Asset-Based Community Development Institute

Deborah Lynn Puntenney, Ph.D.

Associate Director, Asset-Based Community Development Institute
Research Assistant Professor, School of Education & Social Policy

Biography

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. is currently the Associate Director of the Asset-Based Community Development Institute at Northwestern University, a member of the research faculty at Northwestern, and a member of the adjunct faculty at the University of Chicago. She is also operates her own research and consulting firm specializing in the areas of asset-based community development, community based participatory research, program evaluation, and social justice strategies for philanthropic and nonprofit organizations. All of her work emphasizes strengthening neighborhood, nonprofit, philanthropic, and other organizations through the design and implementation of asset-oriented strategies.

Deborah teaches university courses in several topic areas, including the family in a changing society, US social welfare policy, asset-based community development, and gender and the life course. Her research and writing emphasize themes related to community, gender, social justice, and social policy.

Deborah has been working with John McKnight and Jody Kretzmann at the Asset-Based Community Development Institute for almost 20 years, first as a graduate research fellow, then Director of Research and Publications, and now Associate Director. In addition to authoring many of the institute’s publications, Dr. Puntenney has extensive experience working directly with community groups designing community-based participatory research projects, and partnering with them on the implementation of those efforts. Deborah's work with ABCD has taken her in a variety of directions, including exploring the application of asset-based community development principles to nonprofit settings. Her work with the Chicago Foundation for Women was published in the ABCD workbook series in a volume titled Building Sustainable Organizations from the Inside Out. Recently, she and Jody Kretzmann co-authored a chapter in an edited volume by Gary Paul Green, titled Mobilizing Communities: Asset Building as a Community Development Strategy (forthcoming 2009).

Curriculum Vitae

View Deborah Puntenney's CV.

Research/Scholarship
Education

Year Degree Institution

1997 PhD, Human Dev & Social Pol
Human Development and Social Policy Northwestern University

1992 MA, Human Dev & Social Pol
Human Development and Social Policy Northwestern University

1982 Bachelor of Arts California State University at Humboldt

Dissertation

Year Title

1997 Poor Mothers at Work: Balancing Family and Labor Market Responsibilities in an Inner City Community

Selected Publications

Puntenney, Deborah; Grumm, Christine; Katz-Kishawi, Emily (2005). Women's Biggest Contribution: A View of Social Change in Clift, Elayne, Women, Philanthropy, and Social Change.

Puntenney, Deborah (2002). Book Review: Asset Building and Community Development. Journal of the American Planning Association: 320-21.

Deborah Puntenney (2000). Working at the Margins: Poor Mothers and Survival in the Inner City in Hodson, Randy, Marginal Employment: Research in the Sociology of Work.

Puntenney, Deborah (1999). The Work of Mothers: Strategies for Survival in an Inner-City Neighborhood. Journal of Poverty.

Puntenney, Deborah; Lewis, Dan; George, Christine (1999). Welfare Reform in Illinois: Recent Efforts in the Context of the National Debate in Joseph, Lawrence, Families, Poverty, and Welfare Reform.

Puntenney, Deborah (1997). The Impact of Gang Violence on the Decisions of Everyday Life. Journal of Urban Affairs.

Selected Presentations

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. (June, 2007). Forging Relationships Between Communities and Healthcare Organizations. Annual research meeting of AcademyHealth. Orlando, FL.

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. (May, 2007). International Museum of Women: Engaging Global Audiences Online. Annual meeting of the American Association of Museums. Chicago, IL.

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. (August, 2006). Work and Family Life Contextualized in Social and Political Contexts. Annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Social Problems. Montreal, Canada.

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. (August, 2005). The Unintended Consequences of Strategic Actions in the Movement to End Violence Against Women. Annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Social Problems. Philadelphia, PA.

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. (August, 2004). The Women’s Funding Movement: Investing in Long-Term Change. Annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Social Problems. San Francisco, CA.

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. (2004). Aging Well: An Asset-Based Approach. Annual joint meeting of the American Society on Aging and National Council on Aging. San Francisco, CA.

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. (2001). Victims of Violence: An Expanded Analysis of the Impact of Violence on Women. Annual meeting of the Urban Affairs Association. Detroit, MI.

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. (2001). Community Organizing for Asset-Based Development: Preliminary Findings from a National Working Grou. Annual meeting of the Urban Affairs Association. Detroit, MI.

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. (2000). Opening the Door for Citizen Involvement: Engaging Residents in the Planning Process and Beyond. Annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Social Problems. Washington, DC.

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. (1998). Neighborhood Planning from the Capacities Perspective. Annual meeting of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. New York, NY.

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. (1998). Poor Mothers at Work: Family Health Problems, Labor Market, and Caregiving Responsibilities. Annual meeting of the American Sociological Association. San Francisco, CA.

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. (1998). The Work of Mothers: Strategies for Survival in an Inner-City Neighborhood. Annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Social Problems. San Francisco, CA.

Deborah Puntenney (1996). Welfare Reform in Illinois: Recent Efforts in the Context of the National Debate. Annual meeting of the American Sociological Association. New York, NY.

Deborah Puntenney (1996). The Impact of Gang Violence on the Decisions of Everyday Life. Annual meeting of the Urban Affairs Association; Runner-up for the Best Conference Paper Award. New York, NY.

Deborah Puntenney (1996). Forging a Partnership Between a University and Public Housing Resident Organization. Annual meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society. Chicago, IL.

Projects

ABCD Institute

Grants/Funding

Year Title Source Period Amount Status

2007 Impact Evaluation of KaBOOM! KaBOOM! 2007 - 2008 $82,000 Funded

PI: Puntenney, Deborah   Kretzmann, John

2006 Imagining Ourselves Evaluation International Museum of Women in San Francisco 2006 - 2007 $30,000 Funded

PI:

2002 Aging Well in Greater Lyons Township Area Agency on Aging, Community Memorial Foundation, Township of Lyons, Chicago Community Trust 2002 - 2004 $30,000 Funded

PI:

2001 Mobilizing Local Associations for Healthy People 2010 US Department of Health and Human Services 2001 - 2003 $20,000 Funded

PI: Bernal, Raquel

1997 Taking Action in Savannah Communities City of Savannah 1997 - 1998 $30,000 Funded

PI:

1994 Northwestern University Research Grant Northwestern University 1994 - 1995 $1,000 Funded

PI:

1994 Developing Internal Markets Amoco Foundation 1994 $20,000 Funded

PI:

1993 Persistent Poverty Project Donor's Forum of Illinois 1993 $10,000 Funded

PI:

Teaching/Advising
Courses

SESP 317 Gender and the Life Course How age and sex serve as a basis for the social construction of men's and women's lives. How social forces operate to create contrasting life trajectories, role patterns, and transitions; the role of social policies. Comparative view of different societies and periods in recent history.

SESP 319 Family Development in a Changing Society Societal changes and their effects on the family.

Soc Pol 351 Senior Capstone - Social Policy This course will offer students an opportunity to both expand on their social policy education and to synthesize it in an in-depth, focused research project. Course readings will emphasize perspectives on the welfare state and social welfare history, as well as current trends in poverty, inequality, and social support policies. Students will begin to develop their own research project starting the first week and will contribute additional readings to the syllabus. Class time will be used to discuss the group readings, develop and discuss progress on individual projects, and build a body of cross-topic knowledge about social policies and how they work

SESP 351 SESP Topics: Human Rights, Advocacy, and Action In this course, we will study issues and dilemmas in the area of human rights, including torture, war, genocide, immigration, trafficking, humanitarian assistance, as well as the global involvement of the United Nations and non-governmental organizations (e.g., Amnesty). We will take an interdisciplinary approach, focusing particularly on the role of psychological constructs such as prejudice, obedience to authority, altruism, and community research and action. This knowledge will help in our actual use of grassroots strategies to bring about policy change. As individuals, subgroups, and an overall team, we will attempt to get the US to ratify three conventions of the United Nations: on the elimination of discrimination against women, on the rights of the child, and on the rights of persons with disabilities. We will use various methods to build partnerships, communicate to broader sets of stakeholders, and document/evaluate our social change efforts.

Service/Recognition
Professional Service

Year Organization Position Description

2007 Peace X Peace Research Advisory Council

2007 Grantmaking School of Grand Valley State University of Michigan Curriculum Development Consultant

2006 Hennepin County, Minnesota Organizational Development Consultant

2006 Christopher House of Chicago Organizational Development Consultant

2005 Chicago Foundation for Women Organizational Development Consultant

2003 Juvenile and Child Protection Resource Section of the Circuit Court of Cook County Community Development Consultant

2002 Chicago Wilderness Community Development Consultant

2000 Grand Victoria Foundation of Illinois Organizational Development Consultant

Editorial Boards

Year Journal Name Position

2002 Sociological Perspectives Editorial Reviewer

2000 Journal of Poverty Editorial Reviewer

Last Updated: 2009-04-30 22:26:04

Year	Degree	Institution
1997	PhD, Human Dev & Social Pol Human Development and Social Policy	Northwestern University
1992	MA, Human Dev & Social Pol Human Development and Social Policy	Northwestern University
1982	Bachelor of Arts	California State University at Humboldt

Year	Title
1997	Poor Mothers at Work: Balancing Family and Labor Market Responsibilities in an Inner City Community

Year	Title	Source	Period	Amount	Status
2007	Impact Evaluation of KaBOOM!	KaBOOM!	2007 - 2008	$82,000	Funded
PI: Puntenney, Deborah Kretzmann, John

2006	Imagining Ourselves Evaluation	International Museum of Women in San Francisco	2006 - 2007	$30,000	Funded
PI:

2002	Aging Well in Greater Lyons Township	Area Agency on Aging, Community Memorial Foundation, Township of Lyons, Chicago Community Trust	2002 - 2004	$30,000	Funded
PI:

2001	Mobilizing Local Associations for Healthy People 2010	US Department of Health and Human Services	2001 - 2003	$20,000	Funded
PI: Bernal, Raquel

1997	Taking Action in Savannah Communities	City of Savannah	1997 - 1998	$30,000	Funded
PI:

1994	Northwestern University Research Grant	Northwestern University	1994 - 1995	$1,000	Funded
PI:

1994	Developing Internal Markets	Amoco Foundation	1994	$20,000	Funded
PI:

1993	Persistent Poverty Project	Donor's Forum of Illinois	1993	$10,000	Funded
PI:

SESP 317		Gender and the Life Course How age and sex serve as a basis for the social construction of men's and women's lives. How social forces operate to create contrasting life trajectories, role patterns, and transitions; the role of social policies. Comparative view of different societies and periods in recent history.

SESP 319		Family Development in a Changing Society Societal changes and their effects on the family.

Soc Pol 351		Senior Capstone - Social Policy This course will offer students an opportunity to both expand on their social policy education and to synthesize it in an in-depth, focused research project. Course readings will emphasize perspectives on the welfare state and social welfare history, as well as current trends in poverty, inequality, and social support policies. Students will begin to develop their own research project starting the first week and will contribute additional readings to the syllabus. Class time will be used to discuss the group readings, develop and discuss progress on individual projects, and build a body of cross-topic knowledge about social policies and how they work

SESP 351		SESP Topics: Human Rights, Advocacy, and Action In this course, we will study issues and dilemmas in the area of human rights, including torture, war, genocide, immigration, trafficking, humanitarian assistance, as well as the global involvement of the United Nations and non-governmental organizations (e.g., Amnesty). We will take an interdisciplinary approach, focusing particularly on the role of psychological constructs such as prejudice, obedience to authority, altruism, and community research and action. This knowledge will help in our actual use of grassroots strategies to bring about policy change. As individuals, subgroups, and an overall team, we will attempt to get the US to ratify three conventions of the United Nations: on the elimination of discrimination against women, on the rights of the child, and on the rights of persons with disabilities. We will use various methods to build partnerships, communicate to broader sets of stakeholders, and document/evaluate our social change efforts.

Year	Organization	Position	Description
2007	Peace X Peace	Research Advisory Council
2007	Grantmaking School of Grand Valley State University of Michigan	Curriculum Development Consultant
2006	Hennepin County, Minnesota	Organizational Development Consultant
2006	Christopher House of Chicago	Organizational Development Consultant
2005	Chicago Foundation for Women	Organizational Development Consultant
2003	Juvenile and Child Protection Resource Section of the Circuit Court of Cook County	Community Development Consultant
2002	Chicago Wilderness	Community Development Consultant
2000	Grand Victoria Foundation of Illinois	Organizational Development Consultant

Year	Journal Name	Position
2002	Sociological Perspectives	Editorial Reviewer
2000	Journal of Poverty	Editorial Reviewer