Rural Matters

In the second installment of our 2023 series with the Self-Help Enterprises, Michael chats with the following rural development experts: Betsy McGovern-Garcia, Director of Real Estate Development at Self-Help Enterprises; Jennifer Gomez, City Manager for the City of Farmersville, California; and Adrianne Hillman, Founder and CEO of Salt + Light Works. Together, they discuss rural housing and community development, rural housing services and partnerships, the connection between rural housing and transportation, and much more. This episode, and the entire series, is sponsored by Self-Help Enterprises. For more information, visit www.selfhelpenterprises.org.

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In the third and final installment of our 2023 series with the Brookings Institution, Michael chats with Jeffrey West, Executive Director of Education to Employment Partners, where he works to bring people, information, and resources together to improve the quality of educational attainment and career development services in South Texas. Together, they discuss how one partnership, UpSkill Coastal Bend, is helping the region achieve better rural postsecondary and workforce outcomes, how data is working to drive decision-making and action in the region, and much more. Plus, we share a clip from the Brookings Institution's podcast, Reimagine Rural, hosted by Tony Pipa, Senior Fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development at Brookings. This episode, and the entire series, is sponsored by the Brookings Institution. For more information, visit www.brookings.edu.

Reimagine Rural podcast: www.brookings.edu/reimaginerural

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In the second installment of our 2023 series with the Brookings Institution, Michael chats with Kate Hansen, Senior Policy Associate at the Center for Rural Affairs; Brett Melone, Chief Business Strategies Officer at California FarmLink; and farmers Dan Voss and Max Chavez (interpretation by Carmen Montes, Center for Rural Affairs).

Together, they discuss farming initiatives and stewardship, the role of conservation in farming, small businesses in rural communities, and much more. Plus, we share a clip from the Brookings Institution's podcast, Reimagine Rural, hosted by Tony Pipa, Senior Fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development at Brookings. This episode, and the entire series, is sponsored by the Brookings Institution. For more information, visit www.brookings.edu.

More information on the topics discussed today can be found at cfra.org/2023-farm-bill-platform.

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

Synopsis: In the third and final installment of our latest series with Ascendium, Michael chats with Emily Labandera, Director of Research at Excelencia in Education, and Cassandra Arroyo, Research Fellow at Excelencia in Education and doctoral student at the University of Michigan. Together, they discuss Excelencia's research and work to accelerate Latino student success in higher education, the challenges they have—and continue to—overcome, and much more. This episode, and the entire series, is sponsored by Ascendium Education Group. For more information, visit www.ascendiumeducation.org and www.ascendiumphilanthropy.org.

• To learn more about Excelencia in Education and its initiatives, visit: www.edexcelencia.org
• www.edexcelencia.org/research
• www.edexcelencia.org/research/publications/institutional-resilience-puerto-rico-first-look-efforts-puerto-rican-hsis

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In the first installment of our 2023 series with the Self-Hep Enterprises, Michael chats with the following rural development experts: Tom Collishaw, President and CEO of Self-Help Enterprises; Peter Carey, former CEO of Self-Help Enterprises and current Management Consultant; and Sergio Cuellar, Independent Consultant for nonprofit organizations. Together, they discuss self-help housing and homebuilding, rural community leadership and development in rural areas, the importance of farmworkers to rural initiatives, and much more. This episode, and the entire series, is sponsored by Self-Help Enterprises. For more information, visit www.selfhelpenterprises.org.

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In the first installment of our 2023 series with the Brookings Institution, Michael chats with Mark Rembert, Director of Research & Knowledge and the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI). Together, they discuss common misconceptions about rural America, how data and research can combat those misconceptions and deepen the broader understanding of rural America, and much more. Plus, we share a clip from the Brookings Institution's podcast, Reimagine Rural, hosted by Tony Pipa, Senior Fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development at Brookings. This episode, and the entire series, is sponsored by the Brookings Institution. For more information, visit www.brookings.edu.

CORI: www.ruralinnovation.us

CORI's Rural Aperture Project: www.ruralinnovation.us/resources/mapping-and-data-analytics/the-rural-aperture-project/

Brookings' Reimagine Rural podcast: www.brookings.edu/reimaginerural.

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In the second installment of our latest series with Ascendium, Michael chats with the following experts on the intersection of community college and rural economic growth: Dr. Greg Hodges, President of Patrick & Henry Community College; Josh Wyner, Founder and Executive Director of the College Excellence Program at the Aspen Institute; and Ben Barrett, Senior Program Manager with the College Excellence Program at the Aspen Institute. The group discusses how community colleges are advancing rural economic mobility, preparing students for job opportunities, revitalizing rural postsecondary enrollment, and much more. This episode, and the entire series, is sponsored by Ascendium Education Group. For more information, visit www.ascendiumeducation.org and www.ascendiumphilanthropy.org.

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In this episode, Michael chats with Cara James, President and CEO of Grantmakers in Health (GIH), an educational organization dedicated to helping funders achieve better health for all through better philanthropy. Together, they discuss GIH's work to support rural populations, combatting racial and socioeconomic disparities in rural health, philanthropy's role in closing workforce gaps in rural communities, and much more. This episode is sponsored by GIH. For more information, visit www.gih.org.

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In this fifth and final episode of our series on the future of investing in rural prosperity, produced in collaboration with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Michael chats with the following experts on achieving rural prosperity in America: Tony Pipa, Senior Fellow at the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution; Ines Polonius, CEO of Communities Unlimited, Inc.; and Jen Giovannitti, President and Trustee of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.

Together, they discuss how federal policy affects and could further support rural communities, why taking a holistic approach to rural development is key to realizing prosperity, how philanthropy and purposeful rural investment can drive rural economic growth, and much more. This episode, and the entire five-part series, is sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. For more information, visit www.stlouisfed.org.

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In the first episode of our new series with Ascendium, Michael chats with the following experts on working toward stronger educational and workforce outcomes in rural communities: Kirstin Yeado, Program Officer at Ascendium; Jeffrey West, Executive Director of Education to Employment Partners; Dakota Pawlicki, Director of Talent Hubs at CivicLab; Justin Burch, National Director of Workforce and Small Business at Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC); and Will Coppage, Executive Director of the Washington County Economic Alliance.

The group discusses goals surrounding achieving better postsecondary opportunities and outcomes, how they're utilizing meaningful partnerships and working toward those objectives, creating pathways to educational and professional success, and much more. This episode, and the entire series, is sponsored by Ascendium. For more information, visit www.ascendiumeducation.org.

To learn more about Ascendium's research projects that address gaps in evidence for rural learner postsecondary education and workforce success, visit www.ascendiumphilanthropy.org/our-grantmaking/building-evidence-to-increase-rural-learner-success.

For more information on the initiatives mentioned by our guests in this episode, please visit the following links: www.rurallearningsystems.org www.upskillcoastalbend.org wceams.com/jobs www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6A816bIruI

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.