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LEADERSHIP • COMMUNITY ACTION • ADVOCACY
Meet Dr. Dwight L. Ford
Dr. Dwight Ford serves as President & CEO of Project NOW, Inc., a Community Action Agency working to strengthen individuals, families and communities throughout Rock Island, Henry and Mercer counties in Illinois.
His leadership is grounded in a belief that addressing poverty requires more than responding to immediate needs. It requires listening to people, protecting human dignity, building meaningful partnerships and addressing the conditions that prevent individuals and families from achieving lasting stability.
As a community leader, advocate, speaker and reverend, Dr. Ford brings together voices from across the nonprofit, public, business, education and faith sectors to confront complex issues including poverty, homelessness, housing instability and community development.
Under his leadership, Project NOW continues to strengthen its role as a service provider, convener and community partner—creating opportunities, removing barriers and building stronger systems of support.
Before joining Project NOW, Dr. Ford served as Executive Director of the Eastern Nebraska Community Action Partnership and the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Rock Island. A United States Marine Corps veteran, he completed six years of military service, including tours during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. He is also an ordained Baptist pastor and the founder of Grace City Church in Rock Island.
Dr. Ford earned a Bachelor of Arts from Western Illinois University, a Master of Divinity from Harvard University and a doctorate through Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. A native of Crystal Springs, Mississippi, he was raised in Rock Island and remains deeply connected to the communities he serves.
Strong communities are built when people and organizations work together to meet human needs, protect human dignity and create pathways toward stability.
Conversations That Move communities forward
Dr. Dwight Ford brings together firsthand community-action experience, thoughtful leadership and a compelling call to action. Through keynote addresses, panel discussions, community forums and facilitated conversations, he helps audiences better understand the forces shaping poverty—and the partnerships needed to create meaningful, lasting change.
Speaking topics can be adapted to your audience, event format and community goals. Submission of a request does not guarantee availability.