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Upcoming Conference

Conference
Conference

Tue., April 11, 2023 - Wed., April 12, 2023

2023 Investing in Rural America: Partnering for Success

Hotel Roanoke
Roanoke, VA
Audiences: Business Leaders, Community Investors, General Public, Policymakers

Registration has closed. Thank you for your interest.

Join us for Investing in Rural America 2023 as we explore solutions to some of the big questions facing small towns and rural communities:

  • How do we help people get off the sidelines and into the labor force?
  • Can we build on our existing assets for economic development?
  • How do we leverage partnerships to secure funding and achieve scale?
  • What are successful strategies for attracting and retaining skilled workers?

Speakers


Kartik Athreya

Kartik B. Athreya

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
President Tom Barkin

Tom Barkin

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Community Development Regional Manager Erika Bell

Erika Bell

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Heidi Binko

Heidi Binko

Just Transition Fund
Jason Brown headshot

Jason Brown

Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Anita Brown-Graham

Anita Brown-Graham

ncIMPACT Initiative at the UNC School of Government
Surekha Carpenter headshot

Surekha Carpenter

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Adam Cheeseman

Adam Cheeseman

Doddridge County Schools
Carrie Cook, Community Affairs Officer

Carrie Cook

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Philip Cooper

Philip Cooper

Land of Sky Regional Council
headshot of Kathryn Coulter-Rhodes

Kathryn Coulter Rhodes

Rural Support Partners
headshot of Andrew Crosson

Andrew Crosson

Invest Appalachia
Sharon Decker

Sharon Decker

Tryon International Equestrian Center
Brandon Dennison

Brandon Dennison

Coalfield Development Corporation
Leah Fremouw

Leah Fremouw

Bridging Virginia
Roberto Gallardo

Roberto Gallardo

Purdue Center for Regional Development
Nicholas Haltom headshot

Nicholas Haltom

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Vanessa Harris

Vanessa Harris

Claflin University
DeWitt House headshot

DeWitt House

The Harvest Foundation
Randolph Keaton Headshot

Randolph Keaton

Men and Women United for Youth and Families
headshot of James McDougald

Jason McDougald

Camp Grier
Shannon Monnat

Shannon Monnat

Syracuse University
Place Holder

Dawn Morales

National Institute of Mental Health
headshot of Christopher Murrey

Christopher Murrey

Mountain BizWorks
Colleen Roberts

Colleen Roberts

City of New Bern
Jessie Romero headshot

Jessie Romero

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Maggie Sauer

Maggie Sauer

NC Office of Rural Health
headshot of Adam Scavette

Adam Scavette

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Heather Stephens

Heather Stephens

West Virginia University
headshot of Stephanie Swepson

Stephanie Swepson-Twitty

Eagle Market Street Dev Corp, CDC
headshot of Sam Louis Taylor

Sam Louis Taylor

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Telly Tucker

Telly Tucker

The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research
Danny Twilley

Danny Twilley

West Virginia University
headshot of Laura Ullrich

Laura Ullrich

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
headshot of Sonya Waddell

Sonya Ravindranath Waddell

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
headshot of Senator Mark Warner

Mark R. Warner

U.S. Senator, Commonwealth of Virginia
headshot of Thomas Watson

Thomas Watson

Rural Support Partners

Who Should Attend


Policymakers, community representatives, business executives, nonprofit leaders, investors, workforce development professionals

Agenda


  • Tuesday, April 11, 2023
    01:00 pm

    Day One Conference Sessions

    Connecting Capital to Rural Opportunity: A peer learning and sharing session for rural-serving CDFIs
    In this session, leaders and practitioners from rural-serving CDFIs will network with fellow industry professionals to share best practices for strengthening operational capacity, aligning sources of capital, forging strong partnerships, and measuring impact.

    • Carrie Cook, Vice President and Community Affairs Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
    • Surekha Carpenter, Research Analyst, Regional and Community Analysis team, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
    • Nicholas Haltom, Senior Manager, Regional and Community Analysis team, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

    Connecting What We Know to What We Do: Strengthening Rural Development Strategies through Research 
    This session will bring together rural researchers and practitioners to better understand the economic and institutional challenges in our small towns and rural areas and the opportunities and solutions that have emerged in both literature and practice. Topics will include health, economic development incentives, broadband and other infrastructure, and the prospects for wealth creation in rural areas.

    • Heather Stephens, Director, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University
    • Shannon M. Monnat, Director of the Center for Policy Research, Lerner Chair in Public Health Promotion and Population Health, and Professor of Sociology, Syracuse University
    • Roberto Gallardo, Director, Purdue Center for Regional Development
    • Jason Brown, Vice President and Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
    • Laura Ullrich, Senior Regional Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
    • Sonya Waddell (moderator), Vice President and Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
    • Adam Scavette (moderator), Regional economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
    04:00 pm

    Rural Spotlights Poster Session
    The poster session will spotlight community initiatives that are designed to reduce skill barriers or non-skill barriers to employment. This can include education and training programs; initiatives designed to increase access to child care, health care, housing, transportation, or broadband; and programs designed to expand credit access to consumers and small businesses. Do you have a community initiative that we should spotlight? Submit a proposal for the poster session by February 10.

    05:00 pm

    Reception

  • Wednesday, April 12, 2023
    08:15 am

    Day Two Conference Sessions

    Registration & Breakfast

    09:00 am

    Welcome and Opening Remarks

    Sonya Waddell, Vice President and Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
    Tom Barkin, President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

    09:20 am

    Policy Perspective

    U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner, Commonwealth of Virginia

    10:00 am

    Break

    10:15 am

    Morning Keynote

    The Fourth Way: Through Bridges and Bonds

    Anita Brown-Graham, Gladys Hall Coates Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Government and Director of ncIMPACT, UNC School of Government

    11:15 am

    Break

    11:30 am

    Breakout Sessions

    Breakout #1:
    What’s in your Backyard? Leveraging Assets for Community Development

    Rural leaders and economic development experts discuss strategies for rural communities and small towns to build a thriving community by identifying and understanding their assets, such as key institutions, natural resources and their residents’ ingenuity. Speakers will include:

    • Heidi Binko, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Just Transition Fund
    • Sharon Decker, Chief Operating Officer, Tryon International Equestrian Center
    • Randolph Keaton, Executive Director, Men and Women United for Youth and Families
    • Carolyn Fryberger, Assistant Director of Economic Development, NCGrowth
    • Erika Bell (moderator), Community Development Regional Manager, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

    OR


    Breakout #2: 
    Drawing talent off the sidelines: Addressing the Health and Social Barriers that Hinder Workforce Participation

    Experts in education, recovery, and physical and mental health share successful strategies for helping workers in rural areas and small towns overcome obstacles to joining the workforce. Panelists will include:

    • Philip Cooper, Workforce Equity Advocate, Land of Sky Regional Council
    • Maggie Sauer, Director, NC Office of Rural Health
    • Dr. Vanessa Harris, Interim Director of Pathways from Prison, Claflin University
    • Dawn Morales, Program Chief, Rural Mental Health Research at National Institute of Mental Health
    • Laura Ullrich (moderator), Senior Regional Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
    12:45 pm

    Lunch

    01:45 pm

    Afternoon Plenary Panel
    It Takes More Than A Village: Partnering to Drive Equitable Development
    The Catawba Vale Collaborative (CVC) is building broad economic momentum around outdoor recreation opportunities in the town of Old Fort, North Carolina. When the CVC saw a chance to develop commercial space in the town’s historic center, the leaders partnered with regional organizations who helped turn their idea into a capital-ready project and then connected them with capital sources to bring the project to life.

     

    In this session, Thomas Watson, owner and managing director of Rural Support Partners, will facilitate a discussion with leaders working on the ground in Old Fort and the key external partners who supported the development of the Catawba Vale Community Center. Speakers will share how they collaborated to transform a community-driven vision into a funded project, and what other communities can learn from their story. Panelists will include:

     

    • Stephanie Swepson-Twitty, President & CEO, Eagle Market Street Dev Corp, CDC
    • Andrew Crosson, Chief Executive Officer, Invest Appalachia
    • Jason McDougald, Executive Director, Camp Grier
    • Kathryn Coulter Rhodes, Partner, Rural Support Partners
    • Christopher Murrey, Chief Credit Officer, Mountain BizWorks
    • Thomas Watson (moderator), Owner & Managing Director, Rural Support Partners
    03:00 pm

    Break

    03:15 pm

    Breakout Sessions

    Breakout #3: 
    If you build it, will they come? Strategies for attracting & retaining skilled workers

    Hear from education, housing and community development experts about the investments small towns and rural communities are making to attract new residents and retain existing ones. Panelists will include:

    • Colleen Roberts, Public Information Officer and Brand Manager, City of New Bern
    • Danny Twilley, Assistant Vice President of Economic, Community and Asset Development for the Brad and Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative at West Virginia University
    • Adam Cheeseman, Superintendent, Doddridge County Schools
    • DeWitt House, Senior Program Officer, Harvest Foundation
    • Jessie Romero (moderator), Assistant Vice President of Research Communications and Economic Education

    OR


    Breakout #4: 
    Better Together: How the private and public sectors can work together to amplify impact

    Developers, funders and economic development experts discuss how collaboration across regions and sectors can help small towns and rural communities develop and fund scalable projects. Panelists will include:

    • Brandon Dennison, CEO, Coalfield Development Corporation
    • Telly Tucker, President, Institute for Advanced Learning and Research
    • Leah Fremouw, President and CEO, Bridging Virginia
    • Samuel Louis Taylor (moderator), Public Policy Analyst, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
    04:30 pm
    Closing Remarks & Adjournment

    Kartik Athreya, Executive Vice President and Director of Research, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

    Carrie Cook, Vice President and Community Affairs Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

Phone Icon Contact Us

Research Department (804) 697-8000