After working in the DC area for nearly twenty years, Judi Niedercorn recently moved to the Northern Appalachian area of New York where she founded the Northern Appalachian Socio-Economic Collaborative (NASEC) and is in the midst of transferring her company, SysTactics. Her company, SysTactics provides technical and managerial consulting services to commercial and government clients. NASEC is a non-profit enabling the communities of Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties in New York to improve the economy and fight poverty. NASEC is a collaboration of civic, commercial, and faith based organizations working together towards long lasting economic improvement in the region. As Judi began a new life endeavor with NASEC, she came upon the Acton Institute and thought Acton University would be a good resource for her work. She certainly found that to be true!
Judi was impressed that all the speakers were top notch in their particular field of instruction. The foundational courses did an excellent job of laying the ground work for a common understanding of “the very foundations of faith, life, and flourishing as well as our responses and responsibilities.” She found that Christopher Brook’s session on “Church, City, and Urban Renewal” was a “bonanza of inspiration.” Although he discussed the church in an urban setting, she found that nearly everything was transferrable to a rural setting and therefore applicable to her work with NASEC. Many of the methods and strategies that she had been trying on her own were validated and affirmed in this session. Finding a community with similar goals and a vision to alleviate poverty brought her “overwhelming relief and total joy.”
Not only did the sessions “educate and amaze” her, Judi was excited about the people she met; from the “famous thought leaders” to the “bright, engaging interns”, she found that many people had something to say that added positively to her overall Acton University experience. Each day, God answered her prayers to bring her people who could help her and to whom she could offer help. Judi offers her support for AU by stating that “Nobody can walk away from those days at Acton University unchanged or uninvigorated to go forth and do good and great things!”
