Author Jay Samit said, ?Those that recognize the inevitability of change stand to benefit the most from it.? Change is constant, but not always easy. Economic and demographic shifts continually and increasingly test communities of all sizes, requiring different conversations and new approaches. To remain relevant and to thrive, community leaders must understand the data and use it to tackle challenges and pursue opportunities in comprehensive ways.

The Scott County Community Foundation would like to invite the community to attend a presentation, ?Considerations for Community Change: Shifting Paradigms and What They Mean for Indiana Neighborhoods, Towns, Cities, and Counties.? The presentation is designed to help provide context for why investments in both people and place are critical to the future vibrancy of our hometowns. Research, policy, and practice related to shifting paradigms and community sustainability are discussed in this 90-minute session developed and presented by Ball State University?s Indiana Communities Institute and Center for Business and Economic Research.

Leading the presentations will be Dr. Michael Hicks, the George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State University. He has held faculty positions at the Air Force Institute of Technology, Marshall University and the University of Tennessee. His research has been reported in such places as the Economist, the Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR, CNN, CSPAN, CNBC, Fox Business and The Nightly Business Report.? He is a retired infantry soldier in the Army Reserve, with peacekeeping and combat service in the Middle East and Africa.

There will be two identical sessions for attendees from which to choose, and both will be held at Mid-America Science Park in Scottsburg. The first session will be held Tuesday, Feb. 11 from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. The next day, Feb. 12, a lunch session will be held from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Dinner and lunch will be provided for these free sessions, which are made possible through a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. Registrations are required and can be made by calling the Scott County Community Foundation at 812-752-2057 or emailing info@www.scottcountyfoundation.org.