ABCD’s John McKnight

John McKnight talks to Bob & William Schambra about his journey in serving the cause, and his work with the Asset-Based Community Development Institute. He also explains the dryer test he uses for his researchers.

Finding Solutions

Bob, John & William discuss what we can learn from low-income communities. They also examine the “Woodson/McKnight” approach to social problems, and why no on eis trying to apply this model to bigger problems.

Fresh Ideas for Solving Problems

John McKnight describes the Neighborhood Innovations forum, and how it is used to share ideas between communities. The panel also discusses other models for solving problems that have been effective, and the challenges of getting others to embrace their approaches.

John McKnight

For nearly three decades, John McKnight has conducted research on social service delivery systems, health policy, community organizations, neighborhood policy, and institutional racism. He currently directs research projects focused on asset-based neighborhood development and methods of community building by incorporating marginalized people. McKnight has been associated with many of the Institute\'s major research projects since he joined the organization in 1969. These have included research on the urban determinants of health, law enforcement, urban disinvestment and metropolitan government, deinstitutionalized child welfare services, police anticrime programs, and the effects of the perception of crime upon community responses. He also directed the Chicago Innovations Forum, an IPR-based dialogue among neighborhood leaders and innovators in economic, political and social development. Much of his recent work on asset-based community development is captured in McKnight\'s co-authored book, Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community\'s Assets (1993), which has circulated through a broad range of community, government, business, nonprofit, and educational institutions in the United States and Canada. Articles McKnight has written over the past two decades were published in The Careless Society (1995). McKnight serves on the Board of Directors of numerous community organizations including the Gamaliel Foundation and The National Training and Information Center. Before joining Northwestern, McKnight directed the Midwest office of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Co-director John McKnight has partnered with Jody Kretzmann for nearly three decades on research on community organizations and neighborhood policy. Additionally, McKnight has conducted his own research on social service delivery systems, health policy, the inclusion of marginalized people and institutional racism. He currently contributes to ABCD Institute efforts and continues his own research and community work.

ABCD Website

William Schambra

William A. Schambra is the director of the Hudson Institute\'s Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal. Prior to joining the Hudson Institute in January of 2003, Schambra was director of programs at the Bradley Foundation in Milwaukee. Before joining Bradley in 1992, Schambra served as a senior advisor and chief speechwriter for Attorney General Edwin Meese III, Director of the Office of Personnel Management Constance Horner, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Louis Sullivan. He was also director of Social Policy Programs for the American Enterprise Institute, and co-director of AEI\'s \"A Decade of Study of the Constitution.\"

From 1984 to 1990 Schambra served as a member of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, to which he was appointed by President Reagan. From 2003 to 2006 he served on the board of directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Schambra has written extensively on the Constitution, the theory and practice of civic revitalization, and civil society in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, Policy Review, Christian Science Monitor, Nonprofit Quarterly, Philanthropy, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and Crisis, and is the editor of several volumes, including As Far as Republican Principles Will Admit: Collected Essays of Martin Diamond.

The Hudson Institute\'s Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal.