Norman Walzer, Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus in the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs and recently retired from the NIU Center for Governmental Studies where he now works on special projects involving state and national policies. He chairs the Rural Economic Development and Infrastructure subcommittee of the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council and regularly contributes to the professional literature with more than 25 books and numerous articles on community development, local public finance, and community investment practices. His most recent edited book is on community owned enterprises around the world and he is co-editor of Local Development and Society, an international journal in conjunction with the Community Development Society.