Posted: October 15, 2020
This assembly featured an in-depth discussion of cross-sector collaborations among community foundations, community banks, hospitals and health systems, and colleges and universities focused on leveraging local assets to make investments into small businesses, broadband infrastructure, and other economic development projects. View the Rural Community Action Assembly event recording.
View the event recording and presentation slides.
Speakers included:
- Jennifer Giovannitti, President, Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
- Christine Jones, Cofounder and Managing Partner, Blue Highway Capital
- Deborah Markley, Senior Vice President, LOCUS Impact Investing
- Alison Shott, Community Engagement Associate, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
- Cheryl Cook, Deputy Secretary for Market Development, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
- Richard Vilello, Deputy Secretary for Community Affairs and Development, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development
- Jennifer Wakeman, Executive Director, DRIVE Economic Development Entity
This virtual meeting was the second 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.
