2026 Program Instructors

Elliott Cook is the Director of Real Estate for Retail Strategies. In this role, he teaches community leaders nationwide how to effectively communicate with retailers, brokers, and developers through the Retail Academy program. During his tenure with Retail Strategies, Elliott has worked on the retail recruitment team, focusing on bringing new retail and restaurant brands to partner communities across the United States. He also conducted strategic visioning workshops throughout the country to assist cities with downtown revitalization.

His past work experience also includes property management for Retail Specialists in Birmingham, Alabama, and at Vornado/Charles E. Smith Realty Trust in the Washington, D.C. area. He served as an aide to United States Representative Spencer Bachus in his Capitol Hill legislative office. Elliott has been a featured speaker at various national conferences, on panels, and webinars, including ICSC Vegas, ICSC Southeast, the International Economic Development Council, International Downtown Association, the Southern Economic Development Council, and numerous state Municipal Leagues, Economic Development Councils, Universities, and Tourism Agencies, amongst others.

Dr. Randall Edouard is the Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students at  SUNY Old Westbury. Before moving to SUNY Old Westbury, Dr. Edouard spent the last 15 years at Binghamton University, and his role included being Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students. Dr. Edouard also created, implemented, developed, and lead the Binghamton University Town Gown Advisory Board (TGAB) as Chair. 

Ryan Heiland is a 1999 graduate of Northwest Missouri State University with more than 20 years of experience in government affairs, planning, and economic development. He has served the community of Maryville, Missouri since 2012, beginning as Assistant City Manager and now serving as City Manager. 

Ryan began his local government career with the City of Phoenix, Arizona, and has since worked with communities across Arizona, Iowa, and Missouri. He is a Certified Planner (AICP) through the American Planning Association and holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) with an emphasis in public policy from Drake University. Ryan remains actively involved in the Missouri City Managers Association (MCMA) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). 

During his tenure with the City of Maryville, Ryan has been invited to speak to organizations nationwide on topics related to community development, governance, and town-gown collaboration. His speaking engagements include the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), the International Town & Gown Association (ITGA), National League of Cities (NLC), and the American Water Works Association (AWWA). 

Sally Linowski has 30 years of experience in substance abuse prevention, community building and teaching in higher education. She serves as a consultant to campuses nationally on the strategic implementation of comprehensive prevention programs, including extensive experience ensuring compliance with federal mandates and planning and implementing individual and environment prevention approaches. She has expertise in building meaningful campus and town partnerships and engaging students in addressing off campus student concerns as peer leaders.

Currently, she is a Lecturer in Health Promotion and Policy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences. Until January 2023, Sally served as Senior Director, Off Campus Student Life and Community Engagement at UMass Amherst, where she oversaw the Off Campus Student Center, Sorority and Fraternity Life, and Student Parent Programs. Sally is committed to public health strategies that improve living conditions and health for all community members and will continue to serve as founder/co-chair of the Campus and Community Coalition to Reduce High Risk Drinking.

Dr. Lindsay Mason serves as the director of Off-Campus Life at Colorado State University and as one of the NASPA Off-Campus & Commuter Student Services KC co-chairs. Lindsay has been directly supporting off-campus/commuter students for over a decade. Her work includes supporting basic needs, safe rides, and town-gown partnerships. 

Greg D. McDanel is the City Manager of Seaside, California, appointed in 2025 after serving 13 years as the City Manager of Maryville, Missouri. Prior to his tenure in Maryville, McDanel worked for the City of Independence, Missouri, and served as the City Administrator of Cherryvale, Kansas.

McDanel is an ICMA-Credentialed Manager and has been recognized for his leadership in public service. He received the 2016 Public Service Award from the Northwest Missouri State University Alumni Association and was named one of the “50 Missourians You Should Know” as well as part of the “40 Under Forty” 2020 class by Ingram’s Magazine. He currently serves as President-Elect of the International Town & Gown Association (ITGA) Board of Directors and on the National League of Cities (NLC) University Communities Council (UCC).

Barbara Moore is the University and Community Relations Manager for the City of College Station, where she works closely with the university on off-campus student relations. Previously, she was an Assistant to the City Manager. Prior to that, she was the City’s Neighborhood and Community Relations Coordinator for 12 years, where she worked with neighborhood leaders across the city. Currently, she continues to lead the city’s neighborhood, community, and university relations efforts, along with several civic engagement programs.

She graduated in 1992 from Jackson State University, a historically black university in Jackson, MS, with a bachelor’s degree in communications and journalism. She is also a 1996 graduate from the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington in Seattle where she earned a master’s degree in public administration with an emphasis in Education and Social Policy. Soon after that, Barbara began volunteering and working with churches, non-profits, and grassroots organizations helping them develop programs, outreach strategies, and obtain funding.

Jeff is a dedicated advocate for student success and community engagement, bringing years of experience in higher education and student affairs to his role as Director of Off-Campus Life at CU. With a deep passion for creating positive student experiences beyond the classroom, Jeff leads initiatives that empower students to navigate off-campus living with confidence, responsibility and a sense of community.  His expertise lies in fostering meaningful relationships between students, landlords, city officials and local residents to ensure a safe, inclusive and thriving off-campus environment. 

Jeff also co-chairs the Community & Campus Coalition, which is a group made up of university representatives, city staff, community members, and students in order to constantly share information, build relationships, design programs, evaluate processes and recommend changes and improvements around ongoing issues and opportunities for the city of Boulder and the University of Colorado.

Taitelyn has worked at all three levels of government – after stints with member of the United States Congress to the Texas House of Representatives, she landed back in local government with the City of College Station in 2023. She is a double Aggie – graduating from Texas A&M University with her Bachelors and later her Masters in Public Service and Administration and Certificate in Public Management from the Bush School of Government.

President Bush once said that public service is a noble calling, and Taitelyn aspires to be a steward of that legacy. In her role, she focuses on how to make government accessible to its constituents through civic engagement, connection, and participation. In her spare time, she volunteers with Junior League, raising funds supporting the communities school districts.

Dr. Alton M. Standifer serves as Vice Provost for Academic and Community Engagement and Chief of Staff to the Provost at the University of Georgia. In this role, Standifer leads strategic university initiatives, manages special projects, serves on the University Cabinet, and provides oversight for operations and staff in the Office of the Provost, Office of Academic and Community Engagement, Office of Accreditation and Institutional Effectiveness. Two academic institutes also report to Dr. Standifer: The McBee Institute for Higher Education and the Institute for Artificial Intelligence.

Standifer joined UGA in 2014 and has held several progressive leadership roles at the institution including Deputy Chief of Staff to President Jere W. Moorehead, Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions, and Director of New Student Orientation.

Standifer earned his doctorate in public administration and policy from UGA’s School of Public and International Affairs, where he now serves as an adjunct faculty member teaching Town-Gown Relations in the MPA program. He received a bachelor’s degree in middle-grade education and a master’s degree in higher education administration from Georgia Southern University.

He is a 2020 graduate of LEAD Athens and a member of the Athens Rotary Club. He is also a member of the Leadership Georgia class of 2022 and now serves on the organization's Board of Trustees. Standifer is from Monticello, Georgia, and now lives in Athens with his wife Brittany, and their son, AJ.