The skill sets of the Cornerstone Alliance team have advanced with the graduation of their Vice President of External Affairs, Christina Frank who completed the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute Thursday at the fall session of that institute in Denver, Colorado. 
Mary Ann Moon is Dean of the program, which entails an intensive 117-hour certificate program that provides a broad spectrum of advanced education, specifically designed for economic development professionals. She says, “OU EDI is the premier organization dedicated to training economic development professionals,” and adds, “These graduates represent some of the finest economic development practitioners in the U.S. working to support their local communities. My congratulations to them.”
Cornerstone President Rob Cleveland says, “Graduating from OU EDI is an important step in developing a comprehensive understanding of economic development, and how to apply those principles to an individual community.” He adds, “Christina’s devotion to professional growth will have a direct benefit to Berrien County as we work to recruit new people to the area, and develop projects and sites that make Michigan’s Great Southwest a better place to live, work, play and vacay.”
OU EDI classes focus on three core areas including:
- Business Retention and Expansion
- Real Estate Development
- Credit Analysis
The program also includes specific areas of concentration in Marketing, Strategic Planning, Entrepreneurship, and Managing Economic Development Organizations. Students typically take several years to complete the program through a series of intensive in-person or online courses.
The OU EDI began in 1962 and is celebrating its 57th year of service to the economic development community. Fully accredited by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the program has certified more than 5,500 professionals and remains the world’s leading economic development teacher.
Cornerstone Alliance, Berrien County’s lead economic development agency and anchored in downtown Benton Harbor, is a non-profit, investor-governed economic development organization primarily focused on increasing employment opportunities, private sector capital investments and the local tax base in Michigan’s Great Southwest; with specialized business services offered in economically distressed areas.
