Courtney Bergey Swanson
Community Development Consultant and Artist (Rochester, Minnesota)
Session: It Takes a Village: Innovative Rural Housing Partnerships (Friday, 3:45 – 5:00pm)
Courtney Bergey Swanson (she/her) is a community development consultant and artist driven by the promise of rural America. She grew up on a farm just south of Lanesboro, MN, using years of exploring pastures, building tree houses, and feeding baby calves to fuel her penchant for curiosity and creative problem solving. Courtney serves as Director of Community Engagement for Community and Economic Development Associates (CEDA), a nonprofit based in southeast Minnesota that provides innovative community development consulting to small towns and rural counties. Courtney also serves on the Board of Directors for four organizations: Mainspring Arts & Cultural Center (Caledonia, MN), Listos Dual-Immersion Preschool (Rochester, MN), Threshold Arts (Rochester, MN), and the Department of Public Transformation (nationwide, but based in rural MN). For Courtney, this work is about strengthening economies, empowering citizens, inciting radical joy, and sparking positive change. She lives in Rochester, MN and spends any spare moment over her stove, cooking up something nourishing for friends and family.