2:00-3:00pm

Join us at Willard Public Library for a captivating Local Author Spotlight program featuring Matthew J. Hanka, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science at the University of Southern Indiana! Hanka will discuss his insightful book, "What is Happening in Your Community?: Why Community Development Matters."  Discover the vital role community development plays in our lives through this engaging discussion.

The event will begin at 6:30pm on Monday, August 12 in the Browning Gallery. A Q&A session and book signing will follow.  Come and be inspired to make a positive impact in your community!

About the Author: Dr. Matt Hanka is Professor of Political Science at the University of Southern Indiana (USI) in Evansville, Indiana. A Louisville native, Hanka earned a B.A. in History and Politics from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and an M.A. in Political Science and a Ph.D. in Urban and Public Affairs from the University of Louisville. Dr. Hanka was hired at USI in 2010 to serve as the Director of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program, a position he held for eight years.

Dr. Hanka’s research interests include housing policy, community development, urban policy and governance, state and local government, strategic planning, and social capital. He has co-authored 12 peer-reviewed journal articles and eight technical reports, and given over 40 academic conference presentations, and numerous symposia, colloquia, and panel presentations, including a TEDx talk on the Housing First model to house the chronically homeless.

He is the author of the book What is Happening in Your Community? Why Community Development Matters published by Lexington Books in 2021. He is currently writing a book on the Louisville-Jefferson County, Kentucky merger titled Merger Dreams slated to be published next year by University Press of Kentucky, and has begun research and writing on a third book focusing on Washington, DC voting rights and statehood.

Dr. Hanka served as Director of the Commission on Homelessness for Evansville and Vanderburgh County, was the former co-chair of Housing Organizations United Serving Evansville (HOUSE), and a member of the Evansville Affordable Housing Trust Fund Advisory Committee. He also is the former President of the Indiana Political Science Association (IPSA) and the Indiana Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration (INASPA).

He also provides commentary on Indiana and Kentucky politics during the primary and general election seasons on local media around the Evansville area. He lives in Evansville, Indiana with his wife Ann and their two sons MJ and David.

About the Book:  Communities are not static or stationary organisms. They are fluid and dynamic and change over time. The role of community development in the change and transformation of a community is critical to improving and enhancing the quality of life of the community and its residents. This book examines how community development changes a community and why that change matters, while also examining the relationship between community development and social capital. When a community improves its social capital, change can happen because people can leverage their networks to produce better results for themselves. This book also looks at comprehensive community development and collective impact models and several case studies that utilize these models. It also looks at how the transformation and revitalization of a neighborhood through new housing creates opportunities for people everywhere, and how effective placemaking strategies empower diverse groups of people in a community to reimagine their public spaces and the built environment to be more livable, walkable, creative, and sustainable while fostering greater connections with people in their community.

Click here to order your copy!