We, the staff of IISC--Travis Kraus, director, and Jennifer New, public engagement specialist--are passionate about community in its many forms and at various levels. Travis serves on multiple boards as part of. his commitment to the communities of planning and public engagement. Both of us are active in local nonprofits. This work in the community informs IISC projects and partnerships and, we hope, makes them better because of our involvement. 

"We both thrive on and in community," Jennifer says, "Combined, we have a lot of experience serving on boards and as active volunteers. All of this shows up in the work we do with IISC."

At the national level, Travis serves on the Board of Directors of EPIC-N (Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities – Network). The UI was a founding member of the nonprofit, which "unites the human capital of universities with local governments and communities to improve the quality of life and social wealth for all involved." He presented at EPIC-N's annual conference in June.

Locally, Travis sits on the boards of the Greater Iowa City Development Council and its Iowa City Community Innovation Council, Public Space One, and the UI's Alumni Leadership Council. He often speaks about creative placemaking, giving presentations this year at the Growing Sustainable Communities Conference in Dubuque; the annual meeting of the Iowa Municipal Managers; and the Iowa Rural Development Council. Additionally, he volunteers with the Wonderful Westside Neighborhood.

This year, Jennifer served on the boards of Rapson Collaborative, a nonprofit committed to supporting the diverse voices of local artists, and Porchlight Literary Center. She is the founder of the nonprofit group The Community for Joyful Resistance, which publishes a zine and hosts public events aimed at celebrating and building community resilience. She gave multiple public talks this year about joyful resistance. Through her private work as a facilitator, she worked with the Johnson County Local Homeless Coordinating Board and Public Space One and volunteered at Preucil Preschool as a visiting artist.

We also work together outside the office as founding members of Iowa City Transition, a group exploring how to move to a post-carbon future. Through this informal group, we helped start IC Repair, a volunteer-run organization that puts on fix-it events four times a year. These are among the most joyful community events either of us has participated in; the next one is July 21, and if you attend, you'll see both of us!

Above: Travis Kraus, left, talks with Demetrius Perry at an IC Repair event in 2023.