Nancy Ouedraogo

Nancy Esarey Ouedraogo delivers technical assistance and outreach to local governments, locally elected and appointed officials, and public/non-profit organizations across Illinois. She manages Illinois Extension’s Local Government Education and Community Survey program and has so far assisted over 60 counties in Illinois in conducting countywide broadband infrastructure surveys, which help drive their deployment plans and funding proposal development.

Nancy specializes in facilitative leadership, steering impartial participatory processes for local governments, boards, and organizations with strategic goal setting, planning, and organizational development. She delivers cultural competency workshops, informed by her previous work abroad in West Africa and participation in programs in Northern/Eastern Europe and Russia.

So far at Illinois Extension, she has received five service awards, including a Service Excellence Award for her work in broadband development, a Team Excellence Award for her local government education and outreach, and an Inclusive Excellence Award for her cultural competency trainings. She co-leads the Illinois Extension strategic workgroup for Technology and Discovery.

Nancy’s past work includes data management, analysis, and performance measurement in public safety, planning and coding enforcement, and public education. Her past awards include the YWCA Women of Distinction WINGS Award, ISU Civic Engagement Award, Alice Ebel Award for Women Entering Public Service, International Service Excellence Award, and the U.S. Atlantic Treaty Association Youth Delegate Award. Nancy served in the U.S. Peace Corps and the U.S. AmeriCorps. She completed a Coverdell Fellowship with the ISU Adlai Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development, with a master’s degree in Applied Community and Economic Development (Politics and Government). She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in Anthropology from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.