Work With Us
CDAC assists communities, civic groups, and nonprofit organizations throughout Virginia in improving their natural and built environments through research, community engagement, and interdisciplinary design. We provide opportunities for students to engage with communities, connecting university knowledge with real world experience.
CDAC employs students to prepare conceptual designs for public and non-profit organizations. See the link below to access a fillable PDF of the application. CDAC’s project fees are cost-recovery and typcially include administrative oversight, student wages, material, travel, and university overhead. The cost for any given project can be provided after an initial site visit, for which there is no charge. Please note that CDAC provides conceptual level work. Therefore we do not prepare construction drawings or cost estimates for construction. Applications will be reviewed to determine whether the proposed project is keeping with the Design Center’s mission.
Complete the form and send it to CDAC. Applications can be mailed, emailed, or dropped off at the CDAC office:
Mailing Address:101 South Main Street Suite 2, Blacksburg, VA 24060
Email: egilboy@vt.edu
Note: You can complete, save, and email this form from Adobe Reader which is available for download here. Alternatively, you can print the form, complete it, and then email the form to us. If you have questions, please call the Director at 540-231-5644.
Opportunity for CDAC's Assistance!
The Virginia Department of Forestry has received Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding through the USDA Forest Service for the Community Forest Revitalization Program. This program encourages local government and citizen involvement in creating and supporting long-term and sustained community forestry projects and programs in underserved and disadvantaged communities. Cities, towns, counties and universities can apply for support to map, plan and manage community forests.
To make IRA resources more accessible, DOF is simplifying the application process by working with community partner groups (Green Infrastructure Center Inc. and the Community Design Assistance Center at Virginia Tech)
Assistance will be focused on disadvantaged areas as indicated in the Climate & Economic Justice Screening Tool.
CDAC will be working with communities to create conceptual designs for green spaces such as parks, trailheads, greenways, outdoor classrooms and food forests. If you fall in a disadvantaged area (see CEJST map) and are interested in the possibility of CDAC’s assistance in creating concepts for greenspaces, please apply by April 25, 2024.
More information is at the DOF website here and the application can be found here.
If you have questions, please contact Elizabeth Gilboy, CDAC Director, at egilboy@vt.edu.
Current Faculty/Staff or Wage Job Openings
The Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) is currently seeking a Project Manager to help with administration of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) grant projects and oversight of student teams, among other tasks.
Bring your project management experience to the Community Design Assistance Center where we strive to beautify and positively impact underserved communities in the Commonwealth and join us in designing a better future!
View the job description and apply through Careers at Virginia Tech here.
Applications will be reviewed on April 24, 2024.
Student Employment
Students are hired on a project by project basis. Students will be interviewed after their application is received and the Design Center has projects lined up.
Please e-mail your application, resume, and portfolio to Elizabeth Gilboy, CDAC Director, at egilboy@vt.edu.
