Shanna is a semi-retired researcher, writer, and trainer, with 35 years of experience specializing in rural economic and community development throughout the United States with some experience in developing countries. Through her company, Yellow Wood Associates, she has worked with federal, state, and local governments, foundations and community foundations, non-profit organizations, universities, and others to explore development options and build client capacity to achieve shared goals. Her areas of interest include inclusive, market-driven wealth creation, measurement for social change, agriculture, community resilience, forestry, informal economies, and green community technologies.
Shanna’s work included developing and providing training in You Get What You Measure® (YGWYM) a trademarked process she developed that helps diverse individuals identify shared goals, understand what it means to make progress toward those goals, analyze indicators of progress in a systems context, identify key leverage points, develop measures of change in key leverage points, test underlying assumptions, create and implement measurement plans, reflect on their learnings, and design and implement measurement plans that benefit all participants, not only funders.
Since 2005, Shanna has been working on a new framework for economic and community development based on a vision of a truly sustainable economy emphasizing ongoing investment in eight forms of wealth including individual, social, intellectual, political, natural, cultural, built and financial capital and structures for ownership and control of wealth that directly engage economically marginalized people and places. Her first book, Wealth Creation: A New Framework for Rural Economic and Political Development, was published by Routledge in November 2019. (I can add a link here, too if you want.) Shanna is currently working on a second book on measurement for social change, based on over 25 years of experience facilitating You Get What You Measure and training Measurement Guides. Shanna continues to provide research and training services to selected clients.
Note: I live in the eastern U.S., but I have worked throughout the country in 44 different states. I have also had some work experience in Africa, South America, and Asia.
Link to book:
Video describing the origins and purpose of You Get What You Measure