Community Development
The Community Building Institute has worked on a wide range of projects on virtually any urban issue. A sampling can be found below.
Environment
Chesapeake Forest Summit. Potapchuk facilitated the three-day Chesapeake Forest Summit, which brought together federal, state, and local officials; environmental groups, watershed management groups and other stakeholders in the region.
Chesapeake Environmental Education Summit. Environmental educators gathered to build strategies for infusing environmental education into school curricula throughout the region. Potapchuk facilitated the two-day event.
Federal Strategy for the Chesapeake Bay. President Obama, through an Executive Order, challenged federal agencies to “step up their game” for a clean and safe Chesapeake Bay. This three day event, facilitated by Potapchuk, included senior managers and officials from such agencies as the EPA, Interior, Defense, Agriculture, NOAA, and the Chesapeake Bay Office.
Fresh AIRE. Fresh AIRE (Arlington Initiative to Reduce Emissions) is one of the most ambitious climate change initiatives in the country. Potapchuk facilitated meetings designed to foster strategies and a performance-based approach across government agencies.
Urban Issues
Fairfax County Strengthening Neighborhoods and Building Community Initiative. Potapchuk, working with Margaret Yao, led an effort to assist Fairfax County with strengthening its efforts to work in changing neighborhoods through reinvention and process improvement strategies and facilitate community-based efforts on particular issues. This work has included facilitating retreats for department heads and other senior staff and for middle managers and front-line staff.
United We Ride. United We Ride is a multi-agency initiative, anchored by the Department of Transportation and Department of Health and Human Services. Potapchuk facilitated meetings to foster better utilization of transportation and was lead author for a toolkit to help states and communities coordinate their transportation planning.
Together We Can. Together We Can was a leadership training collaborative that included the Child and Family Policy Center, California Tomorrow, the Institute for Education Leadership, and the Program for Community Problem Solving. This effort, funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Annie E. Casey and Kauffman Foundation, helped members assess their progress, identify their challenges, and develop steps for moving forward.
HUD Empowerment Zones. Potapchuk co-authored the Strategic Planning Guide and Performance Measurement Guide for those communities seeking second round Empowerment Zone designation.
Montgomery County Park and Planning. Potapchuk served as lead facilitator for an 18 month effort to build consensus on a transportation and land use plan for Montgomery County (MD). This effort included facilitating the work of an 35 member task force, designing and facilitating public involvement sessions, and developing overall strategy.
DCPS Partnering. As the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) was about to embark on an ambitious school construction initiative, CBI helped DCPS and contractors develop shared norms and protocols around collaboration and dispute resolution.
Community Based Nutrition Education. Potapchuk helped the then Food and Nutrition Service in the US Department of Agriculture develop its first collaborative community-based approach to nutrition education. The successful effort was documented in “Collaborative Approach to Nutrition Education in Schools and Communities” in the Journal of Nutrition Education.
Greater Washington Initiative. The Greater Washington Initiative brought together the economic development agencies from local jurisdictions. Potapchuk facilitated several annual strategy sessions. As the then director noted, “Bill is the best facilitator I have worked with in 15 years of regional development. He understands the challenges communities face and knows how to lead a process that creates consensus. I would work with him again in a heartbeat.”
National Assembly. Potapchuk facilitated several working sessions for the National Assembly, which brings together national human service organizations. In particular, he helped a working group develop human resource strategies among large nonprofits such as the
American Cancer Society and the Red Cross that addressed diversity and recruitment issues.
Fairfax County Day Laborers. In Fairfax County, as in many localities, day laborers congregate on street corners looking for work. Often, local business and residents complain about traffic and other issues. Potapchuk facilitated a series of meetings among day laborers, organizers, business leaders and residents to build common ground on how to minimize disruption and foster harmony.
Potapchuk has also delivered training and skill-building workshops to a wide variety of clients including Leadership St. Louis, National League of Cities, International City County Management Association, National Association of Counties, American Public Works Association, International Downtown Association, Austin Dispute Resolution Center, Durham County Dispute Resolution Center, University of Texas Center for Dispute Resolution, Ohio Office of Dispute Resolution, Association for Public Policy and Management, and a number of Neighborhood Colleges.