With over 30 years of community engagement, organizing, and project-based development, Dina Newman is the Director of the University of Missouri-Kansas City's (UMKC) Center for Neighborhoods (CFN). Hired in 2016 as the Center's first director, Dina is instrumental in establishing and administering the internal office environment for CFN while also providing overall daily external management of the Center. A key part of her day-to-day efforts includes close collaboration with her staff on the Center's curriculum development, programs, technical assistance, community engagement, development and outreach, and neighborhood leadership development training. With her expertise in Communities of Concern (those that experience social vulnerabilities, low wealth, poor health, and concentrated poverty), Dina promotes healthy neighborhoods through new forms of urban innovation and project implementation. Housed in Architecture, Urban Planning and Design in the School of Science and Engineering, the Center for Neighborhoods has contributed to the leadership development and capacity building of more than 100 neighborhood organizations and 300 neighborhood leaders, advocates and residents. Dina is also the founder of Kansas City Black Urban Growers (KCBUGs), a nonprofit organization focused on supporting the current and next generation of Black farmers.