Appalachia Strong: Prosperity. Progress. Growth. September 2019

An Appalachian Regional Commission Conference
Hosted by the State of North Carolina
September 4–6, 2019
Renaissance Asheville Hotel
Asheville, North Carolina

ARC's September 2019, Appalachia Strong: Prosperity. Progress. Growth. summit, hosted by the State of North Carolina, featured panel discussions and mobile workshops, as well as focused learning tracks for:

• business and workforce development (including sessions on emerging opportunities in agriculture),
• infrastructure expansion,
• substance use disorder and related health issues, and
• ARC technical assistance.

Learn more about the summit:

Summit Program
PDF: 2 MB

Speaker Presentations
Presentations are posted here as available. This list does not include all presentations given.

• Cultivating Industry Clusters in Appalachian Communities
  Matthew Raker, Director, Community Investments and Impact, Mountain BizWorks, Asheville, NC; Wes Stone, Outdoor Industry Faculty Liaison, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC; Sarah Wood, Director of Operations, Industry Nine Componentry, Asheville, NC; Erika McGilly, Senior Business Lender, Natrual Capital Investment Fund, Asheville, NC; Jeannine Buscher, Founder of Buchi Kombucha, Asheville, NC
  PDF: 2.3 MB
  
  
• Emerging Opportunities in Appalachian Agriculture
  Mieka Sanderson, Program Analyst - Business, Division of Business & Workforce Investment, ARC, Washington, DC; Joe Bilby, General Counsel, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Louisville, KY; Blake Butler, Executive Director, North Carolina Industrial Hemp Association, Asheville, NC; Tyler Mark, Associate Professor, Agricultural Economics University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
  PDF: 6.3 MB
  
  
• The Recovery Ecosystem: What Do We Know?
  Olivia Collier, ARC Program Manager, North Carolina Department of Commerce, Raleigh, NC; Robert Ware, Chief of Police, Portsmouth Police Department, Portsmouth, OH; Karen Kelley, Chief Program Officer, TROSA, Durham, NC; Nancy Hale, President and CEO, Operation UNITE, London, KY
  PDF: 248 MB
  
  
• Looking into the Future with Appalachia’s Next-Gen Leaders
  Jessical Mosley, Program Manager, Appalachian Leadership Institute, ARC, Washington, DC; Jennifer Tyrell, Section Manager, Scientific Assessment & Workforce Development, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, TN; Courtney Rhoades, (Former ATP Fellow) Black Lung Organizer, Appalachian Citizens Law Center, Whitesburg, KY; Shelley Nixon, 2019 Oak Ridge Participant (HS Math Teacer), Asheville City Schools, NC; Katie Cahill, Associate Director, Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
  PDF: 12 MB
  
  
• Paving the Road from Recovery to Work
  Andrew Howard, Policy Advisor to the Co-Chairman, Office of the Federal Co-Chairman, Appalachian Regional Commission, Washington, DC; Jeff Schwartz, Program Manager - Workforce and Education, Division of Business & Workforce Investment, ARC, Washington, DC; Doug Leech, Founder & CEO, Ascension Recovery Services, Morgantown, WV; Phillip Cooper, UpSkill WNC Coordinator, Continuing Education and Workforce Development, A-B Tech Community College, Asheville, NC; Patrick Farrell, President, Savage Grant, Huntington, WV
  PDF: 1.3 MB
  
  
• A Healthy Workforce, A Healthy Community, A Healthy Economy
  Brittany Jones, Program Analyst - Health, Appalachian Regional Commission, Washington, DC; Doug Leech, Founder & CEO, Ascension Recovery Services, Morgantown, WV; Phillip Cooper, UpSkill WNC Coordinator, Continuing Education and Workforce Development, A-B Tech Community College, Asheville, NC; Patrick Farrell, President, Savage Grant, Huntington, WV
  PDF: 1.3 MB
  
  
• Measuring Success Beyond Performance Measures
  Regina Van Horne, Program Evaluator, Division of Research & Evaluation, Appalachian Regional Commission, Washington, DC; Maureen M. Berner, Professor of Public Administration and Government, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
  PDF: 1.0 MB
  Handouts - PDF: 600 KB
  
  
• ARC Speed Seminar: Social Media - Creating a Quick and Effective Digital Content
  China Riddle, Content Strategist, Communications Division, Appalachian Regional Commission, Washington, DC
  PDF: 1.4 MB
  
  
• PLENARY: Community Colleges, Community Leaders
  Roger W. Davis, President, Community College of Beaver County, Monaca, PA - PDF: 345 MB
  
  Betty Young, President, Hocking College, Nelsonville, OH - PDF: 1.3 MB
  
  Johnny M. Moore, President, Pierpont Community & Technical College Fairmont, WV - PDF: 1.7 MB
  
  Walter H. Dalton, President, Isothermal Community College, Spindale, NC, NC Association of Community College Presidents - PDF: 4.4 MB