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About BQC
Kathryn Rice, Ph.D. is the founder of Building Quality Communities (BQC), a company that specializes in the intersection between economic and community development. BQC provides strategic planning, consulting, research, and evaluation services.
BQC makes it easy for leaders to learn about community and economic development so they can positively affect the future of their community. We encourage coalitions and partnerships between business, government and community to create strategic linkages that enhance the quality of community life. And we support economic opportunities by working with local governments and civic leaders through dialog, networks, and proven best practices. In the end, BQC strives to change the world for the better...one step at a time. |
About the Founder
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Dr. Kathryn Rice has a history of community development involvement and expertise. From the local to the federal level, Dr. Rice moved from participant to leader to practitioner to Instructor and Consultant. Along the way, it became clear that economic development was a critical component of improving a community’s quality of life. Her growth in understanding about a community’s relationship to businesses, jobs, partnerships, education and environment led her to get a doctorate in public policy specializing in economic development and urban affairs from Georgia Tech and Georgia State University. Dr. Rice taught courses in Economic Development and Urban Affairs at Georgia State University. She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University in Government.
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Dr. Rice has created and directed programs that teach community and economic development to groups ranging from disadvantaged neighborhoods to religious groups. Among other achievements, she developed a neighborhood engagement model that is currently utilized by Affiliates of Habitat for Humanity International across the United States. Dr. Rice was Deputy Director of the Atlanta Empowerment Zone Corporation, which disbursed $100 million in federal funds and $150 million in federal tax credits to rebuild and revitalize the city of Atlanta.
Dr. Rice has extensive community involvement. She was President of the largest sub-division (1,650 homes) in metropolitan Atlanta from 2005-2008. Dr. Rice has served on the board of the League of Women Voters DeKalb, the board of Georgia Microenterprise Network, and as an officer of the DeKalb Federation of Democratic Women. She is the founder of the South DeKalb Improvement Association Inc. (SDIA) in 2013, the Concerned Citizens for Cityhood of South DeKalb Inc. (CCCSD) in 2014, and now, the DeKalb Cityhood Movement in 2021. |
