Panelists and participants discussed best practices, policies, and funding opportunities for regional workforce investments as part of a comprehensive revitalization strategy. Presentations included recent case studies from southwestern Virginia and how community leaders convened cross-sector partnerships to create a data-informed career highway. Additionally, we dove into the roles of philanthropy, trainers, and others in community efforts for workforce-based revitalization. Last, the assembly touched on opportunity youth, trauma-informed services, on-the-job training, and potential forthcoming policy changes.
The agenda included presentations from:
- William A. Hazel Jr., Senior Deputy Executive Director, Claude Moore Charitable Foundation
- Tiffany Hollin-Wright, Community Development Regional Manager, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
- John Molinaro, Principal, RES Associates LLC
- Kim Phinney, Senior Fellow, Center for Rural Strategies
This virtual meeting is a continuation of the Rural Community Action Assemblies begun in 2020. The series focuses on actionable research and programmatic models to promote strong and equitable community, economic, and workforce development in rural Pennsylvania. 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.
