Change in the Coalfields: A Podcast by Coalfield Development: Recent Episodes
Coalfield Development
Coalfield Development is a non-profit organization based in West Virginia that is retraining the workforce to learn new skills involving paid work while obtaining a college degree. You will hear stories each month of our triumphs and struggles to rebuild the Appalachian economy from the ground up. This is a podcast about hope and volition in the coalfields. Stories of our crew’s journey to build a life of purpose. Learn more at coalfield-development.org.
West Edge Gallery hours for the "Inside Out" exhibit are Fridays from 4-7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. through Friday, April 16, 2023.
For more information about the Inside Out exhibit and the upcoming Council Day Talent Show exhibits at West Edge, or to schedule a gallery visit, please contact Gina Milum, West Edge Outreach and Operations Coordinator, at gmilum@coalfield-development.org.
In honor of Labor Day, the Coalfield Development team celebrated our monthly Council Day with an afternoon summer shindig to show appreciation for our crew members and their families. Hosted on the front lawn of the old Fort Gay High School in Fort Gay, West Virginia, the team took some time to kick back, relax, and enjoy food trucks, axe throwing, and cornhole.
This week on Change in the Coalfields we chat with Heidi Binko. Heidi is a long time advocate for the Appalachian region as well as many regions abroad that have similar issues with climate, coal, and energy. She is co-founder and executive director of the Just Transition Fund which helps to
https://www.justtransitionfund.org/
This week we have a special bonus episode where we hear from a few of our crew members on the ground at our monthly crew member council day. This council day was extra special as it was our first in person council day since February 2020 due to the pandemic. Great to have our community back together again face to face!
Today we have a great conversation with Jina Belcher. Jina was born and raised in Welch, WV. After starting her own business at 16 years old, Jina was the first student to receive the McKelvey Foundation Entrepreneurial Scholarship during their junior year of high school. After graduating from Concord University in 2009 with a B.S. in Recreation and Tourism Management with an emphasis in Event Planning & Promotions, Jina returned home to assist her family in expanding the only non-profit food pantry in McDowell County.
In February 2019, Jina officially joined the NRGRDA as Director of Business Development. Combining her previous community development skills with her background in finance and social enterprise will allow her to provide the New River Gorge region with resources and expertise needed to grow the thriving economy of Southern WV.
This week we have a conversation with Debbie Phillips.
Debbie is a former House member in Ohio and currently the CEO of Rural Action. As a House member, she served on the House Finance Committee, House Education Committee, House Agriculture & Rural Development Committee, the Joint Legislative Ethics Commission and the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review. She also previously served as a member of Athens City Council. She was the founding Executive Director of the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign, which was hosted through Rural Action and worked to promote quality public education.
Debbie’s core purpose is to help connect people to a sense of agency and joy.
Today we bring Coalfield Development's book club to the podcast with special guest, Glenn Taylor. Glenn is the author of the novels A Hanging at Cinder Bottom, The Marrowbone Marble Company and The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, GQ, and Electric Literature, among others.
Glenn was born and raised in Huntington, West Virginia, and he now lives with his wife and three sons in Morgantown, where he teaches in the MFA Program at West Virginia University.
For more information about Glenn go to www.glenntaylorbooks.com
This week we have a virtual conversation with Stephanie Tyree. Stephanie is Executive Director of The Hub, a community development organization based in Charleston WV.
Learn more about Stephanie and The Hub at http://wvhub.org.
This week we have a virtual conversation with Dee Davis.
Dee is a lot of things...
He is the president of the Center for Rural Strategies, executive producer at Appalshop (a documentary production company that also established a media training program for Appalachian youth), a member of the Rural Advisory Committee of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation and Feral Arts of Brisbane, Australia. He is also a member of the Institute for Rural Journalism’s national advisory board, a member of the Board of Directors for the Institute for Work and the Economy, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship. As well as the former Chair of the board of directors of Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, and the list goes on....
An author and writer for The Daily Yonder (dailyyonder.com) He's also a native Appalachian and lives in Whitesburg, Kentucky.
To learn more about Dee and his work go to:
dailyyonder.com
https://www.ruralstrategies.org/
We will be releasing new episodes bi-weekly, sometimes even more regularly, for the remainder of 2021!
https://coalfield-development.org/
This week we have a virtual conversation with Robert Thompson.
Robert is a Wayne County native, school teacher, county commissioner, author of 18 books, & former House of Delegates member, all at the age of 33.
To get a copy of Roberts books for yourself, check out his author page at https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/robt1687/.
We will be releasing new episodes bi-weekly, sometimes even more regularly, for the remainder of 2021!
https://coalfield-development.org/
This week we have a virtual conversation with Dural Miller.
Dural is a West Virginia native & founder of Keep Your Faith Corporation based out of Charleston WV. For more information about Dural's work and Keep Your Faith, go to https://kyfc.org/.
We will be releasing new episodes bi-weekly, sometimes even more regularly, for the remainder of 2021!
https://coalfield-development.org/
This week we have a virtual conversation with Don Perdue.
Don is a West Virginia native and former member of the West Virginia House of Delegates representing District 19.
We will be releasing new episodes bi-weekly, sometimes even more regularly, for the remainder of 2021!
https://coalfield-development.org/
This week we have a virtual conversation with Coalfield's very own, Jacob Hannah. Jacob is the conservation coordinator for Coalfield Development and is a huge asset to our work in Appalachia.
Check out our social media pages to see some video clips of the conversation.
We will be releasing new episodes bi-weekly, sometimes even more regularly, for the remainder of 2021 so make sure to sign up for our newsletter and subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to get the most up to date episodes!
https://coalfield-development.org/
We took a couple weeks off for the Holidays but we're back with a brand new episode and a new name, Change in the Coalfields!!
This week we have a virtual conversation with Jason Walsh. Jason is Executive Director of Blue Green Alliance and is currently based out of Washington D.C.
You can find more information about Blue Green Alliance and Jason's work with them by going to https://www.bluegreenalliance.org/
Check out our social media pages to see some video clips of the conversation and let us know what you think of this format!
We will be releasing new episodes bi-weekly, sometimes even more regularly, for the remainder of 2021!
https://coalfield-development.org/
We took a couple weeks off for the Holiday but we're back with a brand new episode! This week we have a virtual conversation with Bishop Charles Shaw about racism, the importance of vocational schools in rural areas and industry training, as well as Shaw's past as a coal miner.
Check out our social media to see some video clips of the conversation and let us know what you think of this format!
For our 6th episode we look at the Coalfield Development personal and professional development themes for October.
Each month we feature West Virginians from the past that we feel embody these themes.
We're featuring Cam Henderson & Ken Hechler this week.
Produced at The West Edge Factory in Huntington West Virginia by JJN Multimedia.
For our 5th episode we look back on the past 10 years of Coalfield Development. We reflect with one of our first Coalfield champions, Josh Napier, about where he came from to where he is now. An inspiring story about why we do what we do.
Guests this week include Larry Endicott, Josh Napier, & Chase Thomas.
Hosted by Brandon Dennison. Music by Dressers.
Produced at The West Edge Factory in Huntington West Virginia by JJN Multimedia.
For our 4th episode we look at the Coalfield Development personal and professional development themes for September.
Each month we feature West Virginians from the past that we feel embody these themes.
We're featuring Pear S Buck & Ruby Bradley this week.
Music by Dressers & Adrian Walther.
Produced at The West Edge Factory in Huntington West Virginia by JJN Multimedia.
For our third episode we talk to some of our former and current crew members and trainees and hear about how being a part of Coalfield Development has impacted their lives and continues to help them pursue their professional and personal goals.
Special thanks to our co-host this week, Kelli Crabtree, and our guests Ty, Isaiah, Patrick, Tayler, Jaron, and Amanda!
Music by Dressers & Adrian Walther.
Produced at The West Edge Factory in Huntington West Virginia by JJN Multimedia.
For our second episode we look at the Coalfield Development personal and professional development themes for July and August. Each month we feature West Virginians from the past that we feel embody these themes.
We're featuring Michael Owens, Anna Gates, Katherine Johnson, & Booker T Washington this week.
Music by Dressers & Adrian Walther.
Produced at The West Edge Factory in Huntington West Virginia by JJN Multimedia.
For our first episode we look back on the past 10 years of Coalfield Development.
Guests this week include Andy Endicott & Chase Thomas. Hosted by Brandon Dennison. Music by Dressers.
Produced at The West Edge Factory in Huntington West Virginia by JJN Multimedia.