Charlie Mcconnell

Charlie McConnell Charlie is the immediate Padt President of the International Association for Community Development. He retired in 2016. He is a political scientist, adult educator and community and development expert. He has worked for forty five years in both the UK and internationally around ways in which local communities, consumers and civil society can become better organised to work with the public and private sectors to deal with environmental, social and economic challenges. He began his career with ten years teaching in further, higher and community based education and as a tutor with the Workers Educational Association. Since then he has been National Organiser of the UK consumer movement’s Consumer Congress, Head of Consumer Education at the National Consumer Council, consumer education advisor to the International Organisation of Consumer Unions, European and Public Affairs Director of the Community Development Foundation, Secretary General of the International Association for Community Development, Vice President of the European Social Action Network, CEO of the Scottish Community Education Council, Head of Community Learning and Development with the Scottish Government, CEO of Carnegie UK Trust and Director of Schumacher College. Charlie was the first Chair of the UK’s professional training standards body for community learning and development. He has written and edited several books and advised the Council of Europe, OECD, UK and Scottish governments on engaging communities around social. environmental and economic issues. Charlie played a lead role is establishing the UK's first research centres into social change philanthropy and established the Carnegie Commissions on sustainable rural development and on the future for civil society. He has chaired and been a member of several government working parties. He is a supervisor and examiner of post-graduate international education and development students at Edinburgh University.