Posted: November 19, 2020

This assembly examined the roles that peer learning networks, intermediaries, and community development finance institutions play in leveraging regional and local tourism for small business development and an equitable rural recovery. View the Rural Community Action Assembly event recording.

View the event recording and presentation slides.

Speakers included:

  • Kyle Kopko, Executive Director, Center for Rural Pennsylvania
  • Ta Enos, CEO, PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship
  • Cheryl Hargrove, President, Hargrove International
  • Meredith Hill, Director of Conservation Landscapes, Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources
  • Julie Fitzpatrick, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Downtown Center
  • David Kahley, President and CEO, The Progress Fund
  • Jamie Bennett, Executive Director, ArtPlace America
  • Valerie Case, Sales Manager, Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau
  • Micah Gursky, Executive Director, Tamaqua Area Community Partnership 

This virtual meeting is the third in a series of Rural Community Action Assemblies. This series will focus on actionable research and programmatic models to promote a strong and equitable recovery from the impacts of the pandemic on rural communities. This series is cohosted by the Philadelphia Fed's Community Development and Regional Outreach Department, Penn State's Center for Economic and Community Development, and the Center for Rural Pennsylvania.