing quickly. Many communities are managing multiple, overlapping crises that impact residents. How does the field of community development need to change to meet the moment? What competencies need to be developed? What frameworks should we be considering? What policy shifts need to be made? Join us for a lively discussion about the future of community development work. We will be talking about leadership pipelines, frameworks for the future, and sharing some insights into what might need to change to ensure our work is future focused.

Presenters:

Maggie (M. Margaret) DeSantis

Maggie is a native Detroiter who has worked in community development since the late 1970s. She is a graduate of Wayne State University, Central Michigan University and the Pratt Institute National Internship in Community Economic Development. In 1984 she founded the Warren/Conner Development Coalition (now Eastside Community Network), one of Detroit’s most prolific community development organizations. After leaving ECN in 2016, she launched the multi- stakeholder “Building the Engine of Community Development in Detroit” (BECDD) initiative to create a community development ecosystem for Detroit. In 2020 Maggie launched “Community Development Strategies LLC,” a consulting firm specializing in helping community development organizations create and carry out authentic, equitable community development strategies; and providing leadership succession support.

Angela Carlberg

Angela is the Senior Director of Community Development Ecosystem Building at CDAD. She has 15 years of experience cultivating relationships in state government, academia, and community development sectors. She specializes in facilitating conversations at the intersection of race, gender, policy, and organizational change. Angela has managed procurement, racial and health equity programs at Ramsey County, led the development of a racial equity theory of change, and designed an infrastructure that would support, align, and advance efforts countywide. While at the Democracy Collaborative (TDC), Angela provided project management and primary leadership to promote new work related to establishing community wealth building systems that are democratic and reparative.

Frank Woodruff

Frank became executive director of the Community Opportunity Alliance in 2012, confidently confronting challenges faced by low- and moderate-income communities. Having grown substantially since then, the Alliance is undergoing a transformative shift to becoming a field-building organization for community development. This move aims to create a stronger environment for local strategies promoting and advancing prosperity. He holds an Executive Education Certificate from Harvard Kennedy School, a Masters of Public Policy degree from George Washington University, and a BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He lives in Virginia with his wife, Natalie, and sons.