Hillyer College's Dr. Rebecca Townsend Awarded Kettering Foundation Contract

Dr. Townsend and attorney Carmin Reiss will coauthor an interim and final report for the Kettering Foundation presenting their research findings regarding how citizens are working in complementary ways with policymakers of various kinds around shared problems in community. Townsend and Reiss seek to investigate how a particular initiative—towns with town meeting legislature—engage in collaboration with citizens in solving shared public problems. Over the next year, Townsend and Reiss will participate in 3-4 learning exchanges facilitated by representatives of the Kettering Foundation. Through this dialogue, they intend to analyze which systems encourage or prevent communal participation from happening in a town meeting setting. Dr. Townsend's research interests include rhetoric and culture of communication, deliberation in public engagement, government and public policy, and language and social interaction. Ms. Reiss is an experienced mediator and Adjunct Professor at Suffolk University Law School.

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