CCPA Professor Dr. Doric Earle spent thirty years managing large technology consultancies before deciding to focus on community development and social entrepreneurship. With a Ph. D. in public affairs focused on urban planning, he’s passionate about economic development, communication, and community engagement. Dr. Earle serves on various boards of nonprofits across Dallas and is also a co-founder of the restorative farm project called the Hatcher Station Garden and Training Farm. Read more about Dr. Earle.
Ava Iversen: Can you tell us a little about yourself, specifically your journey from managing technology consultancies to your current focus on community development and social impact?
Dr. Earle: I have worked for 30 or 35 years as an IT consultant running a multinational consultancy. As a senior vice president, I was deemed too old and making too much money in the company. So they kicked me to the curb with a little severance package. So, I was trying to figure out what to do. So I asked one of my sons, and he said, “Go meet 500 people, and the answer will reveal itself.” The long and short of it is I started attending meetings and organizations in Dallas about things I was interested in. I eventually got hired as a consultant to several nonprofits in Dallas to help them run better. So I pivoted, left the whole corporate thing behind, and started coaching and mentoring nonprofits.
Along the way, I got an adjunct position at the University of Texas at Dallas. Then I ran into Dr. Lynch and got an adjunct position at SMU, and for some reason, they thought I was okay. I ended up becoming a full-time professor of practice here, so I get to teach what I am practicing in the real world in underserved communities in Dallas.
Ava Iversen: You’re deeply involved in both academia and community development. How do you balance theory and practical application in creating positive change?
Dr. Earle: That’s a great question. We get caught up in academia about research and theory, proving theories, and things like that. Research is great, but if you don’t see it in practice, it’s hard to understand how to do it properly and how to refine your approach. So, the luxury that I have is that I can read books, share theory with my students, and practice it in the real world. It makes a much deeper impression by practicing what you preach, so to speak. It makes an impact as opposed to just kind of modeling it in the classroom.
Ava Iversen: I know you’re involved in the SMU Impact Lab. I was curious how those objectives and the program of the lab align with your vision for community development and social entrepreneurship.
Dr. Earle: It’s kind of a happy accident in the sense that I got invited to help respond to a proposal from the Phillips Family Foundation. If you think about it, it’s a good vehicle to inspire students and alumni to think about doing well and making a living. But while you’re doing that, can you make a social impact? Can you improve the world? We talk about making world changers at SMU. Now we have an opportunity to fund those world changers and help them make the world a better place while making a living. I have changed my philosophy a bit from being a diehard nonprofit evangelist to taking a hybrid approach. If you can make a living and give back, it’s better in some ways than always being dependent on philanthropy and always having to hustle for money. The impact lab is the embodiment of a vehicle that will allow people to make a living and do good.
Ava Iversen: I’d love to delve into one of your notable projects, Restorative Farms. What inspired you to initiate this project, and how does it tie into your broader vision for social impact?
Dr. Earle: While I was working for Frazier Revitalization as a consultant, one of the things we were trying to do was create a farmer’s market in south Dallas because it’s hard to get fresh fruits and vegetables there. So once a month, we had a farmer’s market, and I was sitting at a table selling produce to the community. The vice president for community affairs for DART saw me and asked what I was doing. We started talking about food deserts and community development, and he said he had a vacant lot across the street. “Why don’t you think about putting a garden in there?” he said. I went about trying to find an organization and I ran into Dr. Lynch, who was also working in the community on agriculture and food deserts. We got together with two other co-founders and started Restorative Farms in the vacant lot. We set about building a farm and got a grant from DART and the North Texas Council of Governments to create what we call the Hatcher Station Garden and Training Farm. It’s become a catalyst for change, not just a cute little farm in the middle of the city.
Ava Iversen: Do you have larger plans to implement the same idea of restorative farms here in Dallas and in other cities?
Dr. Earle: Yes! One of the original charters from DART and the North Texas Council of Governments was to create five of these farms along the DART system. They have a lot of vacant lots along the system. Another idea is to replicate it, and what we’re trying to do now is document what we’ve done and kind of franchise it to other communities that would have the infrastructure to do what we’ve done.
Ava Iversen: Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for the future of community development and social entrepreneurship, especially in the context of Dallas?
Dr. Earle: I think my main goal now is to connect, connect, connect. There are a lot, but maybe not enough, of organizations here and people doing good work. The more people work together, the more we can make a bigger impact. My real aspiration at this point is to keep being an evangelist for connecting people. If you’re doing good work, work with somebody else and make what you do more impactful. Working together always proves better than working alone in terms of efficiency and outcomes.
Capitalism needs to get a heart and soul because you can still make money and not treat people badly. We don’t need to be so bloodthirsty in corporate America. Passion and empathy aren’t a dirty thing.
Ava Iversen: What is one thing people are generally surprised to find out about you?
Dr. Earle: That’s a great question. I guess the range of things I’ve done or the places that I’ve been. By the time I was 20, I had visited or lived in 35 or 40 countries. I’ve had a varied life and lots of lifetimes. My advice to people is that you never know where things are going to go. Don’t give up, and trust in your own abilities. Even if nobody thinks you’re something, you should think you’re something and keep going.
Ava Iversen: If you could go back and talk to your 18 year old self, what is the biggest piece of advice you would give yourself?
Dr. Earle: Wow, that’s a good one. My mother died when I was very young, at 11. I was a wild child, I was king of angry about things. I had a very big family, and I eventually ended up with nine brothers and sisters, and three of the mothers had died. So, I had a pretty crazy childhood. But I would say… don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s okay to fail. Everybody has their demons and their insecurities, and it’s okay. Like yourself.