Community and Grassroots Associations (CGA) Section

The purpose of the Section is to foster and express the interests of ARNOVA members in community and grassroots associations, and to attract new members with these interests. CGA is the oldest and one of the largest sections in ARNOVA. Members represent a broad range of disciplines and are interested in such areas as democratic participation, community organizations and organizing, grassroots voluntary associations, self-help groups, community philanthropy, faith-based groups, cooperatives, and social movements of any and all kinds--in all parts of the world.

Visit the CGA blog.

The current leadership of the Section includes:

Lehn M. Benjamin, President of CGA
Associate Professor International Affairs, George Mason University
lbenjami@gmu.edu

Jennifer Shea, Ph.D., President
Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration, San Francisco State University
jshea@sfsu.edu

Angela M. Eikenberry, Past-President of CGA
Associate Professor, School of Public Administration, University of Nebraska at Omaha
aeikenberry@mail.unomaha.edu

Katherine K. Chen, Leadership Collective Member
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Sociology, The City College of New York and Graduate Center, The City University of New York (CUNY)
kchen@ccny.cuny.edu

Erica Kohl-Arenas, Leadership Collective Member
Assistant Professor, Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy
kohlaree@newschool.edu

David Suarez, Leadership Collective Member
Assistant professor at the University of Southern California's School of Policy, Planning and Development
dsuarez@sppd.usc.edu

Catherine E Wilson, Leadership Collective Member
Assistant Professor, Political Science and Nonprofit Coordinator, MPA Program, Villanova University
catherine.wilson@villanova.edu

The Section's goals are to:

• Create an open, transparent space for ARNOVA members interested in community and grassroots associations to network and provide mutual support. This is done through:
  • A regular newsletter featuring news and upcoming events of interest, member publications.
  • Regular updates through a blog and other social media.
  • An annual meeting and other networking opportunities at the annual ARNOVA Conference.
• Involve members in the planning and participation of the annual ARNOVA conference and ARNOVA committees.
• Encourage interest in community and grassroots associations with emerging scholars and new members of ARNOVA.
• Stimulate discussion, collaboration, and theoretical development regarding community and grassroots associations.

Annual dues for the Section are $10. Click here to join.