Presentation by Norma Wood

In this episode, Norma Wood provides a brief primer on the foster care system for older youth and a short history of the Chafee Independent Living Program. Delving into the impact of unsuccessful youth on our community, Wood pointed to ways to improve youth success and what we can do as a community.

Norma Wood serves as the Western Region Independent Living Consultant with Project LIFE, a contractual partnership between the Virginia Department of Social Services and United Methodist Family Services.  Project LIFE is a team of regional Independent Living and Best Practice Consultants working throughout Virginia to improve independent skills training and promote permanency and success for older youth who are in and transitioning out of the foster care system.

Presented in partnership with Virginia Cooperative Extension, Sustain Floyd, ASPECT, CSECP, The Floyd Country Store, The Community Foundation of The New River Valley, Outreach and International Affairs at Virginia Tech, Department of Religion and Culture at Virginia Tech, and VSU.

Presentation by Nancy Agee

In this episode, Nancy Agee speaks on Servant Leadership as she manages a 2 billion dollar community corporation in Western Virginia.

Nancy Agee is President and CEO of Carilion Clinic. She has served in various management roles with Carillion over the past 20 years. Ms. Agee holds degrees with honors from the University of Virginia and Emory University and participated in postgraduate studies at the Kellogg School of Business, Northwestern University. She is a resident of Salem, Virginia, where she lives with her husband Steve.

Presented in partnership with Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia State University, Sustain Floyd, IPG, ASPECT, The New River Valley Community Foundation, Department of Religion and Culture, Outreach and International Affairs, SPIA, and CSECP.

Presentation by Beth Obenshain

In this episode, Beth Obenshain speakes on leadership and change in an increasingly polarized social and political environment, as she offers her perspective as a business leader, journalist, and Montgomery County native.

Beth Obenshain is a former editor for the Roanoke Times and founder of New River Land Trust, an organization that works to conserve farmland, forests, open spaces, and historic places in the New River region of Southwest Virginia. Since 2002, it has helped to protect over 56,000 acres of land in the region and over 26 miles of New River frontage. Beth is a native of Blacksburg and Montgomery County.

Presented in partnership with Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia State University, Sustain Floyd, IPG, ASPECT, The New River Valley Community Foundation, Department of Religion and Culture, Outreach and International Affairs, SPIA, and CSECP.

Podcast Interview with Dudley Cocke

In this episode, Dudley Cocke discusses developing authentic relationships in his work to strengthen democracy through the arts.

Dudley Cocke is a writer, stage director, media producer, and the artistic director at Roadside Theatre, a part of the rural multimedia center apple shop in Whitesburg, Kentucky. Dudley directs mainstage productions, produces radio, television specials, and explores theatre's role in society. Roadside Theatre is also known for its artistic collaborations with African-American, Native-American, and Latino theatre artists. He speaks publicly about democratic cultural values.  He also received the 2002 Heinz Award for creating artistic stories of people who have not been reflected in mainstream cultural institutions.

Interviewers: Brendan Balcalarin, Ph.D. student in Planning, Governance, and Globalization; Scott Tate, Area Specialist and Community Viability for Virginia Cooperative Extension and Ph.D. student in the ASPECT Program

Presented in partnership with WUVT.

Presentation by Anthony Flaccavento

In this episode, organic farmer Anthony Flaccavento discusses the need to renew the American Dream with a more practical in the aftermath of a global recession. In particular, he explores how local economies, resilient communities, and love can provide the foundation for these new objectives.

Anthony Flaccavento is an organic farmer and politician who has been working on community environmental and economic development in the Appalachian region for over 30 years. He founded Applachian Sustainable Development in 1995 to address sustainable economic development and founded SCALE, Inc in 2009 to support ecologically healthy regional economies and food systems.

Presented in partnership with Virginia Cooperative Extension, Sustain Floyd, ASPECT, CSECP, The Floyd Country Store, The Community Foundation of The New River Valley, Outreach and International Affairs at Virginia Tech, Department of Religion and Culture at Virginia Tech, and VSU.