John McKnight’s approach to community development is to turn attention to the assets of a neighborhood rather than elaborate on its problems.  For instance, he would suggest that the primary wealth in a neighborhood is the power generated by the investment of the capacities of the residents and their associations.  

Called Asset Based Community Development, John McKnight has influenced and trained three generations of community activists in Chicago and beyond including, famously, Barack Obama. A close associate of Ivan Illich, he has provided both the vision and practice for a solution-oriented approach to community organizing.  

Historian, political economist, and activist, Gar Alperovitz is a noted expert on policy issues as they pertain to cooperative ownership, diversification of wealth, fair labor laws, anti-discrimination, community control, and ecological sustainability.  

Working for decades in Washington, DC to influence a transition to a more just society, he is also well known for his opposition to nuclear power and the role he played in helping to secure the Pentagon Papers.