Meet Our Team!
Resilient Communities is made up of an interdisciplinary team that share a passion for bridging community development and innovative practices to help educate and strengthen communities for the 21st century.
Eastman Johnson
President | Community Planning and Design
Eastman is a native of Georgetown, Kentucky and first discovered his passion for community planning while studying at the University of Cincinnati. He developed a strong connection with Morocco after serving as a Peace Corps volunteer from 2014 to 2016 and then returning as a Fulbright researcher from 2018 to 2019. Eastman founded Resilient Communities in 2017 and has continued to build a strong network throughout Morocco to support the organization's projects and programs.
Trent Lobdell
Vice President | Community Planner & Data Analyst
Trent is a Hoosier with Degrees in Aeronautical Engineering and Urban Planning. He served in Peace Corps Samoa working on public health and small business development projects. He currently works in finance and data analytics while supporting United Resource Connection, a Cincinnati-based non-profit centralizing social service program data.
Abderrahmane Ait Lqous
President | Resilient Communities' Moroccan Association
Abderrahmane is from Tameslouht, Morocco and was Eastman's counterpart while he was a PCV in his hometown. He has worked with various Moroccan and international NGOs and has a BA in sociology of enterprises from Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech. He is also the Director of the Moroccan association, Youth Without Borders for Development.
N.G. Rees
Head of Training and Development
N.G. Rees serves as the Head of Training and Development for Resilient Communities. When not working in development, he is a consultant in education based out of Tangier, Morocco. Rees is currently focused on the intersect between teacher training, task-based teaching, and community development. He previously served with the U.S. Peace Corps from 2014 to 2016 in Khemisset and Kénitra, Morocco.
Our Spring 2023 Student Interns
Taoufik Allam
English Studies, Focus in Education & Culture, Class of 2023
Taoufik Allam is a final year student of English Studies with a specialization in Education and Culture. He has a passion for making a positive impact in society and has demonstrated this through his involvement in various humanitarian and voluntary initiatives. He has also had the opportunity to participate in an international project in Turkey within the European Solidarity Corps framework. Currently, he is interning at the American Association for Resilient Communities, further developing his skills and contributing to the betterment of communities. Next year, he will be pursuing a masters degree in Hungary, Budapest.
Ryoji Mizukoshi
MA Globalization, Business and Sustainable Development, Class of 2022
Ryoji Mizukoshi is a recent graduate from the MA Globalisation, Business and Sustainable Development at the University of East Anglia in the UK. He currently working as an intern at Resilient Communities. He is involved in helping with RC's administration project as well as its partner organizations that do business with local artisans in Morocco. With the support of RC, he is also developing a business plan to set up a sustainable business in Morocco that will contribute to the development of the handicraft industry.
Ava Hutchinson
Carpe Diem Gap Year Student, International Business, Class of 2027
Ava Hutchinson is a gap year student from Carpe Diem Education. She graduated in the spring, and this past year has spent time in Southeast Asia, learning from and working with local organizations about the importance of sustainable tourism and global relations. Now, she is working as an intern with Resilient Communities where she hopes to further her understanding of international communities and develop her own sustainable project alongside the team. She is planning to study international business/relations at the University of Delaware this fall.
