ODU CDC Executive Director Sparks HBCU Community Development Initiative for Virginia Colleges

April 6, 2011 - PRLog -- Old Dominion University Community Development Corporation (ODU CDC) Executive Director, E. Ann Grandy, will host the inaugural meeting of the Virginia Chapter of the national Historically Black Colleges and Universities Community Development Action Coalition (HBCU CDAC) sparking an ongoing initiative for HBCUs to take active and sustainable roles in reinvigorating their surrounding communities.  The meeting will take place on April 8, 2011 at 10:00 am in the Innovation Research Park Building #2 in the ODU Village.

After attending a national HBCU CDAC annual meeting in the fall, Grandy noticed the absence Virginia HBCUs and saw the need to reach out and get them involved in the national initiative to promote, support, and advocate for historically black colleges to create wealth, build healthy and sustainable communities, and achieve lasting economic viability. Her efforts have resulted in the first Virginia Chapter of the HBCU CDAC and its first meeting to be held on the ODU campus. The meeting will host representatives from each Virginia HBCU.

Grandy, a former Federal Senior Executive Service Member, is a community development industry leader and pioneer.  Under her leadership, the ODU CDC became the first college or university in Virginia to establish a community development corporation. In addition, the ODU CDC recently began an innovative project to provide home ownership for teachers, firefighters, police officers, and City of Norfolk and ODU employees through the development of a 51-unit green EarthCraft townhouse development.

“Sparking an ongoing initiative like this for communities surrounding colleges and universities in Virginia is exactly what we as community leaders should be doing,” said Grandy.  “We have a responsibility to support and improve our communities and it is our time in Virginia to take that responsibility and breed success. This first meeting is an exciting and positive step toward that success for our communities.

About ODU CDC
The Old Dominion University Community Development Corporation (ODU CDC) is a broad, grassroots partnership that combines neighborhood residents and civic leagues, local churches, government officials, business and public schools in order to create and sustain healthy neighborhoods. Since 2006, the ODU CDC has aggressively acted on five strategic initiatives: creating clean and safe streets, increasing housing and home ownership, fortifying public education, fostering economic opportunity and promoting commercial development. For more information, visit www.odu.edu/ao/cdc/.

About HBCU CDAC
HBCU Community Development Action Coalition promotes, supports, and advocates for historically black colleges and minority serving institutions (MSIs), community development corporations (CDCs), and the community economic development industry whose work creates wealth, builds healthy and sustainable communities, and achieves lasting economic viability.  HBCU CDAC fulfills its mission of service to its members working in dis-invested urban and rural communities through education, resource development, advocacy, networking, and training. For more information, visit www.hbcucoalition.org.

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The ODU Community Development Corporation is a broad, grassroots partnership that combines neighborhood residents and civic leagues, local churches, government officials, business and public schools in order to create and sustain healthy neighborhoods.