ATLANTA — The Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2) was deeply saddened by the sudden passing of valued team member Alan Durham, CEcD, on September 23.
Alan, 55, worked as a senior economic developer with the Center for Economic Development Research (CEDR), where he was employed since 2017.
The Brunswick, Georgia, native began his decades-long career in economic development after earning a B.A. in history and a master’s in historic preservation (MHP), both from the University of Georgia. While at CEDR, he helped communities across Georgia and the Southeast with economic development research, analysis, planning, and strategy.
Alan was a skilled communicator who spoke eloquently and accessibly about placemaking and its role in economic development. Dedicated to creating places where people not only live but thrive, he often emphasized the importance of vibrant, human-scaled communities with diverse, abundant housing in line with local salaries.
Recently he spearheaded a CEDR project that laid the foundation for the redevelopment of a distressed neighborhood in Albany, Georgia. Using data-driven research and bottom-up community engagement, this game-changing initiative resulted in the city receiving a $1.1 million federal grant to support the building of 30 new housing units.
He also led CEDR’s annual Basic Economic Development Course (BEDC), a long-running education series offered at Georgia Tech to provide introductory professional training on the theory and fundamentals of economic development.
“Alan demonstrated a real passion for community engagement, including downtown redevelopment that promotes quality of life for citizens,” said David Bridges, EI2’s vice president. “He cared deeply about training the next generation of economic developers, from Georgia and beyond.”
In his time away from the office, Alan enjoyed white water rafting. In lieu of flowers, his sister, Adrienne Durham, academic program manager at the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, has asked that donations be sent to the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper.
Per Alan’s wishes no public memorial service has been planned, but colleagues and friends are encouraged to organize their own celebrations of life.