The Heller School Faculty and Staff

Senior Fellow, Center for Youth and Communities

dhughes@brandeis.edu Heller 343 781-736-3824

Expertise

Community Youth Development; Systems and Organizational Change and Development; Strategic Planning

Scholarship

  • Hughes, D. and S. Curnan, “Youth Engagement Makes a Difference in Addressing Community Violence,” CYD Journal, Institute for Just Communities and the Center for Youth Development, The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Fall 2005 (special peer-reviewed issue).
  • Hughes, D. and S. Curnan. The Q Factor: Practitioners’ Perspectives on Building a Culture of Quality in After-School Programs, a report for the W.T. Grant Foundation, November 2005.
  • Hughes, D., S. Curnan, G. Fitzhugh, J. Frees, M. Blinkiewicz. The Skillman Foundation Youth Sports and Recreation Initiative and Culture and Arts Initiative, Evaluation Readiness: Management Information System Assessment and Recommendations, November 2005.
  • Hughes, D., S. Curnan, G. Fitzhugh, J. Frees, M. Blinkiewicz, C. Kingsley. Preliminary Assessment of the After-School Roundtable for The Skillman Foundation Youth Sports and Recreation Initiative and Culture and Arts Initiative, September 2005.
  • Curnan, S., D. Hughes, S. Bhalotra, C. Kingsley. Information Gathering and Action Planning Project, a report for Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, May 2005.
  • Curnan, S., D. Hughes, and S. Lanspery. What Does America’s Promise Need to Know and Be Able to Do to “Scale Up” the Five Promises Movement? December 2004.
  • Center for Youth and Communities. Willing and Able: Community Readiness Factors for Mobilizing around the Five Promises prepared for America’s Promise – The Alliance For Youth. December 2004.
  • Center for Youth and Communities. Collaboration Literature Synthesis, Environmental Movement Literature Synthesis, Replication Literature Synthesis, and Social Movement Literature Synthesis prepared for America’s Promise – The Alliance For Youth, August 2004.
  • Center for Youth and Communities. Annotated Bibliographies on Replication, Collaboration, and Social Movements prepared for America’s Promise – The Alliance For Youth, August 2004.
  • Center for Youth and Communities. Connecting Our Communities – YMCA and School Partnerships: Improving the Lives of Students prepared for the YMCA of the USA. September 2004.
  • Center for Youth and Communities. America’s Promise Tracking System Guide: Questions and Answers and Related Tools (both print and CD versions). June 2004.
  • Center for Youth and Communities. Final Report. “Mobilizing Communities to Deliver Promises:” Final Report on Opportunities Created, Lessons Learned and Outcomes Achieved in the 18-month Demonstration, America’s Promise Demonstration Program. America’s Promise, Wash DC, Mar 2004.
  • Center for Youth and Communities. Topline Report for Congress: “Mobilizing Communities to Deliver Promises:” Final Report on Opportunities Created, Lessons Learned and Outcomes Achieved in the 18-month Demonstration, America’s Promise Demonstration Program. America’s Promise, Washington DC, February 2004.
  • Center for Youth and Communities. Connecting Our Communities: A Preliminary Look at Whether the Connection between YMCAs and Schools Improves the Lives of Students, An Interim Report on the YMCA of the USA Connecting Our Communities Project. Chicago, IL, February 2004.
  • Center for Youth and Communities. What Difference Does a Year Make in the Life of America’s Youth and Communities?: An Interim Report of America’s Promise Deliberate Investment in the Communities of Promise Demonstration, America’s Promise, Washington DC, Fall 2003.
  • Center for Youth and Communities. America’s Promise Framework for Community Youth Development: Descriptive and Outcome Indicators of Effective Communities of Promise, America’s Promise, Washington DC, Summer 2003.
  • Hughes, Della M., “Young People As Catalysts for Change in Their Families and Communities, CYD Journal, Institute for Just Communities and Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Fall 2002 (Vol. 3, No 2).
  • Susan P. Curnan and Della M. Hughes, “Rekindling Service as a Means of Elevating the Common Good,” CYD Journal, Institute for Just Communities and Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Fall 2002 (Vol. 3, No 2).
  • Susan P. Curnan and Della M. Hughes, “Towards Shared Prosperity” Change Making in the Community Youth Development Movement,” CYD Anthology 2002, Sudbury, MA: Institute for Just Communities, 2002.
  • Susan P. Curnan and Della M. Hughes, “Strong Is What We Make Each Other,” CYD Journal, Institute for Just Communities and Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Winter 2002 (Vol. 3, No 1).
  • Hughes, Della M., “When I Dare to Be Powerful…,” CYD Journal, Institute for Just Communities and Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management, to be published Fall 2001 (Vol. 2, No 4).
  • Hughes, Della M., “From Newtonian Physics to Chaos Theory: The Foundation of CYD,” CYD Journal, National Network for Youth and Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Summer 2001 (Vol. 2, No 3).
  • Lane, Hughes et al. Community Youth Development Guidebook. National Network for Youth, Washington, DC. Winter 2001.
  • Hughes, Della M., “Hope: The Life Source,” CYD Journal, National Network for Youth and Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Spring 2000 (Vol. 1, No 2).
  • Hughes, Della M. and Susan P. Curnan, “Community Youth Development: A Framework for Action,” CYD Journal, National Network for Youth and Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Winter 2000 (Vol. 1, No 1).
Della M. Hughes

Profile

Della Hughes' work is dedicated to creating safe, just and healthy communities in which young people and families can thrive. In addition to her current position at the Center for Youth and Communities at Brandeis University, she is co-founder and President of the Institute for Just Communities and the former Executive Director of both the National Network for Youth in Washington, D.C., and Oasis Center, a community-based youth-serving organization in Nashville, Tennessee. She is a noted community researcher, public speaker and writer and is the co-founder and publisher (with Susan P. Curnan) of CYD Journal and CYD Anthology 2002. She has served on numerous national and local boards and advisory committees, and has been an invited participant in three global youth forums.

Ms. Hughes manages large-scale national evaluations and teaches. She is also a management consultant with foundations and local and national nonprofit and government organizations in the many aspects of community youth development, leadership development, systems and organizational change, strategic planning, community mobilization, learning organizations, evaluation, and board development. Using highly participatory methods, her goal is to provide practical, useful tools and information to assist clients to develop sound, sustainable initiatives, understand how and why they work, and improve them.

Degrees

University of Tennessee
M.S.S.W.

Vanderbilt University
M.Div.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
B.A. cum laude

Awards and Honors

  • Champions Award, U. S. Network of Technology of Participation Trainers, 2003
  • Honorary Community Research and Policy Fellow, The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, 2000
  • Gallup Leadership Institute, "Leadership for Tomorrow" scholarship; People's Choice Award as Vision Leader, 1996
  • Basic Group Facilitation Methods, Strategic Planning, Institute of Cultural Affairs, 1993-1994
  • Ohio Youth Services Network, Outstanding Service, 1993
  • Award of Achievement for Management Excellence, Hospital Corporation of America Foundation, $20,000 to Oasis Center, 1988
  • Middle Tennessee Social Worker of the Year, 1987
  • Council of Community Services, Executive Director Hall of Fame, 1987
  • National Network of Runaway and Youth Services, Outstanding Service, 1985
  • Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW), 1974-1999
  • Certified Master Social Worker (TN), 1981-1990
  • Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (TN), 1981-1985