C. Andrew Northrop, M.A.
Andy holds a statewide appointment with Michigan State University Extension's Community, Food, and Environment Institute. In his role he focuses on small town tourism development, community entrepreneurship, and building leadership (and followership) capacity in rural areas to foster sustainable development. In addition to his statewide role, he is part of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources 2022 Global Scholars inaugural cohort, and a graduate of 2018 National Extension Leadership Development program.
Prior to joining MSU, Andy's professional career led to more than ten years abroad working cross-culturally spanning Costa Rica, Guatemala, New Zealand, South Korea, St. Eustatius (The Netherlands Antilles) and Thailand. His global experience coupled with his MSU role fosters the community transformations necessary to create and sustain places where people want to live, work, play, learn and return.
Program Areas Include:
- Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities
- Community Entrepreneurship
- Leadership and Civic Engagement
- Facilitation Leadership
- Sustainability Leadership
- National Charrette Institute co-facilitations
- Community-driven Sustainable Tourism:
- First Impressions Tourism (FIT) Assessments
- Destination Life Cycle Planning
- Small Town Tourism Development
- Placemaking
Degrees:
- MA, Sustainable Development - SIT Graduate Institute
- BS, Psychology - Michigan State University
Certifications:
- Technology of Participation (ToP) - Institute of Cultural Affairs (2019)
- Sustainable Tourism – Global Sustainable Tourism Council (2018)
- Systems Training - National Charrette Institute, Michigan State University (2017)
- Sustainability Leadership – University of Oregon (2015)
- Fundamentals of Planning & Zoning - Michigan State University Extension (2015)
- Facilitation Leadership – Michigan State University Extension (2013)
Publications:
- The NET Effect - The Way They See: FIT (2023)
- Unique Conference Design Showcases Small Towns... (2022)
- Master Planning for Tourism in Michigan - Chapter 6 (2020)
- Foundations and Applications of Theory in the First Impressions Program (2018)
- First Impressions Tourism (FIT) Assessment - Community Reports (2017-Current)
Languages: Andy has knowledge of Thai, Spanish, and Korean.
Memberships: National Extension Tourism (Chair), National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals, International Association of Community Development (IACD), and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.
Connect with Andy via LinkedIn
Related Work
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First Impressions Tourism Assessment: Lapeer, MI
Published on September 12, 2023
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Improvements coming to St. Clair County annual 4-H and Youth Fair
Published on May 16, 2023
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Village of Cassopolis is FIT for action
Published on May 16, 2023
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Initiative launches to strengthen small-town, rural tourism in Roscommon County, Michigan
Published on May 8, 2023
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Sustainable living series offered by three land-grant universities
Published on April 3, 2023
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First Impressions Tourism Summary Report - City of Hart, October 2022
Published on October 24, 2022
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First Impressions Tourism Summary Report - City of Allegan, September 2022
Published on September 19, 2022