Local, county, business and government leaders share their expertise and invite your questions.
Why two words – ‘target’ and ‘focus’ – are vital
JOHN ACCORDINO
Dean, L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs
Virginia Commonwealth University
Phone: 804-827-0776
Email: jaccordi@vcu.edu
Describing the heart of Appalachia
JO ALLISON
Mystery Author
Retired professor of economics, Emory & Henry College (as Linda Dobkins)
Email: lhdobkins@gmail.com
Paying for costly water-sewer infrastructure upgrades
JAMES BALDWIN
Executive Director
Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission
Phone: 276-889-1778
Email: jimbaldwin@bvu.net
The promise of tourism
KITTY BARKER
Executive Director
Heart of Appalachia
Phone: 276-762-0011
Email: director@heartofappalachia.com
Don’t kid around when it comes to your town’s schoolchildren
RYAN BELL
CEO, Children’s Champion
Phone: 804-928-2135
Email: childrenschampioninfo@gmail.com
Some towns succeed because they acknowledge their artists’ value
JAMIE BENNETT
Executive Director
ArtPlace America
Brooklyn, New York
Email: Jamie@artplaceamerica.org
Recognizing arts and culture as community assets
AMY BROOKS
Program Director
Roadside Theater (Appalshop project)
Phone: 937-901-9205
Email: amy@roadside.org
What small towns can learn from big cities
JIM BROOKS
Director, City Solutions
National League of Cities
Phone: 202-626-3163
Email: brooks@nlc.org
Embracing the ‘rebels’ in your small town
T. ALLAN COMP
Program Officer (retired)
DOI and OSMRE/VISTA Teams, Department of Interior
Email: allan@tallancomp.com
Staking your claim to fame
ANDREW DAVIS
Author, Town Inc.
Phone: 804-287-1552
Email: adavis@monumentalshift.com
How the USDA can help improve your community services
ELLEN DAVIS
Former State Director
USDA for U.S. Rural Development
Phone: 804-287-1552
Finding funding in coal impacted communities
ERIC DIXON
Coordinator of Community Engagement and Policy
Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center
Phone: 606-633-3929
Email: eric@aclc.org
Seeking support from a regional council
MATTHEW DOLGE
Executive Director
Piedmont Triad Regional Council
Phone: 336-904-0300
Email: mdolge@ptrc.org
Taking pride in a collective Appalachian heritage
GRACE TONEY EDWARDS
Professor Emerita, Radford University
Founder, Appalachian Regional Studies Center
Email: gedwards@radford.edu
Reaching out to federal agencies
CATHERINE FEERICK
Downtown Revitalization Specialist
Appalachian Regional Commission
Phone: 202-884-7769
Email: cfeerick@arc.gov
Building resilient economies by meeting local needs
ANTHONY FLACCAVENTO
Founder/President
SCALE, Inc.
Email: flaccavento@ruralscale.com
Business-boosting organization can help small-town entrepreneurs get loans
TOM FLECKENSTEIN
Director
Virginia Highlands Small Business Development Center, Abingdon
Phone: 276-739-2515 or 276-739-2474
Email: Tfleckenstein@VHCC.edu
Using creativity to power community development
BETH FLOWERS
Director
AIR Institute of Berea College
Phone: 859-985-3220
Email: bflowers@airinstitute.org
What the USDA can do for small towns
BASIL GOODEN
Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry
State of Virginia
How to identify and leverage entrepreneurial opportunities
JODY KEENAN
State Director
Virginia Small Business Development Center
Email: jkeenan@gmu.edu
Preserving the enviable environment of Appalachia
JOSH KELLY
Public Lands Biologist
Mountain True
Phone: 828-258-8737
Email: josh@mountaintrue.org
Building a vibrant community through public spaces
ETHAN KENT
Senior Vice President
Project for Public Spaces
Email: ekent@pps.org
Assistance in learning the lay of the land
TARAH KESTERSON
Public Relations Manager
Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy
Phone: 276-523-8146
Email: tarah.kesterson@dmme.virginia.gov
EPA offers menu of services to small towns
MELISSA KRAMER
Policy Analyst, Office of Sustainable Communities
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Phone: 202-564-8497
Email: Kramer.Melissa@epa.gov,
www.epa.gov/smartgrowth
What you can learn from small towns overseas
GARY LARROWE
County Administrator
Botetourt County, Virginia
Phone: 540-928-2006
Email: glarrowe@botetourtva.gov
Engaging citizens to find your town’s purpose
MICHAEL MALONEY
Urban Appalachian Community Coalition
Phone: 513-531-8799
Email: meamon@aol.com
Finding alternative economic development in the hinterlands
CRYSTAL COOK MARSHALL
Virginia Tech Doctoral Student, Science and Technology Studies in Society
Former Outreach Coordinator, Appalachian Research Initiative in Environmental Science (ARIES)
Phone: 704-978-9404
Email: crystalcookmarshall@gmail.com
Making your town hospitable to small businesses
JACK MEADOWS
Director of Planning and Community Development
Town of Siler City, N.C.
Phone: 919-742-2323
Email: jmeadows@silercity.org
Investing in your surrounding area
JERRY MOLES
Blue Ridge Plateau Initiative/Grayson LandCare
Phone: 540-797-9531
Email: jmoles@igc.org
Mayors can help a town believe in itself
SUZANNE MORSE MOOMAW
Associate Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning, University of Virginia
Academic Lead, Appalachian Prosperity Project
Phone: 434-924-6459
Email: SWM2x@virginia.edu
What every small town mayor needs to know about economic development
LIZ POVAR
Former Vice President for Business Expansion
Virginia Economic Development Partnership
The Dillon rule and other challenges to democracy
DAVE RESS
Senior Political Reporter
Daily Press, Newport News, Virginia
Phone: 757-880-9194
Email: dress@dailypress.com
Create a community where people want to live
RON RORDAM
Outreach coordinator, Rural Resilience Initiative at Virginia Tech
Former mayor of Blacksburg, Former president of Virginia Municipal League
Phone: 540-552-5204 | Email: ron.rordam@gmail.com
3 ways to identify and capitalize on your town’s greatest tourism assets
RANDY ROSE
Development Specialist
Virginia Tourism Corporation
Phone: 276-322-2044
Email: rrose@virginia.org
Using small businesses to boost their health of your community
LESLIE SCHLENDER
Economic Development Director
Town of Elkin, N.C.
Phone: 336-794-6468
Email: lschlender@elkinnc.org
Promising trends in Appalachian development
BILLY SCHUMANN
Associate Professor, Appalachian Studies/Director, Center for Appalachian Studies
Appalachian State University
Phone: 858-262-4089
Email: schumannwr@appstate.edu
Small-town businesses can sell to the U.S. military
BELINDA SHERIDAN
Program Manager, Procurement Technical Assistance Center
Phone: 276-964-7533
Email: Belinda.sheridan@sw.edu
Get engaged with your local Economic Development District
HILLARY SHERMAN
N.C. Economic Development Representative, U.S. Economic Development Administration
Phone: 404-730-3013
Email: hsherman@eda.gov
Agri-business is the backbone of small towns
KYLE SHREVE
Executive Director
Virginia Agri-Business Council
Phone: 804-643-3555
Email: Kyle@va-agribusiness.org
Small towns can sometimes beat the big guys in court
DAVID SLIGH
Conservation Director
Wild Virginia wildvirignia.org
Charlottesville, Virginia
Phone: 434-971-1553
Email: David@wildvirginia.org
Use the power of storytelling to achieve your goals
JIMMY NEIL SMITH
Founder, International Storytelling Center
Email: jns@partnershipforabetterfuture.net
Today’s small town can remain a viable force
ANDREW SORRELL
Coordinator, Office of Farmland Preservation
Virginia Department of Agriculture
Phone: 804-786-1906
Email: Andrew.Sorrell@vdacs.virginia.gov
Creating agency in small towns
MARGARET STOUT
Associate Professor
Department of Public Administration, West Virginia University
Phone: 304-293-7978
Email: Margaret.Stout@mail.wvu.edu
3 Ways to attract money and resources
BOB STRIPLING
Program Director and Professor of Practice at Virginia Tech
Phone: 540-231-5133
Email: chars08@vt.edu
Every town has tourism potential
SANDRA TANNER
Tourism Development Specialist
Virginia Tourism Corporation
Email: chars08@vt.edu
Attracting younger generations is a key for small-town success
DENNIS TRACZ
Board of Directors
NC Rural Center
Email: dtracz@gmail.com
USDA Rural Development helps build communities
LAURETTE TUCKER
Rural Business Specialist, USDA
Phone: 434-392-4906 x125
Email: laurette.tucker@va.usda.gov
Collaboration is the keystone to economic development
TELLY TUCKER
Director of Economic Development
City of Danville
Phone: 434-793-1753
Email: telly.tucker@discoverdanville.com
How small business loans help small towns flourish
WAYNE WALDROP
Small Business Lending Manager
Virginia Community Capital
Phone: 804-344-5484
Email: wwaldrop@ccva.org
Tap into the power of an active community
ADAM WELLS
New Economy Program Coordinator
Appalachian Voices
Phone: 276- 679-1691
Email: Adam@appvoices.org
Embracing Appalachian history to build for the future
BARRY WHITTEMORE
Lecturer, History
University of North Georgia
Phone: 706-864-1541
Email: barry.whittemore@ung.edu