Idea Village
Idea Village
by CityBusiness Editor Terry O'Connor COMMENTARY
Posted: March 21, 2008 09:52 MDT
Idea Village leader Tim Williamson has always been a positive voice pushing for innovative New Orleans technological and economic development. Now he’s taking it to the next level.
Idea Village is networking nationwide with seven different universities — Stanford, DePaul, Penn, Columbia, Tulane, Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — to create a brain gain for the Crescent City.
Williamson has engaged four dedicated young talents to help direct this venture:
— New Orleans native Lauren Baum, 26, is networking “Vanguard Talent” into a collaborative global network.
— Berkeley, Calif.-native Miji Park, 23, is linking “Innovative Spaces” into a network of business innovation centers.
— Portland, Maine, native Emily Mitchell, 27, is running “IDEAcorps,” which aims to empower university students to create economic change. IDEAcorps was a magnet for Mitchell, too. “People want to matter,” Mitchell said. “If it wasn’t for IDEAcorps, I wouldn’t be here.”
— Washington, D.C., native Daryn Dodson, 28, is coordinating “Village Ventures,” which provides strategy and resources to entrepreneurs.
Connecting with young, intelligent, energetic leaders will enable Idea Village to nurture this networking venture well beyond the startup phase where it is today. The top-notch university connections will be critical, too.
Under Chairman Mark Romig and Vice Chairwoman Yvette Jones, Williamson and his Idea Village crew have dependable direction and resource networking. No one knows more people in New Orleans than Romig. Merritt Lane had been chairman since 2002 and is creating along with Williamson with guiding the fledgling organization to where it is today.
Idea Village is reversing the chronic brain drain in New Orleans, which has been sapping the vitality form the Crescent City work force for 40 years. It has already created a limited brain gain. In time it could become one of the top success stories of the recovery.
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