Talethia O. Edwards – a graduate student in FSU’s Master of Science in Planning (MSP) program – was recently named a 2023 Diversity and Inclusion Fellow by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning.
The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ASCP) is a consortium of more than 100 university departments and programs offering planning degrees, as well as programs that offer degrees affiliated with planning. The goal of the ACSP is to connect educators, researchers, and students to advance knowledge about planning, education, and research.
As a Diversity and Inclusion Fellow, Edwards will attend the 2023 ACSP Annual Conference in Miami, Florida, to present her research on community development, place-based practitioners, and the STARFISH framework, which she also presented at an event earlier this year for The Fellow’s Society, FSU’s graduate fellowship society.
Edwards is planning to graduate from FSU’s MSP program in 2024, concentrating on neighborhood planning and community design as well as planning for developing areas.
“I am excited when I come to class to exchange ideas and talk about the ways we plan to innovate the planning field,” Edwards said. “I came to Florida State with experience working in the field that I plan to work in, but I am able to study with some of the most brilliant professors in the field that are knowledgeable about the intersection of academia and the real world.”
Already gaining success in her field of study, Edwards led the Neighborhood First plan and received a $6.4M investment from her local government and the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).
“This investment marks the largest investment made in the history of Tallahassee benefiting the community of color,” she said.
Alongside a career in planning, Edwards is a grassroots organizer, coalition builder, and speaker. She is the Founder and President of the Greater Bond Neighborhood Association, the Executive Director of the H.A.N.D. Up Project, the CEO of her own Community Development consulting firm, and the organizer for the Leaping for Literacy Program in her local neighborhood.
If you would like to learn more about Edward’s incredible commitment to community building here in Tallahassee, her TED talk “One Grassroots Leader and her Commitment to Community” outlines a strategy that she believes can work for anyone looking to make change in their community.
For more information about the Master of Science in Planning program, visit coss.fsu.edu/durp/masters-program/