Rural Development Network - Filling the gaps in rural Canada - Dee Ann Benard and Daniela Seiferling

Filling the Gaps - Dee Ann Benard & Daniela Seiferling - Rural Development Network

I first came across the Rural Development Network or RDN when I started the podcast in 2021 and I signed up for its newsletter, following its expansion from a mainly western Canadian focus to now serving all corners of rural and remote Canada.

It was in one of those newsletters late last year that I heard about RDN’s Work Integrated Learning program for rural organizations and businesses. The program matches you with students looking for work experience, and this is at no cost to you or the organization.

But RDN has a host of programs tackling numerous issues facing rural Canadian communities. 

I spoke with the CEO Dee Ann Benard and the Project Manager for the Work Integrated Learning program Daniela Seiferling.

Dee Ann has been a driving force in rural Alberta for nearly three decades. She has worked with the Government of Alberta’s Ministry of Agriculture, the Alberta operation of Integrated Crop Management Services (ICMS), Inc. and Alberta Innovates.

In 2004, Dee Ann joined the Agricultural Research and Extension Council of Alberta as Executive Director, a position she held until she joined the (Alberta) Rural Development Network in 2009.  

Daniela Seiferling holds a Bachelor of Arts (Distinction) in Anthropology and Classical Studies from the University of Alberta. She has over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector. Prior to joining RDN, Daniela worked as Senior Coordinator with Volunteer Alberta. As the lead of the provincial volunteer centre network and membership, she championed volunteerism and life-long learning as an essential component of resilient communities. 

RDN Website

Work Integrated Learning program

Canadian Rural and Remote Housing and Homelessness Symposium 2023