my deep gladness
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Frederick Buechner once wrote that one's purpose is found at, "the place where [one's] deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” What's my deep gladness? Building flourishing communities in which ALL people can thrive and attain their highest potential.
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Flourishing communities and thriving people grow from the rich soil of social wellbeing, inclusive economies, and healthy ecosystems. Achieving this optimal state does not happen by chance, it happens by design. It takes intention, time, and commitment.
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I created this website to share a little of my journey as a community developer and facilitative leader. My journey, which spans over two decades now, has taken me from the villages of Africa to the urban neighborhoods of Rust Belt cities to the rural towns of Central Appalachia.
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Along the way, I have grown from my humble beginnings as a Program Coordinator to a Program Director, and from a Chief Program Officer to now an Executive Director.
In every context, and in every role, I have applied design thinking, community engagement practices, and group process tools to help teams, organizations, businesses, and collaboratives co-create a better future story for ALL.
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It has been a true privilege to travel this journey and witness everyday people bringing into reality their dream of a more socially connected and healthier community, a more vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, a stronger regional food economy, an environment where every youth succeeds, and so much more.
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It has been all the more meaningful to walk this path with my wife, our children, and our animal friends. We are collectively known as Team Smith, and our motto is Forged for Good. ​
My Origin Story
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Why do I care about communities and flourishing? In large part, it's because of my family legacy. My grandparents left a comfortable life in the U.S. in 1923 and moved to Congo to serve local communities with their knowledge of health and agriculture. My parents then worked as educators in Congo from 1964 to 1994.
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Most of my formative years were spent in a rural village in Congo, but we also spent time in the U.S. moving back and forth between two very different worlds caused me to ask questions. I began to wonder why my friends in the U.S. had more material wealth than my Congolese friends. Later, I started to wonder why my Congolese friends were quicker to laugh and had greater social wealth than my friends in the U.S.
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In short, I became curious about the world and found I wanted to help everyone achieve their best life possible, as they defined it. Ultimately, my curiosity and my heart for people led me to the field of Community Development. ​
ABOUT ME
who i am now
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​From these humble beginnings I went on to get a Master's degree in Community Development through North Dakota State University. I have added to my formal education with professional certifications in everything from Community Coaching to Asset-Based Community Development. For details, visit the "Learnings" tab.
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To my education I have added over twenty years of experience in various aspects of community development. As I have progressed in my career, I have grown in my ability to manage budgets, raise funds, set strategic direction, build partnerships, grow programs, provide leadership, and inspire teams to do great things.
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These are skills I use every day as an Executive Director. With Great Lakes Urban, I am seeking to address what the U.S. Surgeon General, the WHO, and others are calling an epidemic of loneliness and isolation. We are working to build connected communities using neighborhoods as a key unit of change.
My Origin Story
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For me, this is a cause I am deeply passionate about. Deeply connected communities have better outcomes on a variety of health and wellness, economic resiliency, and other factors. They also have a culture that assumes that everyone matters. They build pathways for people to discover, and share, out of their giftedness, their relationships, and their capacities. As people experience greater belonging and agency, they discover their deep gladness and participate in expanding flourishing for ALL.
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I am deeply grateful that since the board invited me to take on this challenge in 2020, we have more than doubled our revenue, grown our team, clarified our purpose, and expanded our partnerships. Along the way we have become a recognized leader in the Asset-Based Community Development field, and our footprint has grown from our base in West Michigan to encompass work in several states. And, we're just getting started!
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A lot has happened between my origin story and who I am today. I invite you to learn more about some of my favorite bodies of work by visiting the "Experiences" tab. On your way out, check out my "Blog" for even more stories.
What Others Say
Marlo Fox
Executive Director
Think Tank, Inc.
Eric has the unique ability to be very thoughtful and strategic at a macro/big picture level while being very practical, present and committed to his community on the ground. Eric displays great compassion and authenticity in every interaction and truly values and honors the gifts that each individual brings to the table. Eric is both self-directed and inclusive, which makes him a great member of a team, and trusted with various projects requiring high accountability. I value greatly the season that I was able to work directly with Eric.
Shannon Meadows
Community Development Director of Springfield, Ohio
Eric meets people where they are. He understands struggle and pain. He heals through is compassion. He leads through his quiet ability to encourage. Eric is an asset beyond measure. The impacts he has made will last for generations in Springfield. He will be an asset in any organization, neighborhood, community, or group. I cannot give a higher recommendation for an individual than that which I give for Eric Smith.
Brian Vadakin
Chief Program Officer
Rural Action
Eric's greatest strengths lie in his understanding of community development (both theory and practice, U.S. and international), his constant push to include community members in the work in a meaningful way, and his thoughtful and approachable demeanor as a leader. He is incredibly patient, receptive to new ideas, and was able to deftly manage the tensions of distributed leadership in a complex organization. As one of our staff members said, he seemed able to keep the organizational "ship" away from danger even when 10 other people were trying to steer.
