In 2006, when Purdue Extension’s community development director Michael Wilcox joined the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals, NACDEP was a fledging organization, only in its third year. Still, Wilcox — then a recent graduate of Purdue’s Department of Agricultural Economics and an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee, now the community development program leader — was excited. The association offered extension professionals at Purdue and across the country a chance to connect with people from other land-grant universities passionate about community development.
Six years later, Wilcox became NACDEP president. Now, Kara Salazar, community development assistant program leader and sustainable communities extension specialist, will become the third NACDEP president from Purdue.
“I'm super psyched that Kara has been tapped to be the next president, because if anybody can set the bar high, it's Kara Salazar,” said Melinda Grismer, a staff member for the Purdue Center for Regional Development and the other Purdue past president of NACDEP.
Salazar will serve a three-year term, moving from president-elect to president to past president. In each role, she will lead and support the work of colleagues from across the country.
“NACDEP has been a fantastic organization to be a part of, and they're wonderful colleagues to work around,” Salazar said. “Helping to further our work in community development is something near and dear to my heart. I'm really happy that I can continue serving the association and the profession of community development and advance the activities my colleagues would like to see.”
Salazar joined NACDEP and Purdue community development in 2012, but she has worked in community development for her entire career.
“There are a lot of different areas that we touch within community development. But at the end of the day, community development is about supporting communities by providing the best information and resources that are available to help them figure out where they want to go,” she said.
“Purdue Extension has always had a strong presence in NACDEP,” Wilcox said. One of the founding members was Bo Beaulieu, a former community development program leader, and Indiana was one of NACDEP’s first state affiliates. In 2022, Purdue hosted the national conference in Indianapolis.
Wilcox and Grismer look forward to Salazar continuing Purdue’s record of national community development excellence.
“I've always been very impressed with Kara’s approach to things. I first met her when I returned to Purdue and served as NACDEP president. She's a hard worker, smart and extremely tenacious,” Wilcox said. “It seems like her career progression has been leading to this point, where not only is she highly successful and nationally recognized in her disciplines, but she also has this opportunity to serve. She's always been driven by wanting to support extension professionals and everyone around her. I’m excited to support her as she leads at a national level.”