Brad Clinehens is an Extension Educator in the area of Economic and Community Development at the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service in Lake County. Prior to joining Extension in 2005, Brad held a similar position with the University of California Cooperative Extension Service in Bishop, California. He worked in the area of Community & Rural Development in the beautiful Eastern Sierras. His job involved developing small business and workforce development programs and providing educational programs to the regional Chambers of Commerce.
Also, Brad served in the Peace Corps from 1999-2001 in Mauritania, West Africa as a Community Agro-forestry Volunteer. He worked on village-based agriculture and environmental projects along the Senegal River bordering the neighboring country of Senegal. Mauritania is one of the poorest countries in Africa, with extreme heat (120 plus) and the occasional sandstorm or seasonal flooding. The country is 100% Muslim and he spoke an Arabic-Berber dialect during his service.
Brad has a M.S. in Community Development from Penn State and a B.A.in Sociology/Anthropology from Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana.
Through his work with Extension, Brad provides training on various topics of leadership and civic engagement, diversity, entrepreneurship education, and community food systems. He actively partners with organizations in Lake County and Northwest Indiana to advance economic and community development.
Brad assisted with starting a local foods network for Northwest Indiana beginning with a Local Foods Forum in 2006. He was an active part of a team that planned the Local Foods Expos in Northwest Indiana and Elkhart County in 2007. He has also been working recently with several Extension Educators in the state on promoting community foods systems as a viable program area that includes food entrepreneurship, community kitchen incubators, local foods networks, and community gardens.
Brad serves on the board of the Northwest Indiana World Trade Council. He is a member of the Northwest Indiana Quality of Life Council and is an alumnus of the Leadership Northwest Indiana program. Brad is certified as a NxLevel Entrepreneurship Instructor and completed the Ball State, “Economic Development Course” for Indiana professionals working in economic development.
As an Extension Educator, Brad enjoys meeting and working with a diverse citizenry on important issues of local concern. Also he likes doing a wide variety of educational programs and knowing that participants are learning and see value in Extension programs. Brad can be contacted by phone at 219-755-3240 or by [email protected].