Joining EDA-Funded Economic Recovery Corps’ Inaugural Cohort

Economic Recovery Corps Kick-off | Credit: PhotosbyKim

Officially starting February 1, Carissa Patrone Maikuri, Owner & Principal of CMPM Consulting LLC, joined the Economic Recovery Corps’ inaugural cohort of 65 fellows and host communities. Funded through a $30 million cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) under the CARES Act, the goal of the Economic Recovery Corps (ERC) is to build capacity in some of the most historically excluded and most impacted communities across the United States. This 30-month contract allows for fellows and host organizations to work together to do economic development differently- focusing on building economies that are resilient, equitable, and inclusive.

65 fellows, also known as “field catalysts” and host communities have been selected who span across 44 states, territories, and Tribal Nations. 62% of the host sites are rural, and 9 of the 65 projects are led by Tribes or involve a Tribal organization as a primary partner. Fellows and hosts are collaborating on a variety of economic development projects spanning from workforce development and entrepreneurial ecosystem building, to housing, climate resiliency, broadband, and more.

“By investing in capacity building and leadership development, facilitating knowledge sharing and partnerships, the ERC program will set the stage for the future of economic development and a new age of collaboration in the economic development field.”
Nathan Ohle, President & CEO of IEDC

From February 12-15, fellows and hosts spent four days together in Portland, Oregon for training and networking. There, they began to build relationships, share knowledge, and learn about shared resources and support. The ERC program is led the the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) who is joined by six other partner organizations including the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI), International City/County Management Association (ICMA), National Association of Counties Research Foundation (NACo RF), National Association of Development Organizations Research Foundation (NADO RF), National League of Cities Institute (NLCI), and RAIN Catalysts.

Patrone Maikuri is working alongside Rural Community Assistance Corporation’s (RCAC) Building Rural Economies (BRE) team to provide capacity building and technical assistance, partnering with rural and Indigenous communities to incorporate inclusive community engagement and leverage local assets and resources to support innovation, spur business growth, and enhance community and regional self-sufficiency. In particular, Carissa and RCAC staff will be partnering with Plumas County to advance their growing recreation economy.