We at The Hub are thrilled to announce the newest addition to our coaching team, Olivia McConnell. Olivia will serve as the Community Coaching Associate to help coach communities across the state as they work alongside The Hub to revitalize their cities. Olivia is a native West Virginian and is excited about the opportunity to help her fellow Mountaineers realize the full potential of their hometowns. She is well-versed in The Hub’s work and mission having served as an AmeriCorps VISTA before starting her current role. You can expect to see Olivia in communities offering her knowledge and experience to uplift communities in their various efforts.
Olivia is working alongside Amanda Workman-Scott, our Director of Community Engagement. Amanda and Olivia connected for a conversation to share about Olivia’s background, her passion for community development, and what she is excited about in the months to come.
Olivia McConnell: The Hub is such a welcoming organization where I have always felt supported and encouraged to be my full self, which is really important for me. I knew that I wanted to continue with The Hub so that I could keep doing the work that I started both in the coaching programs and with VISTA cohorts.
As the Community Engagement Coordinator VISTA of the Hub Communities of Achievement Program (HubCAP), I was able to support the HubCAP coaches and the communities they serve. As I step into my new role as The Hub’s Community Coaching Associate, I can continue that work while I build my own leadership skills and begin coaching communities myself. Working with six of the Mon Forest Towns in HubCAP has prepared me to continue working with that region through the Downtown Appalachia: Revitalizing Recreational Economies (DARRE) program.
In my short time at The Hub, I’ve already seen the VISTA program grow and improve in meaningful ways. We are moving towards a cohort-based model that will improve member retention and, more importantly, member development. It’s been incredible to see how engaged and collaborative the cohort has become and I’m looking forward to seeing all the work they accomplish over this next year.
OM: Even before joining The Hub, community development has touched my life in big ways. I live in the community of Greenmont, the oldest established neighborhood of Morgantown and historically a working-class area. Although flourishing at the turn of the century, Greenmont fell on hard times during the 1940s. The past 20 years have been a much-needed period of revitalization for the neighborhood and thanks to the work of local stakeholders, entrepreneurs, and long-time residents, we now have a coffee shop, bakery, restaurant, beer garden, brewery, and auto shop.
At work, community development has touched my life through the relationships I have built. I’ve watched community members work together to become strong teams that make real changes. I think a lot of us at The Hub would agree that it’s hard not to get too invested in the communities we serve. Their wins become our wins, and their challenges, our challenges.
OM: I have to admit something here. I felt a lot of contempt for West Virginia growing up. As a teenager I was sure that I wanted to leave the state because it felt stifling, like I could never reach my full potential in a place so small. I decided to stay for college, not because I loved my home state, but because the Promise scholarship offered free tuition. The longer I did stay though, the more things I found that I wanted to embrace about life in West Virginia. I met new people that had an infectious love for their Appalachian heritage, and I began to appreciate the beauty, the history, and the culture of my home. Today, I can say I take pride in being a West Virginian, and an Appalachian. Being a part of the work leading communities to preserve the things that make them special, while creating new opportunities that make people want to be here and stay here is more fulfilling than I ever expected a job to be.
OM: I’m motivated by a vision of an equitable future where all West Virginians can thrive. I’ve heard so many times that our people are resilient and that’s true, but I don’t want that to be our legacy because to me it means maintaining when we should be moving forward. Thriving is so much more than surviving, and for all of us to do better collectively, we need to create opportunities for marginalized groups to have a seat at the table. I’m motivated every day by seeing people in our communities grow into strong capable leaders who will build the bigger table.
I’m also highly motivated by my co-workers. Hearing about the work they are doing in other parts of the organization, whether it be another coaching program, communications, or policy work, is inspiring and pushes me to accomplish more.
OM: My first word of advice is to reach out to other people because none of this work gets done alone. Start with your inner circle but try talking to new people too. If you’re a young person, talk to someone who has been around longer than you, if you’re an older person, try engaging with youth. Having these conversations will give you a more informed perspective and diversity builds strong teams. Set some goals and give yourself the opportunity to make mistakes. Mistakes can teach you more than successes.
I also believe in The Hub’s mission and free virtual lessons. The Kickstart Communities Virtual Lessons are great resources that I share with people who ask me how to get started with their own projects. Anyone can start revitalizing their community one project at a time and I’m excited to work with community members who want to see their towns grow.
Olivia McConnell is The Hub’s Community Coaching Associate. You can reach her at o.mcconnell@wvhub.org.
Emma Byrne, Director of Impact We at The Hub are thrilled to announce the newest addition to our team, Emma Byrne. Emma
The West Side neighborhood of Charleston participated in the recent West Side Health Fair in Charleston. Lined up along the Kanawha River
As part of our work with the Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities (BRECC) Initiative, The West Virginia Community Development Hub (The
Our work is made possible thanks to incredible partnerships with other community development organizations across the state. From local economic development authorities (EDAs) to state level nonprofits working to uplift communities, all of our partners are crucial in making West Virginia the best it can possibly be by working together.One partner that made our work truly profound this year is Coalfield Development. For years, Coalfield Development has worked to rebuild Appalachian communities by inspiring the courage to grow, activating the creativity to innovate, and cultivating communities of opportunity in central Appalachia.We are proud to be part of Coalfield Development’s ACT Now Coalition, a broad network of organizations working hand-in-hand to uplift communities throughout Southern West Virginia. The ACT Now Coalition is infusing more than $63 million into programs to help communities using business development, building revitalization, and so much more.The Hub is leading the Community and Business Resilience Initiative as part of the larger ACT Now Coalition to bring other partners with us to build up community and business resilience in the Coalition’s footprint.“For decades, we’ve known the economy of southern West Virginia needs diversification. Some progress has been made on this goal, but not nearly enough,” Brandon Dennison, CEO of Coalfield Development, said about the ACT Now Coalition. “ACT Now constitutes a tangible opportunity to take a major leap forward in this generational challenge to become a vibrant, growing, diversified economy. In the wake of continued coal-job losses, nothing could be more important for our region.”Our partnership with Coalfield Development is giving us a chance to take our work to new communities and to build upon our years of experience. Working alongside Coalfield Development in this large undertaking to bring $63.8 million to communities in Southern West Virginia is validation that the work happening to uplift West Virginia communities continues to grow.
The Hub works alongside communities across West Virginia coaching community teams as they come together to make transformative changes in their towns. In 2022, one town stands out for its continued work and unwavering commitment to making its community a place where people want to live, work, play, and visit.Petersburg, located in Grant County at the northernmost point of the Mon Forest, is filled with community members who want to make their town a destination. Not only have businesses opened, and stayed open, the town has transformed the way they present to the world through rebranding and outdoor recreational development.As part of the HubCAP IV program, Petersburg utilized its technical assistance to push forward with projects to bring transformative change to its community. Part of the work Petersburg worked towards was creating plans to pave a hike and bike trail that runs along the Petersburg dike. The proposed trail will run approximately three miles along the Petersburg dike and will include multiple entrances for walkers and bikers. The group secured a $25,000 grant from Senator Hamilton, which was matched locally by the City of Petersburg, the County Commission, and the Board of Education, each adding an equal share to bring the total to $50,000.This year, Petersburg witnessed a major upgrade to one of the town’s most iconic and historic structures: The Hermitage Inn. The hotel, which dates back to 1841, has been renovated and once again welcomes guests to stay the night and have a nice dinner in the restaurant.The Hermitage Inn is the first project initiated and completed as part of the Downtown Appalachia: Revitalizing Recreational Economies (DARRE) program. Seeing the old hotel returned to its majesty has been an incredible development for Petersburg adding another jewel to the downtown area.Seeing Hub communities come together to create transformative change thrills us. Community members are the subject matter experts on what their towns need. Our commitment to accompaniment and walking alongside communities as they do the hard work guides us in our work. Celebrating their victories with them gives us a moment to uplift those making the work happen.
Since 2018, The Hub has been working diligently to bring Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into our work. For years, the organization has been working internally to expand on one of our core values: “We believe diversity creates strength.”We believe that now is a time when we must work from the ground up to commit to long-term efforts to build power through leadership development, programmatic strategies, and partnerships that commit to building power and advancing racial equity.Looking back at our organizational history, we acknowledge that our work in rural communities with populations of less than 15,000 has not reached a diverse cross-section of people in West Virginia. Because of this, we began to ask, “Who isn’t here?” when examining our involvement in communities. The social unrest in 2020 led us to examine our role in white supremacy, ableism, classism, and gender discrimination, and the ways we have perpetuated unjust systems in our communities and across West Virginia.Since 2020, our equity journey has included a staff racial equity learning series, making internal commitments to increasing our hiring and retainment of diverse staff including creating full-time Racial Equity Fellowship and VISTA positions, committing to increased coaching for rural communities of color across the state, and tackling the inherent challenges of advancing equity across the community development field within a highly rural, majority white state where Black and brown leadership has been historically marginalized and under-invested.Our belief in the power of local people to see the value and the potential of their place, and of each other, is at the core of our belief in the potential we have to build power in West Virginia to advance racial equity, inclusion, and accessibility while disrupting systems that have historically excluded some communities.We are committed to engaging in conversations to uplift communities and leaders of color to move from talk to action on why race matters in West Virginia as we work to disrupt these systems. We will support investment in Black-led organizations and rural Black leadership. And we are committed to driving public and private investments into these spaces, both organizational and geographic.
A core team led by Unleash Tygart, Inc participated in Opportunity Appalachia, receiving technical assistance to support a community development project located in an Opportunity Zone.
Core teams led by Thundercloud, Inc. and the City of Huntington participated in Opportunity Appalachia, receiving technical assistance to support community development projects located in Opportunity Zones.
A core team led by Crawford Holdings, LLC participated in Opportunity Appalachia, receiving technical assistance to support a community development project located in an Opportunity Zone.
Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies.
Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies.
Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies.
Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies.
Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies.
A core team led by Woodlands Development Group also participated in Opportunity Appalachia, receiving technical assistance to support a community development project located in an Opportunity Zone.
Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies. Read their community case study.
Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future.
Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future. Read their community case study.
Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future. Watch their community documentary.
Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future. Read their community case study.
Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future.
Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future.
Residents participated in the Cultivate WV program to kickstart community and economy building. Read their community case study.
Residents participated in the Cultivate WV program to kickstart community and economy building. Read their community case study.
It has been a year of abundant opportunities and partnerships across the state, and a year that has pushed all of us to work harder, faster, and smarter – together.At The Hub, we say that “the work works when you put in the work.” This means that our approach to community-based development, and individual leadership development, really does transform local communities, especially when we all work together for the same goal, and stay committed to working together for the long haul.In 2023, we continued to be amazed at the local leadership, drive and innovation we saw in communities throughout the state that are building locally-driven development from the ground up. Our network of community leaders, partners and opportunities keeps growing and shows no signs of slowing in 2024!
We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone for being part of the larger Hub community as we reflect on this year’s deep impact in West Virginia communities through our work. We are thrilled to have champions who believe in our mission that every community in West Virginia can achieve economic growth when they are supported with the tools and training they need to lead and spark positive change.
We believe strongly in the fact that putting in the work yourself to improve your neighborhood, your town, and our state is where true transformational change happens. With strategic partners and thought leaders like you in the work with us, we continue to be able to walk alongside community teams as they do the work to uplift their communities.Thank you to all of the community teams and leaders who are brave enough to keep showing up every day, and putting in thousands of hours of volunteer time to support your communities and the entire state. Your determination in the face of difficult work and far-off successes is something to applaud yourself for – and to celebrate.Whether you’re volunteering on the ground in your community, sharing our stories of hope with your friends and neighbors, or attending a virtual event with The Hub, your participation in our work is what keeps it going. Thank you for all your work and support this past year, and we are excited to continue in the work with you in 2024!In Continued Accompaniment,