Our resume

Current University-Community Collaboratives

Foothills Community Foundation (2014-present)

This participatory action research project aims to train a community in the northern Phoenix metropolitan area to gather, analyze, and synthesize community indicators of well-being and success. This project helps this community foundation to cultivate board member development and community capacity building through an assessment of their community’s vision, needs, and assets.

We Are Downtown (2013-present)

This organic community-based program continues to capture the voices of diverse communities in the core downtown area, and to inform ASU students and faculty in matters of pedagogy, research and service activities that would be more response to the needs of the community. The downtown community is driving the process. Click here to see our film. View or download our chapbook: Image removed. we-are-downtown-chapbook.pdf

The Verrado Assembly (2013-present)

Members and leaders of the Verrado Assembly, a community association in Buckeye, Arizona, have partnered with doctoral candidate Craig Talmage to assess engagement in their association and their larger community.

ASU – Salvation Army Partnership (2013-2015)

Residents and staff of the Salvation Army Laura Danieli Senior Activity Center in downtown Phoenix are designing ways to engage COPP students, classes, staff and faculty in revitalization of the Center. Accomplishments include special events management, creation of a technical center for residents, and fund raising experiences.

Balsz Promise Neighborhood (2011-2014)

A community-driven process to harness the community building, youth development, and neighborhood vision-making expertise of ASU, and co-create destinies to create an abundant community from an economic, educational (K-12), and life quality development perspective. A promise neighborhood initiative championed by the Balsz Elementary School District office and Valley of the Sun United Way.

Research publications

Conference workshops (refereed)

  • Alter, T. R., Deery, D. Fortunato, M., Hains, B., Hustedde, R., Talmage, C. A. (2014). Humanizing Community Innovation: New Strategies for Creative Collaborative Development Practice. Pre-Conference Workshop at the 2014 Community Development Society Conference. Dubuque, IA.
  • Pstross, M., Mendoza, M., Sung, H., Talmage, C. A., Knopf, R.C. (2013). Creating Community Abundance through Service-Learning. Workshop presented at the Arizona Summit on Volunteerism and Service-Learning. Phoenix, AZ.

Conference round table discussions (refereed)

  • Talmage, C. A., Pstross, M., Knopf, R. C. (2013). What If We Could See Satisfaction. Roundtable Discussion at Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities Conference. Louisville, KY.

Conference paper presentations (refereed)

  • Talmage, C. A., & Knopf, R. C. (2014). Involvement in the Associational Community: Assessing Overlooked Indicators of Well-Being. Conference Paper Presentation at the 2014 Community Development Society Conference. Dubuque, IA.
  • Talmage, C. A., Knopf, R. C., Pstross, M., & Peterson, C. B. (2014). Sense of Community: An Indicator of Individual and Community Well-Being in a Lifelong Learning Program. Conference Paper Presentation at the 2014 Community Development Society Conference. Dubuque, IA.
  • Talmage, C. A., Peterson, C. B., Pstross, M., & Knopf, R. C. (2014). Punk Rock, Critical Thinking, and Community Development: A History of Expressions of Emancipative Social Capital. Conference Paper Presentation at the 2014 Community Development Society Conference. Dubuque, IA. (Download the presentation here)
  • Peterson, C. B., & Knopf, R. C. (2014). (Re)Framing Sustainable Development: An Ecological Posture and Praxis. Conference Paper Presentation at Community Development Society Conference. Dubuque, IA.
  • Talmage, C. A., Peterson, C. B., Pstross, M., & Knopf, R. C. (2014). Punk Rock, Critical Thinking, and Community Development: A History of Expressions of Emancipative Social Capital. Conference Paper Presentation for the 2014 International Association for Community Development Conference. Glasgow, Scotland.
  • Talmage, C. A., Pstross, M., & Knopf, R. C. (2013). A Story About Storytelling: Questions as Catalysts in Stimulating Community Change. Conference Paper Presentation at the 2013 Community Development Society Conference. Charleston, SC. (Download the presentation here)
  • Hsia, C.-M., & Knopf, R. C. (2013). Adaptive Learning Processes in Community Development Efforts in Central Taiwan: The Case of Taichung City. Conference Paper Presentation at the 2013 Community Development Society Conference. Charleston, SC.
  • Knopf, R. C., Pstross, M., & Talmage, C. A. (2012). Helping children and youth succeed: Advancing the avenues for community quality of life assessment. Conference Paper Presentation at International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies Conference. Venice, Italy.
  • Talmage, C. A., Pstross, M., & Knopf, R. C. (2012). Enriching the Youth in Our Community: How Do We Do It? Conference Paper Presentation at Community Development Society Conference. Cincinnati, OH. (Download the presentation here)
  • Pstross, M., Knopf, R. C., Talmage, C. A., & Smith, K. (2012). Striving for Success. Promoting K-12 Success through Research, Community, and Action. Conference Paper Presentation at Community Development Society Conference. Cincinnati, OH. (Download the presentation here)

Conference poster presentations (refereed)

  • Pstross, M., Sung, E., Mendoza, M., Talmage, C.A., & Knopf, R.C. (2014). Community Service Learning as a Path to Abundance: Lessons Learned from a Long-Term University-Community Partnership. Conference Poster Presentation at the 2014 Community Development Society Conference. Dubuque, IA.
  • Talmage, C. A., Pstross, M., Peterson, C. B., & Knopf, R. (2014). Three Essential Questions: Discovering the Downtown Phoenix Identity. Conference Poster Presentation at the 2014 Community Development Society Conference. Dubuque, IA.
  • Pstross, M., Talmage, C. A., Knopf, R. C. (2013). A Story About Storytelling: Questions as Catalysts in Stimulating Community Change. Conference Poster Presentation at the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities Conference. Louisville, KY.
  • Talmage, C. A., Pstross, M., & Knopf, R. C. (2013). Lifelong Learning in the Metro-City: What's Trending in Education in the Third Age. Conference Poster Presentation at the 2013 Coalition of Urban Metropolitan Universities Conference. Louisville, KY.

Community forums 

The PCD has facilitated the following community forums:

  • 2014 School of Community Resources and Development Graduate Symposium. December 4, 2014.
  • Visit at ASU by Dr. Ron Hustedde from the University of Kentucky. February 20-22, 2014.
  • Visit at ASU by Dr. Cornelia Flora from Iowa State University. December 5-6, 2014.

Honors and Awards

    • Visually Most Appealing Poster Award (2015) for poster “In search of transformative moments: Blending community building pursuits into lifelong learning experiences" by Pstross, M., Peterson, C. B., Knopf, R. C, & Talmage, C. A. at the Community Development Society Conference in Lexington, Kentucky.
    • Community Development Society Achievement Award (2014) to Richard C. Knopf at the Community Development Society Conference in Dubuque, IA. (More details here)
    • Visually Most Appealing Poster Award (2014) for poster “Community Service Learning as a Path to Abundance” by Pstross, M., Sung, E., Mendoza, M., Talmage, C. A., & Knopf, R.C. at the Community Development Society Conference in Dubuque, IA.
    • Community Development Society Student Scholarship Award (2013) to Craig A. Talmage at Community Development Society Conference in Charleston, SC.