CDI Central

08/31/2026

Sometimes our training events hit close to home…

Director Shelby Fiegel led the UCA Outreach & Community Engagement team through a Gallup Strengths workshop during their quarterly division-wide meeting.

Leaning into Strengths as a team is powerful! Individuals who use their Strengths daily are 6x more likely to be engaged at work and are 3x more likely to report having an excellent quality of life.

08/25/2026

Small wins matter!

We’re looking forward to joining Southern Economic Development Council on September 1 at 1:00 PM Central for “Singles and Doubles: Using Small Retail Wins to Sustain Community Momentum.”

This webinar will explore how local retail activity can create visible progress, build community support, and keep momentum going while larger, long-term projects take shape.

Register at: https://www.sedc.org/events/singles-and-doubles-using-small-retail-wins-to-sustain-community-momentum

08/24/2026

Congratulations to CDI graduates Russell Harris of Entergy Arkansas, Jamie Gates of the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce, Kellie Wall of the Maumelle Area Chamber of Commerce, and Amy Finster of FARCO on their Arkansas Economic Developers & Chamber Executives awards! We are excited to celebrate them during the AEDCE conference and awards luncheon today.

Arkansas Economic Developers & Chamber Executives, an affiliate of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries

08/24/2026

Transformative. Empowerment. Wisdom. Togetherness.

This class of leaders from various backgrounds formed deep connections over their three-year CDI experience. The 2026 graduating class tells the story of their CDI journey in the short video below.

08/21/2026

Preparing for My Netflix Documentary: 2026 Year 2 (the self-proclaimed "best class ever)

An exclusive peek behind the curtain at what happens during CDI Year 2.

08/21/2026

A critical, but often overlooked piece of the workforce pipeline is early learning. To gain a better understanding of early learning in Arkansas, the Arkansas Research Center at UCA has released the 2026 Early Development Instrument (EDI) data, along with refreshed dashboards and new interactive learning modules. The updated tools make it easier to explore local data, identify patterns, and use EDI findings to support conversations and action in communities.

Read more and explore the new EDI resources at the link below:

The Early Development Instrument (EDI) helps Arkansas communities get a clear picture of how young children are developing in their neighborhoods. This population-level tool looks at five key areas of child development: physical health, emotional maturity, social competence, language and cognitive s...

08/20/2026

Want a REAL behind-the-scenes look at what goes on at ? Check out the CDI 2026 Year 1 class video that premiered at the CDI 2026 Closing Session and Awards Ceremony.

Our 2026 Year 1 class consisted of 64 community leaders from Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma from diverse backgrounds. They engaged in learning, simulations, and networking; growing as leaders while discovering tools and information to create positive impacts in their communities and organizations.

08/18/2026

The Ernest Whitelaw Award recognizes a member of the Year 3 graduating class for exemplifying the following points: dedication to professional community development practice; proven involvement in the CDI educational experience, demonstrated by enthusiastic individual and group class participation, willingness to assume leadership roles and regular class attendance; a spirit of caring and inclusion shown by a willingness to assist, enable and involve fellow students in the CDI experience; and strong personal integrity.

The award winner is selected by their peers at the end of the CDI training week.

Congratulations to the CDI 2026 Ernest Whitelaw Award winner Tannella Gauthreaux-Foster of Entergy Arkansas!

08/14/2026

Gary Bass of the Jefferson Davis County Economic Development Association was chosen by his classmates as the 2026 Year 2 Class Champion. Rashad Woods of ARVAC and the City Of Dardanelle City Council was chosen by his classmates as the CDI 2026 Year 1 Class Champion.

Both Gary and Rashad were nominated by their cohorts for being engaged, concerned, committed, compassionate and inclusive, and demonstrating leadership that inspires and unites during the week of CDI 2026. Congratulations to these two amazing community leaders!

08/13/2026

Regional collaboration is essential to creating innovative, impactful workforce solutions.

Today we lean into that fact through the “Workforce Solutions Lab: The Case for Quality Jobs, Skills-Based Hiring and Apprenticeships” hosted in partnership with our team at the University of Central Arkansas, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Western Arkansas Planning & Development District, and the Northeast Oklahoma Regional Alliance in Fort Smith at the Peak Innovation Center.