AFN 2024 Gathering Program

8:00-9:00am Registration & Light Morning Refreshments (Foyers A&B)

8:45am-9:15am Welcome Plenary (Salons A-C)

-Dr. Michelle Foster, President & CEO at The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation

-Garrett Blaize, Steering Committee Co-Chair

-Mayor Amy Schumer Goodwin, Mayor City of Charleston

-Cory Blankenship, Community Investment Officer at Dogwood Health Trust

Elevating Impact: A Panoramic View of Nonprofit Realities in Appalachia (Salons A-C)

9:15am-9:35am Barriers to Federal Funding Investments in Rural Communities

-Stephanie Tyree, Executive Director at WV Community Development Hub

9:35am -10:05am Reaching New Heights: Collaborative Strategies for Appalachian Non-Profits (Plenary Panel) (Salons A-C)

-Debbie Phillips, CEO at Rural Action

-Adam Hudson, Sr. Dir. of Agriculture at Coalfield Development

-Kathlyn Terry Baker, CEO at Appalachian Sustainable Development

10:05am -10:15am Relocation Break

10:15am -11:15am Breakout Sessions:

-Option 1: ACT Now: Transforming Appalachia's Economy for a Sustainable Future (Salon D)

-Option 2: Navigating the New Terrain: Strategies for Building Sustainable Media Ecosystems (Salons A-C)

-Moderator: Eli Flournoy, Co-founder and Managing Director, Media Growth Partners

-Corinne Colbert of the Athens County Independent

-Kerry Pigman, Executive director at Athens County Foundation

-Rachel Normansell, Yodel Community Connections

-Corie Loomis, Yodel Community Connections

11:15am -11:30am Relocation Break

11:30am-11:55am - Scholars Presentation (Salons A-C)

- Dr. Alan Letton, Center for Economic and Community Development for the African American Community of Appalachia

11:55am-12:10pm Lunch Buffet (Salons A-C)

12:10pm-12:30pm Special Announcement! (Salons A-C)

-Donna Gambrell, CEO of Appalachian Community Capital

12:30pm-1:30pm Lunch Interactive: Absorbing Capital for a Just Future (Salons A-C)

-Facilitator: Thomas Watson, Owner/Managing Director at Rural Support Partners

-Facilitator: Ryan M. Eller. Executive Director at Appalachia Funders Network

-Facilitator: Jess Mullins Fullen, Programs & Learning Administrator at Appalachia Funders Network

1:30pm-1:45pm Relocation to Buses

1:45-5:00pm Site Visits: Witnessing Those on the Climb for a Just Transition (Gather in Marriott Lobby)

6:00pm-8:00pm Networking Dinners (Click Here for Restaurant Listing)

-WV PSO Dinner - Adelphia

-OH PSO Dinner - Black Sheep Burrito

7:30-8:30am Registration & Morning Refreshments (Foyers AB)

8:30-9:00am Welcome Address

-Gayle Manchin, Federal Co-Chair at Appalachian Regional Commission (Salons A-C)

9:00-9:30am Starting the Climb: Shaping our Memory (Salons A-C)

-Moderator: Thomas Watson

-Sandra Mikush, Retired Deputy Director of Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation & Co-Founder of Just Transition Fund

-Margo Miller, Former Executive Director at Appalachian Community Fund

-Mary Hunt, Retired Senior Program Director at Benedum Foundation

-Gerry Roll, Founder in Residence at The Foundation for Appalachian KY

9:30-9:55am Trailblazing Anew (Salons A-C)

-Transition: Stephanie Randolph, Deputy Director at Cassiopeia Foundation

-Moderator: Ryan M. Eller, Executive Director at Appalachia Funders Network

-Cory Blankenship, Community Investment Officer at Dogwood Health-Trust

-Joe Tolbert, Jr. Executive Director at The Waymakers Collective and Founder& Lead Cultural Strategist of Art at the Intersections

-Kristin Walker Collins, CEO at The Foundation of Appalachian KY

9:55-10:05am Networking and Room Transition

10:10-11:25am Collective Giving and Trust-Based Philanthropy (Salon D)

-Host: Dr. Michelle Foster, CEO at The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation

-Tyeshia Wilson, Director of Engagement at Philanthropy Together

-Melvin Jones, Vice President for Business & Finance, West Virginia State University (Retired)

11:30-11:45am Networking and Room Transition

11:45am-12:20pm Lunch with Keynote Speaker (Salons A-C)

-Dale Anglin, Executive Director, Press Forward

12:20-12:45pm Plenary on Narrative & Special Announcement! (Salons A-C)

12:45-1:00pm Unconference Room Announcement, Networking & Room Transition

1:00-2:00pm Unconference Breakout Sessions (Salons A-C, D, E)

2:00-2:15 Networking and Room Transition

2:15-2:45pm Reconciliation Through Rematriation: The Appalachian Rekindling Project (Salons A-C)

-Tiffany Pyette, Co-Executive Director of the Appalachian Rekindling Project

-Taysha DeVaughan, Co-Executive Directors of the Appalachian Rekindling Project

2:45pm-3:00pm Networking and Room Transition

3:00-4:00pm Group Centered Breakout Sessions

-Option 1: Blended Approaches to Downtown Redevelopment Projects: A Proactive Exploration of Land Banking and Asset Protection (Salons A-C)

-Moderator: Deb Markley, Outgoing Director of Locus

-Mary Fant Donnan, Executive Director at The Alleghany Foundation

-Marten Jenkins: Founder, President and CEO at Partner Community Capital

-Option 2: Forging Equitable Partnerships: Community Benefits Agreements in Renewable Energy Ventures (Salon D)

-Kristin Walker- Collins at Foundation for Appalachian KY

-Amanda Woordrum at Reimagine Appalachia

*4:30-6:30pm Open Air Tour of Downtown Charleston (Meet at 900 on Lee)

*6:30pm-7:30pm Dinner at Cafe Appalachia

*7:30pm Participants Choice Entertainment

-Bob Thompson in Concert, Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences

-King Coal, Floralee Hark Cohen Cinema

*This event requires advanced registration

8:00-9:00am Breakfast (Foyers AB)

9:00-9:15am Welcome (Salons A-C)

9:15-9:45am Keynote Speaker & Discussion on Making Democracy Larger than Politics (Salons A-C)

-Kristen Cambell, CEO of PACE

9:45 - 11:20am Breakout Workshops (Salons A-C, D, E)

11:20-11:35am Networking Break

11:35am-12:05pm Group Report Backs (Salons A-C)

12:05-12:45pm Closing Circle Commitments (Salons A-C)

12:45 Adjournment and Boxed Lunches Available (Salons A-C)