David Mills, Center for Community Impact Research (CCIR)

David Mills, M.A., M.P.A. directs EPPC's Center for Community Impact Research (CCIR). Mr. Mills has facilitated a variety of research projects across the nation that includes community needs assessment, large scale public opinion research, service project feasibility, program evaluation, public sector social service evaluation systems, and has supported program effectiveness research in more than 10 states. His commitment to practitioner lead and community participatory research results in the development of evaluation strategies that result in community change through an asset based approach

David Mills is committed to the critical role that both Faith Based and Community Based Organizations play in meeting needs across our nation. After planting two churches in California, and helping plant several others, Mr. Mills expanded his efforts to link developing churches with opportunities for community impact through compassion services.  Over the last 10 years he has developed a deep understanding of interaction between the faith and social service communities and has developed supports for faith based service organizations that help them reach across traditional boundaries while retaining their mission and values.

Since the first round of national welfare reform, he has successfully developed programs and resources that have propelled hundreds of organizations into new levels of community service resulting in help for more than 40,000 families. Research based program and organizational development matched with appropriate funding resulted in the naming of his mentoring program as a Promising Practice by the USC Center on Religion and Civic Culture, alongside leadership for California efforts to inform TANF reauthorization and collaborative grants that drew together both the public and private sector into a powerful service team.

His work includes the design of capacity building programs that have delivered more than 40 million dollars in funding, development of a charity for children who lost a parent on 9/11, and technical assistance for diverse faith based providers. Over the past several years, Mr. Mills' training has been presented to more than 10,000 organizations with highly positive response. He is currently special liaison for grant programs with Angel Food Ministries.

David holds two Master's Degrees, one in Counseling and another in Public Administration, has served as a Senior Pastor, and a non profit Executive Director. His expertise is creating programs that match the assets and values of faith based organizations with accessible funding opportunities to create cutting edge compassionate services that address critical community needs.