Rural Spotlights

Blog Post

Directional sign silhouetted against the sunset.

Spotlight on Rural Best Practices: Lessons From the 2023 IRA Poster Session

Regional Matters

December 14, 2023

Proposal submissions are now open for the 2024 Investing in Rural America Conference poster session! In this post, we invite you on a virtual tour of posters from our 2023 conference to learn about the ways rural communities are addressing economic challenges.

Nicholas Haltom and Stephanie Norris

Blog Post

Aircraft mechanic inspecting and checking the technology of a jet engine in the hangar at the airport.

Creating a STEM Employment Pipeline in Eastern North Carolina Schools

Regional Matters

September 28, 2023

The STEM East initiative aims to show students in eastern North Carolina how they can stay and thrive in their home communities.

Laura Dawson Ullrich and Matthew Wells

Article

Rural Spotlight: A Technical College and Child Care Center Unite in Cheraw, South Carolina

Rural Spotlights

August 11, 2023

A unique partnership between Compass Point Preschool and Northeastern Technical College in Cheraw, South Carolina, makes affordable, high-quality child care accessible to parents entering the labor force.

Erika W. Bell and Sierra Latham

Article

Rural Spotlight: Giving the Old High School a Second Life as Affordable Housing in Carroll County

Rural Spotlights

May 18, 2023

Carroll County, Virginia, worked closely with Virginia Housing and developer Landmark Asset Services, Inc. to repurpose the county’s old high school building into affordable rental housing.

Sierra Latham

Blog Post

aerial view of Radford, Virginia, in the New River Valley

Rural Spotlight: Creating a Reservoir of Housing Resources in New River Valley

Regional Matters

June 16, 2022

The New River Valley Regional Commission is an example of how a regional development organization can galvanize innovative, sustainable regional and local housing strategies to serve its small towns and rural communities.

Sierra Latham and Tiffany Hollin-Wright

Blog Post

Rural Spotlight: Resuscitating the Health Care Workforce Pipeline in the Valleys

Regional Matters

January 27, 2022

The GoodCare Program in Virginia helps aspiring workers complete career pathways in health care, addressing workforce shortages in a sector essential to equitable pandemic recovery.

Tiffany Hollin-Wright and Jessica King

Blog Post

Rural Spotlight: Promoting Small Business Development in South Carolina

Regional Matters

December 9, 2021

In Florence County, the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing Technology and its Gould Business Incubator are fostering an entrepreneurial ecosystem and fueling small business development in South Carolina.

Erika W. Bell
Community Development Regional Manager

Blog Post

Rural Spotlight: Advancing Early Childhood Education in Danville-Pittsylvania

Regional Matters

October 7, 2021

The Danville region in Virginia has moved the needle on early childhood education and now has an ecosystem in place to help address future challenges.

Renee Haltom
Vice President and Regional Executive

Blog Post

Rural Spotlight: Creating Family Economic Security in Western Maryland

Regional Matters

September 9, 2021

Focusing on a complete household's needs, Garrett County Community Action Committee's integrated "2Gen approach" links children to high-quality early education and their parents to services that build financial security.

Peter M. Dolkart
Community Development Regional Manager

Blog Post

Rural Spotlight: A Path to Redevelopment in West Virginia

Regional Matters

August 26, 2021

Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) like Woodlands Community Lenders are uniquely positioned to help rural towns address unique challenges through place-based revitalization and by attracting investment.

Tiffany Hollin-Wright and Surekha Carpenter

Blog Post

Rural Spotlight: Strengthening Economic Opportunity North of Raleigh-Durham

Regional Matters

July 29, 2021

Vance-Granville Community College's early college high schools and workforce programs are improving education and job opportunities for area residents.

Laura Dawson Ullrich and Lucas Moyon

Blog Post

Rural Spotlight: Bringing Broadband to Maryland’s Eastern Shore

Regional Matters

July 15, 2021

Choptank Electric Cooperative on Maryland's Eastern Shore is an example of how many electric cooperatives are providing broadband service in rural communities.

Alexander Marre and Alexander Nikolov

Blog Post

Introducing Rural Spotlights

Regional Matters

July 8, 2021

In our new Rural Spotlight series, we explore solutions to the economic challenges faced by rural communities in the Fifth District.

Stephanie Norris