The University of Kentucky Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky (CEDIK), part of the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE), is aligning with the UK Land-grant Engagement and other campus partners to accelerate multidisciplinary economic and community development across Kentucky.

CEDIK upholds the university’s land-grant mission to advance Kentucky through education, research, service and care. Its mission focuses on building engaged communities and vibrant economies in four areas: economic development, leadership development, community health, and arts and community design.

As part of this strategic alignment, Alison Davis will be named assistant vice president for Land-grant Engagement and Economic Initiatives. In this role, she will continue to lead CEDIK’s mission while providing institutional coordination, leadership and support in land-grant engagement with a priority on economic initiatives. The growth in economic development, workforce and community well-being aligns with the university’s priority to accelerate partnerships that address Kentucky issues.

Davis, an agricultural economics professor, has served as CEDIK’s executive director since 2010. In that time, she has forged strong relationships across the campus, Kentucky and the nation. Her economic development work utilizes research, data tools and educational materials to highlight the importance of community engagement, infrastructure development, regionalism and the impact of changing public policy on communities.

“This alignment strengthens our ability address the Commonwealth’s most pressing economic and community development needs,” said Nancy Cox, Martin-Gatton CAFE dean and vice president for land-grant engagement. “I’m excited for Dr. Davis’ leadership in this area, with particular attention to the university’s new Housing Engagement Research Initiative, which will bring together resources and expertise across the university to build more vibrant communities throughout Kentucky.”

Mark Mains will also be joining CEDIK as the director of workforce and engagement initiatives. In this role, Mains will provide administrative leadership for UK Cooperative Extension Service workforce initiatives — building the capacity of the extension system to be leaders in local, regional and state employment skill building, career readiness and support opportunities.

“CEDIK’s work has always been centered around elevating Kentucky’s competitiveness, both as a place to do business as well as a place that attracts and retains the creatives, the innovators and our future leaders,” Davis said. “This strategic change strengthens connections between the community and economic needs across the state and the important work currently led by UK’s faculty, staff and students all across campus.”

Under the new organization of the UK Land-grant Engagement, Davis will lead the Housing Engagement and Research Initiative, a significant institutional priority identified by the Board of Trustees as part of Project Accelerate. This new effort builds on CEDIK’s extensive research on housing and land use planning to improve access to affordable housing and the Economic Development Collaborative’s (EDC) focus on addressing housing issues in urban areas. The next phase will include convening regional stakeholders to better understand the housing needs for the entire region; conducting empirical research on housing affordability, housing market dynamics, demographic trends and neighborhood developments; and organizing workshops, forums and public lectures to facilitate dialogue and knowledge on housing-related topics.

“CEDIK’s work, under the leadership of Dr. Alison Davis, embodies the university’s land-grant mission to improve the quality of life across Kentucky through research, education and outreach,” said UK President Eli Capilouto. “This new alignment strengthens our capacity to tackle challenges and deliver solutions that are crucial to the success and well-being of our communities throughout the state.”

To support this initiative, CEDIK will hire a Housing Program coordinator to foster collaborations with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, developers and community leaders to implement innovative regional housing solutions. In collaboration with CEDIK’s research team, this person will also generate evidence-based policy recommendations to inform local and regional housing policies and strategies.

CEDIK’s operations will be housed in the Coldstream Research Campus, sharing office space with the EDC at The CoRE – Collaboration, Research and Entrepreneurship facility.

To learn more about CEDIK, visit cedik.ca.uky.edu.