Gord Cunningham has more than 25 years of experience in community economic development, community-based microfinance and asset-based community development in Canada and internationally.
At the Coady Institute, he has been involved in: designing and delivering training and education programs; researching and writing case studies and practical tools and undertaking collaborative action research. With the Institute Gord has worked in Canada, India, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, South Africa, Vietnam and the Philippines. His work has almost always been focused on exploring the application of asset-based and citizen-led approaches to community development in different contexts. Gord is a member of the Strengthening Local Economies team at Coady and he teaches courses at the Institute (and on-site) in this area.
Gord has co-authored articles in The Canadian Journal of Development Studies and Development and Practice. He is also the co-editor of a book entitled: From Clients to Citizens: Communities changing the course of their own development published by Practical Action (UK) in September 2008.
Gord received his MA in Rural Planning and Development from the University of Guelph, and a Bachelor of Environmental Studies in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Waterloo.
Selected Publications & Presentations
- Cunningham, G. (2011). Community Economic Literacy and the 'Leaky Bucket'. Coady Occasional Paper #9.
- Mathie, A. & Cunningham, G. (Eds.). (2008). From clients to citizens: Communities changing the course of their own development. Rugby, UK: Practical Action.
- Mathie, A., & Cunningham, G. (2008). From clients to citizens: Asset-based community development as a strategy for community-driven development. In J. Rothman, J.L. Erlich, & J.E. Tropman, (Eds.), Strategies of community intervention (7th ed.) (pp. 283-297). Peosta, IA: Eddie Bowers Publishing.
- Cunningham, G. (2005). The Jambi Kiwa story: Mobilizing assets for community development.
- Mathie, A.,& Cunningham, G. (2005). Who is driving development? Reflections on the Transformative Potential of Asset-Based Community Development, Coady Occasional Paper #5. (503K pdf)
(also appears in Canadian Journal of Development Studies, 26 (1), 175-187).
- Mathie, A.,& Cunningham, G. (2002). From Clients to Citizens: Asset-Based Community Development as a Strategy For Community-Driven Development, Coady Occasional Paper #4.
Gord Cunningham can be reached at:
gcunning@stfx.ca