Meghan Stalebrink has been named the new coordinator of West Virginia University’s Community Design Team (CDT).

Stalebrink, who graduated in 2004 from American University’s graduate program in arts management, is former coordinator of community and media relations at C-SPAN.

�€?We are very happy to have a new coordinator to get the CDT in full action once again,�€? said Peter V. Schaeffer, director of the Division of Resource Management in WVU ’s Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences. �€?Ms. Stalebrink’s background in community relations and experience working in the media will be a great resource for the CDT . Her addition enables us to further develop one of WVU ’s terrific community services.�€?

Helping people make the most of their community is the goal of the Community Design Team. The program brings volunteer professionals from a variety of disciplines to towns and cities to assist community members in beginning a process of laying a course for the future. Teams might include landscape architects, planners, geographers, architects, engineers, historians and economic development experts. The mix will depend upon the needs of the locality and other factors.

“I am very excited about joining this great program,�€? Stalebrink said. �€?The Community Design Team has inspired some wonderful changes in many small communities in West Virginia and I am honored to be a part of the CDT ’s continued acceleration.”

During her tenure at C-SPAN, she was active for two years with the C-SPAN School Bus, traveling the U.S. promoting community involvement in the political process in conjunction with the non-for-profit cable network and local cable providers.

Stalebrink was an adjunct professor at the American University’s School of Public Administration in Media Relations during the recent spring semester.

She recently assisted WVU ’s P.I. Reed School of Journalism coordinate the Festival of Ideas program �€?Searching for a Miracle,�€? a panel discussion on the media coverage of the Sago Mine Disaster.

Stalebrink begins her new position just in time to step into the CDT ’s next project in Union , W.Va. , June 22-24.

The Community Design Team recently completed a successful visit in Point Marion , Pa. , the first such CDT visit out of the state of West Virginia . Plans are already under way to implement many of the CDT ’s recommendations from that visit.

For more about the program, visithttp://www.wvu.edu/~exten/depts/cewd/crd/cdt.htm.