ARC announces Appalachian Leadership Institute Class of 2024-2025 

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) recently announced the 40 fellows selected for the 2024-2025 Class of the Appalachian Leadership Institute (ALI), a leadership training opportunity that equips Appalachian community leaders to use economic development as a tool to drive positive change. The sixth ALI class comprises a diverse network of public, private and nonprofit leaders from all 13 Appalachian states.

The nine-month curriculum, which kicked off with an orientation session in Knoxville, Tenn, is anchored by six multi-day seminars across the Appalachian Region. Each seminar focuses on one of ARC’s strategic investment priorities and includes skill-building workshops, best practice analysis, networking and site visits to see ARC investments in action.

“The Appalachian Leadership Institute supports the enduring work of Appalachia’s changemakers, while helping them advance their skillsets and build upon valuable regional connections with likeminded leaders,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “I send my sincerest congratulations to our newest round of ALI fellows knowing their passion and purpose will ensure an even more vibrant future for Appalachia’s communities.”

The 2024-2025 Class of ALI fellows – who were selected via a competitive application process to reflect the Appalachian region’s wide range of economic development challenges, opportunities and strategies – includes:

Alabama
Ryan Cate Gibson, CEO, Holistic Performance Group, Decatur
Paul DeMarco, Partner, Parsons, Lee & Juliano, P.C., Vestavia Hills
Eric Wright, Director of Planning and Development, East Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission, Anniston

Georgia
Adrienne Cloud, CEO, SMARTech Construction, Flowery Branch
Andrew Davenport, Founder, A New Veteran, Gainesville

Kentucky
Casey Cash, Infrastructure Development Coordinator, Bluegrass Area Development District, Lexington
Colby Hall, Executive Director, Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR), Pikeville
Caitlin Mason, Assistant Director of Economic Development, Cumberland Valley Area Development District, London
Jessica Miles, Membership & Grants Administrator, Appalachia Funders Network, Frenchburg

Maryland
Delanie Blubaugh, Program Manager, The Greater Cumberland Committee, Cumberland
Annaston Cree, Western Maryland Field Representative, U.S. Congressman David Trone MD-06, Frederick
Kevin Simmers, Founder/Executive Director, Brooke’s House, Hagerstown

Mississippi
Cole Bryan, Executive Director, Dream Center Golden Triangle, West Point
Hannah Maharrey, Executive Director, Good Samaritan Health Services, Tupelo
Paige Watson, Director of Main Street Program, Greater Starkville Development Partnership, Starkville

New York
Eric Ball, Deputy Mayor, Village of Walton, Walton
Fileve Palmer, Regional Development Specialist, Southern Tier West Regional Development Board, Salamanca
Ana Stahlman, Adult Employment Counselor, Seneca Nation, Salamanca

North Carolina
April Austin, Executive Director, Caldwell Senior Center, Lenoir
George Ivey, North Carolina Development Director, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, Asheville
Silas Shields, Grants Specialist, Cherokee County Local Government, Murphy

Ohio
Eli Cole, Development Specialist, Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission, Waverly
Tara Gilts, Philanthropy Advisor, OhioHealth Foundation, Athens
Chandler Grooms, Tourism Development Director, Pike County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism, Waverly

Pennsylvania
Kendy Alvaraz, Mayor, Borough of Lewisburg, Lewisburg
Kurt Bauman, Vice President, Community & Economic Development Services, Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance, Pittston
Stephanie Desaulniers, Founder, Business by Dezign, Mifflintown
Cynthia Traore, Business Development Administrator, Northern Tier Regional Planning & Development Commission, Towanda

South Carolina
Cortney Burgess, Founder, The I’mPerfect Project, Anderson
Leigh Huckins, Population Health Manager, Addiction Medicine Center, Prisma Health, Greenville

Tennessee
Heath Guinn, Founder, Sync Space, Kingsport
Tammy O’Dell, Director of Grants, Motlow State Community College, Lynchburg
Lottie Ryans, Director of Workforce and Literacy Initiatives, First Tennessee Development District, Johnson City

Virginia
Mandy Archer, Program Administrator, Virginia Department of Housing & Community Development Enterprise Zone Program, Galax
Dana Cronkhite, Director of Economic Development, Dickenson County, Clintwood
Thomas Lawson, Regional Planner, LENOWISCO Planning District Commission, Duffield

West Virginia
Maverly Davis, Director of Lending, New Economy Works WV, Charleston
Heather Foster, Chief Impact Officer, AmeriCorps Mid-Atlantic, Charleston
Katie Sams, Director of Business Development, WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center, Parkersburg
Liz Vitullo, Assistant Vice President of Economic Innovation, West Virginia University, Morgantown.

The program will prepare these fellows to build effective economic and community development strategies, integrate their local assets into wider regional development strategies, identify public grants and other community development resources, and use new connections to forge strong regional partnerships.

“ARC’s Appalachian Leadership Institute is a valuable program that allows participants to learn more about each of ARC’s strategic investment priorities and the needs of the region,” said ARC States’ Co-Chair Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. “I’m proud of the three Tennesseans chosen to participate in this class and look forward to seeing how they’ll use their leadership skills to engage in their communities.”

Upon completion of the program, fellows will continue to build and share knowledge with hundreds of other leaders in the Appalachian Leadership Institute Alumni Network, a peer working group fostering collaborative solutions to build a stronger future for Appalachia.

To learn more about the program, visit: arc.gov/leadership. To meet the 2024-2025 class of fellows and learn more about their work to strengthen Appalachian communities, visit: https://www.arc.gov/academies-and-institutes/leadership/class-of-2024-2….

About the Appalachian Leadership Institute: The Appalachian Leadership Institute is a comprehensive regional leadership training program developed by the Appalachian Regional Commission in partnership with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; The Howard H. Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs; Tuskegee University; and Collective Impact. Learn more at www.arc.gov/leadership.

About the Appalachian Regional Commission: The Appalachian Regional Commission is an economic development entity of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 423 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the Region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.

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