IS
Isaac Smallwood
Community Planner at NODA
Experienced community development and program management professional with over 5 years of demonstrated success in the non-profit and public sectors. Skilled in communication, public speaking, interpersonal relations, leadership, and customer service. I have managed public engagement initiatives and overseen the full grant lifecycle for towns, cities, and counties, supporting projects that have collectively impacted over US$2 million in funding within a fiscal year. With a strong academic background in social sciences and Community Development from Kansas State University, I bring a deep understanding of societal dynamics and a passion for building stronger, more connected communities.
Articles
Economic Development
The Secret to Regional Growth Isn’t New—It’s Already in Your Backyard
<p class="mb-4">The places that win are not always the biggest or the loudest. They are the ones that know exactly what makes them different and turn ...
June 19, 2026Read article
Economic Development
No Homes, No Workers: Why Housing Is the Missing Link in Economic Development
<p class="mb-4">At 6:45 a.m., a nurse pulls into a hospital parking lot after a 50-mile commute. By the end of her shift, she will do it all over agai...
June 11, 2026Read article
Economic Development
Tornado Alley to Economic Alley: What Wakita Teaches About Rural Growth
<p class="mb-4">The wind does not just pass through Wakita, Oklahoma. It tells a story. And in this small town, that story once roared onto the big sc...
June 6, 2026Read article
Infrastructure
Small Town, Smart Systems: Canton’s Blueprint for Sustainable Growth
<p class="mb-4">Canton, located in northwestern Blaine County, Oklahoma, near Canton Lake and south of the North Canadian River, is a small town with ...
June 3, 2026Read article
Infrastructure
Paving the Future: How Small Town Roads Power Big Rural Economies
<p class="mb-4">On a clear harvest morning outside Billings, a line of grain trucks creeps toward a narrow bridge. The crops are ready, the elevators ...
June 1, 2026Read article
Economic Development
Not Just a Small Town: How Okarche Is Competing in a Big Way
<p class="mb-4">The difference between a town that slowly fades and one that quietly thrives often comes down to something you cannot always see at fi...
May 28, 2026Read article
Economic DevelopmentInfrastructure
Why Some Towns Thrive Off Highways- And Others Get Left Behind
<p class="mb-4">You can almost hear it before you see it- the steady hum of engines, the rhythm of tires on asphalt, the quiet promise of movement and...
May 17, 2026Read article
Public WorksInfrastructure
Building Resilient Communities: Lessons from a Town Doing It Right
<p class="mb-4">The first time a town loses water pressure on a hot afternoon- or watches a road wash out after a spring storm- it stops being “infras...
May 10, 2026Read article
Economic Development
What Makes Companies Choose One City Over Another? (Hint: It’s Not Just Incentives)
<p class="mb-4">What if the next major manufacturing hub isn’t a sprawling metro- but a place you’ve never thought twice about driving through?</p><p ...
May 5, 2026Read article
Infrastructure
Stuck at the Light Again? What Smart Towns Are Doing Differently
<p class="mb-4">It’s 7:45 a.m. on Highway 81. A line of trucks hums forward, a school zone light starts blinking, and a commuter checks the clock- aga...
May 1, 2026Read article
InfrastructureEconomic Development
Feeding the Future: Why Food Manufacturers Are Eyeing Watonga, Oklahoma
<p class="mb-4">Watonga, Oklahoma is quietly pulling off a bold transformation- swapping tourist traffic for tractor-trailers and turning local crops ...
April 23, 2026Read article
Infrastructure
Beyond Pipes and Pavement: The New Rules of Rural Infrastructure
<p class="mb-4">A grain truck hits a weight-restricted bridge at dawn, idles, then turns around—adding 40 miles, burning time, money, and patience. Mu...
April 21, 2026Read article
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