Michelle Norris is a Community and Economic Development Educator with University of Illinois Extension at the Champaign Center. She has more than a decade of progressive community development experience in the United States and abroad, in areas including strategic and organizational planning, recreation and tourism development, business retention and expansion strategies, local government education, community development research, project management and grants administration.
Michelle has a B.A. in Political Science from John Carroll University, an M.A. in International Studies from The Ohio State University and an M.A. in Political Science from Western Illinois University. She served in the United States Peace Corps as a College Instructor/Community Project Coordinator, and subsequently as Program Manager for the Council on World Affairs in Columbus, Ohio. Michelle joined University of Illinois Extension in 2003 as a Community and Economic Development Educator in the Clark County Unit. Prior to her Extension appointment, she completed a year-long strategic planning initiative with Clark County, while serving as a Western Illinois University Peace Corps Fellow in Community Development.
In addition to her work with University of Illinois Extension, Michelle has authored numerous community development articles for the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs and the Illinois Municipal League. She is a member of the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals, the Community Development Society and the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education. She currently serves as a Co-Chair for Extension's Community and Economic Development Team and as Vice-Chair for Extension's International Committee.
