2026 Rural Investment Collaborative Community Investment Training Cohort Announced

In January, twenty-five community leaders from across the Fifth District will embark on training as part of the 2026 cohort of the Community Investment Training program, an opportunity offered through the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s Rural Investment Collaborative. This program provides education and training for community leaders from small towns and rural areas that assists them with developing investment-ready project proposals.

The 2026 cohort participants were selected by the Rural Investment Collaborative’s steering group and project development workgroup members. Participants were chosen based on the strength of their projects, intended community impact and the applicants’ program readiness. Geographic representation was also taken into consideration with applicants representing rural regions within the Richmond Fed’s service area (Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia). Each applicant is required to submit a community or economic development project to serve as their focus during the training along with confirmation from supporting partners that the project would support a broader community strategy.

About the Community Investment Training program

The Community Investment Training program is a 16-week course that equips rural leaders with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to produce a viable community or economic development proposal. The Richmond Fed partners with Invest Appalachia, which provides the core curriculum for the training.

One of the primary goals of the Rural Investment Collaborative and their partners is to address the challenge of access to capital that many small town and rural communities face. The Community Investment Training program helps to fill the knowledge gap for leaders seeking to positively impact their communities through viable community and economic development projects. The Collaborative serves as a convener for community leaders and partner organizations to help overcome the barriers to capital access.

Training sessions are taught by Collaborative leaders and guest speakers who provide guidance to participants including fundamental education about community development finance opportunities, skills needed for a project leader financial acumen. Participants also receive training on how to identify and pursue different sources of capital to help advance their projects.

Participants who complete the training receive a mini grant funded through the Collaborative’s national and regional philanthropic partner organizations to further develop their proposals while seeking technical assistance and investments.

“The most significant thing I learned from the Community Investment Training is how to successfully take your project from ideation to creation,” said Ansel Ponder, brand strategist and co-founder of Blue Appalachia Holdings. “The Community Investment Training is a wonderful opportunity to assert yourself as a leader in your local community and to learn from other leaders who are making an impact.”

“Expanding economic opportunity through access to capital and credit is central to the work of the Community Development team at the Richmond Fed,” said Jason Smith, senior community development advisor with the Richmond Fed.  “When I visit graduates from the 2024 and 2025 CIT cohorts, I am honored to see the progress they are making on their community development projects. It’s exciting to hear they have completed their capital stacks, are breaking ground or are completing initial phases of projects that will help their communities thrive.”

In October, the Rural Investment Collaborative steering group selected six community organizations to receive a total of $114,900 in technical assistance grant funding to assist with advancing their community projects. The selected organization’s leaders are previous graduates of the Community Investment Training program and were selected based on project readiness and geographic representation. These funds will primarily be used for design development and architectural, engineering and site feasibility studies for the awardees’ community projects.

The 2026 Community Investment Training cohort includes participants from Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Their proposed projects span a variety of focus areas, including supportive workforce training, business incubation, community centers, tourism infrastructure and Main Street revitalization initiatives.

The 2026 Community Investment Training participants are:

MARYLAND

• Pride Ebile, Extension Educator - Local Food Systems and Entrepreneurship Specialist, Agriculture and Food Systems, University of Maryland Extension
• Susan (Jenny) Lazarus, Community Liaison and Communications Specialist, Live Together, Inc., Allegany County
• Matthew Miller, Executive Director, Cumberland Economic Development Corporation, Cumberland
• Mashariki Kurudisha Sanyika, Convener and Urban Planning Professional, ACCD, Baltimore County

NORTH CAROLINA

• Lisa Kelly, Founder & Executive Director, WNC From the Ground Up, Jackson County
• Amy Robinette, Individual Career Academic Plan (ICAP) Director, North East Carolina Prep School (NECP), Edgecombe County
• Edward ‘Lenn’ Murrelle, Founder & Co-Treasurer, Imagine Pamlico, Pamlico County
• Sandie Smith, Manager, Cedar Pollock Properties, LLC, Carteret County

SOUTH CAROLINA

• Brittany Jones, Director of Business & Community Development, City of Bennettsville, Marlboro County
• Lathonia Bennett, Director, JustUs CPP, Williamsburg County
• Rozlyn Ford, Executive Director, The Naomi Project, Inc., Florence County
• Ray C. Funnye, Executive Director, The Village Group, Georgetown
• Virgil Murray, Vice President of Community and Collective Impact, United Way of the Piedmont, Union County
• Sonia Gaillard, Executive Director and Founder, Ignite Tech Impact, Berkeley County
• Bob Snead, President/CEO, Southern Palmetto Chamber & Foundation, Barnwell County

VIRGINIA

• Molly Frey, Community Development Planner, PlanRVA with other rural partners, New Kent County
• Lawrence D. Wilder, Jr., Senior Policy Advisor, Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity, Emporia
• Kiyonda Tarrer, Homeowner Services Director, Hanover & King Williams Habitat for Humanity, King William County
• Terri Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer, Rooftop of Virginia, Grayson County
• Maria Saxon, Director of Planning & Community Development, Town of Clifton Forge, Alleghany County
• Jacob Romaine, Member, Israel Hill LLC, Prince Edward County

WEST VIRGINIA

• Molly Washburn, Executive Director, Downtown Ravenswood Partners, Jackson County
• Jared VanMeter, Chief Executive Officer, VanMeter Real Estate and Rentals LLC, Pendleton County
• Cassidy Riley, Chief Program Officer, Coalfield Development, Wayne County
• Alecia Allen, Co-Executive/Clinical Director, Keep Your Faith Corporation, Kanawha County

The Richmond Fed does not fund or otherwise award grants or participate in the selection of grantees, or selection of communities receiving training or technical assistance.