#WVSolutions Seekers Statewide Student Leadership Conference
This conference welcomes West Virginia high school juniors and seniors, college and training program students to participate in a jam-packed day of programming that allows them to meet state leaders and learn how they can be successful professionally right here at home. High school juniors and seniors students are free through a partnership with the Department of Education. College and training program student tickets are only $12 per student plus processing fees. Scholarships are available. If you are student who is passionate about West Virginia, then this is the conference for you! Check back for updates on our 2023 conference.
Special Thanks to our 2022 Program Sponsor:
*Agenda is being updated daily.
8:45 a.m. Opening Remarks
- Joey Wisemen, Director, Office of Middle and Secondary Learning, Division of Teaching and Learning, West Virginia Department of Education
- Elizabeth Manuel, Senior Director, The Division of Student Affairs, West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission
Morning Sessions:
8:55 a.m. Ice Breaker Exercise
- Trevor Darago, Communications Specialist, West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Network
9:25 a.m. Sponsor Remarks
- Diana Whitlock, Vice-President and WV Community Manager, JPMorgan Chase Bank
9:40 a.m. Introduction of Keynote Speaker
- Brandon Dennison, CEO, Coalfield Development
9:45 a.m. Keynote Address
- Gayle Manchin, Federal Co-Chair, Appalachian Regional Commission
10:10 a.m. Student Leaders Award Ceremony
- Brittany Bruce, Special Projects Coordinator, MURC
Breakout Sessions:
10:30 – 11:15 a.m.
Breakout Session 1: Are you prepared? Get College Ready
- Autumn Perry, College Access and Success Program Director, Division of Student Affairs, West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission
- Lauren Landry, Student Success Coordinator, Department of Education
Breakout Session 2: Learning Experience: Fellowships and Apprenticeships
Moderator: Brandon Dennison, CEO Coalfield Development
- Sarah Riley, Executive Director, High Rocks
- Alex Weld, Executive Director, Generation WV
- Dave Lavender, Coordinator, Apprenticeship in Motion, West Virginia Development Office
- Oliva McCuskey, Director of Strategic Engagement, Education Alliance
Afternoon Sessions:
11:15 a.m. Test Your Luck: Gameshow Giveaway
- Sara Payne Scarbro, Associate Vice President for External Engagement, MURC
- Brittany Bruce, Special Projects Coordinator, MURC
11:30 a.m. Break
12:00 p.m. Community Asset Mapping Group Project
- Sara Payne Scarbro, Associate Vice President for External Engagement, MURC
12:45 p.m. The Place Where We Belong: A student leaders & WV professionals’ panel
Moderator: Tiffany Ellis-Williams, Director, Workforce & Economic Development, WV Council for Community and Technical College Education
- Susie Mullens, Project Coordinator, West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Network
- Tia Welch, Director State of WV Equal Employment Opportunity Office
- Dr. Bill Bissett, State Director, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito
- Dr. Michelle Taylor, Department Chair and Associate Professor, Bluefield State College
- Dr. Kelli Johnson, Associate University Librarian and Head of Access Services and Outreach, Marshall University Libraries and Online Learning
2:00 p.m. Business Spotlight
- Good Gauley Coffee Company – Nicholas County Technical Career and Technical Center
2:15 p.m. Finding a Good Balance for your Overall Health
Moderator: Terri Baker, Grant Projects Manager, Center for Rural and Community Health West Virginia Osteopathic School of Medicine
- Heather McDonnell-Stalnaker, Project Director, WV Collegiate Strategic Prevention Framework Partnerships for Success
- Carley Knuckles, C-SPF-PFS Student Leader and Active Minds, President, WVU Tech
- Josh Grant, Coordinator of Wellness Education, West Virginia Department of Education
- Diana Whitlock, Vice-President and WV Community Manager, JPMorgan Chase Bank
3:00 p.m. Stress Management through Koru Mindfulness and Meditation
- Kellie Toledo, Director, Counseling Services West Virginia State University
- Carla Blankenbuehler, Assistant Dean of Students/Director of Counseling, BridgeValley Community and Technical College
3:30 p.m. Closing Remarks
- Brittany Bruce, Special Projects Coordinator, MURC
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A joint venture among West Virginia’s 10 southern colleges and universities to better connect the educational resources and workforce training offered in Southern West Virginia to promote the region, eliminate redundancies and share best practices, improve the quality of life for area residents, create jobs, keep West Virginia’s talent pool in the state and revitalize southern communities. The Alliance partner institutions include: Bluefield State College, BridgeValley Community and Technical College, Concord University, Marshall University, Mountwest Community & Technical College, New River Community and Technical College, Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, West Virginia State University and West Virginia University Institute of Technology. The Alliance is focused on a 21-county area, including Boone, Cabell, Clay, Fayette, Greenbrier, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Putnam, Raleigh, Summers, Wayne, Webster and Wyoming counties and represents more than 30,000 students. To sign up for our newsletter, click here.
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In 2009 volunteers started to address concerns about housing in Wayne, WV. It was quickly realized that traditional charity was not nearly enough to address the deep, generational challenges we face. After intense community engagement, they pioneered a relationship-based, holistic approach to on-the-job training. Unemployed and underemployed people were hired to construct green affordable housing.
Today, they have grown into a family of social enterprises working throughout the region as a leader in the building of a new economy during the wake of the coal industry’s rapid decline. They have created more than 100 on-the-job training positions, more than 500 professional certification opportunities, redeveloped more than 150,000 square feet of dilapidated property, and successfully launched five new businesses in real estate development, construction, wood working, agriculture and artisan trades – industries based on local assets and having real viability in the Appalachian region. Coalfield Development operates as a family of five social enterprises. A social enterprise is a business that combines the compassion of the nonprofit sector with the efficiency of the for-profit sector. To learn more click here.
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The West Virginia Community Development Hub mobilizes residents from all over the state to spark transformational change and progress in their communities. Hallmarks of the organization’s work are to spur on fresh momentum where little exists; to unite the forces of groups that have not considered – or even resisted – collaboration in the past; and to champion new, and sometimes unexpected, leaders.
Over the past year, The Hub has worked directly with 27 counties across the state and 1 in 5 West Virginians have been reached by Hub-related projects over the past year. More information about The Hub’s work and impacts click here.