The Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development is excited to announce the hiring of a new program coordinator and a new assistant director.
After a national search to fill both positions, wherein Stevenson Center students were invited to take part in the hiring process and serve on the search committees, the center has found two strong candidates to take over the positions and help lead the Stevenson Center to new heights.
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Paige Buschman and Dane Myers to the team,” said Dr. Frank Beck, the director at the Stevenson Center. “They are highly organized and professional people who have dedicated themselves to public service. This bodes incredibly well for students who come to ISU with the hopes of furthering their careers and it makes coming to the office every day a fun and rewarding experience.”
Buschman, M.S. ’19, is taking on the role of program coordinator. She majored in sociology for her undergraduate degree before moving to Illinois State and undertaking graduate school for educational administration, specifically on the track of college student personnel administration.
“I’ve always had an interest in helping students like myself, because I am a first-generation college student, and I know the challenges that prevented them from accessing higher education,” said Buschman. “My love for service came from doing advocacy work for Pride organizations, and those two things came together and expanded my understanding of what community engagement and service looks like.”
Before she landed at the Stevenson Center, Buschman worked in various student services fields, such as providing career counseling at Illinois Central College and working at the Center for Civic Engagement here at Illinois State, assisting them with planning community service projects. She will coordinate the Peace Corps Fellows and Applied Community and Economic Development (ACED) graduate programs.
“I’m looking forward to recruiting new Fellows, and hopefully getting a full cohort for the upcoming semester,” said Buschman. “Part of my job is to ensure that those taking part in the program are able to fulfill their service requirements without falling behind on their grades or their classes, and I’m looking forward to being able to help them with that.”
Myers is taking the role of assistant director at the Stevenson Center. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology and served in the Peace Corps on the island of St. Vincent. There, he helped primary school children and taught basic information technology classes. Upon his return, he completed Stevenson Center’s ACED program with a master’s degree in political science.
“I really credit the Stevenson Center with giving me the opportunities to pursue the jobs that I have,” said Myers. “I’ve always liked coming back for different events and speaking with students, so when the position opened up, it was something that I very much wanted to apply for and I’ve been blessed enough to get it.”
Myers previously worked as a case manager at a drop-in center for homeless youth in Denver. He also worked in the Boulder County district attorney’s office doing restorative justice conferencing, before moving back to McLean County to work with McLean County court services for four years in their restorative justice program.
“I’m really excited to begin working with the students because they’re all very passionate and driven to make changes in the world,” said Myers. “It’s really humbling to be around these people who are just starting their careers in community and economic development, so watching them get through the courses and move on through their professional careers is something I’m really looking forward to.”
The Stevenson Center hosts graduate programs in anthropology, applied economics, kinesiology and recreation, political science, and sociology. The interdisciplinary Peace Corps Prep program is for all undergraduate majors. For those interested in learning more about a Stevenson Center program, visit the center’s website.
