The University of Maryland’s National Center for Smart Growth (NCSG) is seeking a highly motivated Project Coordinator to support the Small Business Anti-Displacement Network (SBAN). SBAN’s mission is to establish and sustain a network of organizations that work to prevent the displacement of small businesses owned by immigrants and people of color in gentrifying neighborhoods across the U.S. and internationally. It seeks to foster vibrant neighborhoods anchored by diverse business owners, workers, and residents who can remain in place and benefit from new public and private investments.
The project seeks to build the capacities of network members to engage in effective anti- displacement advocacy and assistance; to identify, assess, and disseminate promising small business anti-displacement practices and policies; and to encourage adoption of impactful small business anti-displacement strategies.
This Project Coordinator will support the Project Director, Dr. Willow Lung-Amam, and the core team of researchers and practitioners. The Project Coordinator will also coordinate and facilitate the activities of support staff, consultants, and network members. The Project Coordinator will report to the Project Director and receive strategic direction from the project team, including the NCSG Director. Further information about the initiative can be found below. The intended term of the position is 1.5 years based on agreed upon benchmarks of accomplishment, with an option for renewal dependent upon funding and other factors. This is a full-time, salaried University of Maryland, exempt, Contingent II staff position. Benefits include healthcare, retirement, and university tuition remission. This position can largely be fulfilled remotely via telework. However, the Project Coordinator must be available to attend occasional in-person, on-campus events or meetings, as needed.
About the Project
Small businesses, particularly business owned by immigrants and people of color, are vulnerable to displacement and financial strains when communities gentrify. Commercial redlining and underinvestment often leave low-income communities of color with fewer retail establishments, more small businesses, and less diverse retailers. As neighborhoods gentrify, new national retail establishments often move in. While some established businesses benefit from additional and higher-income customers, chain retailers and "boutique" businesses that cater to higher-income customers often replace small, immigrant and BIPOC-owned, and local businesses as competition increases and commercial rents rise. Compounding these vulnerabilities, the devastating economic impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak across the U.S. and the world are hitting already disadvantaged small businesses the hardest. As communities struggle to respond and additional resources become available to help them do so, effective interventions must address how gentrification intersects with, exacerbates, and adds to these businesses' challenges. While cities have adopted legacy business programs, affordable workspace policies, and commercial tenant protections, and other tools to prevent small business displacement, such efforts are limited, and there has been little evaluation of their impacts. The community of practice model offers a powerful and flexible framework for closing this critical knowledge and policy gap. Communities of practice are collaborative action-learning networks that promote innovation, develop social capital, skills, and capacities, and facilitate knowledge sharing among its members. Members collaborate over extended periods to build, share, and apply their collective knowledge and develop tools and resources to address problems of mutual concern and new approaches to challenging public policy issues. The Small Business Anti-Displacement Network (SBAN) is the first national project focused on small business displacement in gentrifying neighborhoods. By working across sectors and metropolitan regions, our network helps small businesses remain resilient in the face of change and benefit from new neighborhood investments. In doing so, we work to ensure that disadvantaged business owners, workers, and residents build greater financial health, wealth, and long-term stability.
The main activities that the network has planned include:
• Small business anti-displacement toolkit and resources: SBAN has produced a toolkit of small business anti-displacement strategies being employed in communities across the U.S. and internationally. We intend to update this document to reflect the findings identified by members of our network. SBAN produces a monthly newsletter with resources from the scholarly literature, professional reports, and news media.
• Anti-displacement working groups: The SBAN anti-displacement working groups are network members who are organized around innovative and effective anti-displacement strategies. The groups’ goals are to identify areas of shared concern and need; share and learn about successful strategies; and generate ideas for new practice and policy implementation. We host group meetings every two months among members who share geographic and topical interests.
• SBAN national conferences and webinars: These events will bring together small business leaders from across the network in facilitated working sessions to identify the challenges facing small businesses in gentrifying neighborhoods; share knowledge about innovative policy and practice; and identify ways to push new policy in different regions. We will hold one national meeting in Fall 2022 and another in Fall 2023.
• Case study evaluations: Beginning in June 2022, SBAN will select and resource teams to conduct in-depth analyses of promising policies and practices in gentrifying neighborhoods from diverse metropolitan areas. These teams will work with a consultant in a year-long process to conduct rigorous, policy-relevant research and work across teams to facilitate shared learning and resource exchange. The SBAN leadership team includes scholars and small business practitioners whose work focuses on gentrification, community and economic development, and small businesses support services. They are advised by a board of nationally and internationally renowned scholars, nonprofit leaders, and small business advocates.
• Project Management
o Monitoring and managing implementation of all project-related tasks.
o Maintaining key project infrastructure, including the project website, databases,
project management software, and communication channels.
• Personnel Management
o Managing key project personnel, including website and media consultants,
facilitators, case study consultants, and students.
o Supporting project team and consultants in organizing and facilitating information
sharing among network members in online and in-person meetings.
o Outreach to and coordination with project advisory board, sponsors, consultants,
and network members.
• Event Coordination
o Coordinating regular meetings among core project teams and other project
partners.
o Working with conference planners to assemble regular network convenings,
including assistance with travel arrangements and accommodations.
• Research and Evaluation Support
o Assisting core project team and other network members in publishing project
reports and articles.
o Assisting project team in evaluating the impact of the initiative, including facilitating
interviews and surveys.
• Project Communication and Funding
o Managing project communication and media promotion, including social media
channels and network member communication platforms.
o Assisting in grant applications for ongoing project funding.
• Experience leading cross-sector, multi-year projects in large organizational settings,
particularly those with a national and/or international scope.
• Superb project management skills and expertise, including experience working with and
coordinating large teams of up to 50 collaborators.
• Experience developing and managing large databases, including integrated website
databases.
• Experience coordinating large in-person and virtual events.
• Proficiency with a wide variety of software and systems for project and database
management, and/or event management systems.
• Fundraising or grant writing experience.
• Experience managing large communication and media campaigns, including familiarity
with traditional and social media platforms.
• Experience related to invoicing, financial management, and accounting.
• Educational degrees related to public administration or organizational management.
• Substantive knowledge related to small businesses, racial inequality, immigration, public
policy, urban planning, economic development and/or redevelopment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Commitment to racial and economic equity and justice.
• Non-English language speaking and writing abilities, especially Spanish.
People that identify with historically marginalized groups based on gender, race, ethnicity, and
nationality are especially encouraged to apply.
Interested candidates should upload a letter of interest (3 page maximum), resume, and references to https://ejobs.umd.edu/postings/95584. The position is open immediately and will remain open until filled. For best consideration, please apply by June 1, 2022. Applicants will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.