Appalachian Regional Commission announces 40 new Fellows
Three are from or part of Tennessee-based organizations.
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced the 40 Fellows selected for the 2025-2026 class of the Appalachian Leadership Institute (ALI), a training opportunity that equips Appalachian community leaders to use economic development as a tool to drive positive change. The seventh ALI class comprises a network of public, private, and nonprofit leaders from all 13 Appalachian states.
The eight-month program, which kicked off with an orientation session in Ashland, KY, this week, is anchored by six multi-day seminars across the Appalachian Region. Each seminar focuses on one of ARC’s strategic investment priorities and will prepare these fellows to build effective economic and community development strategies, integrate their local assets into wider regional development strategies, and use new connections to forge strong regional partnerships.
“Investing in Appalachia’s local leaders is an integral part of maintaining a strong economy for our region,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “I’m proud of the way ARC’s Appalachian Leadership Institute capitalizes on the talent already within our 13 states and empowers fellows to connect and collaborate on projects that will impact their communities and Appalachia as a region.”
The ALI is a comprehensive economic development training program for regional leaders developed by the Appalachian Regional Commission in partnership with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Howard H. Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs; Tuskegee University; and Collective Impact.
Three Tennesseans are part of the newest cohort:
- Katie Ellis, Appalachian Regional Lead, Memphis-based AgLaunch, but from Danville, KY;
- Allen Foster, Cumberland County Mayor, Cumberland County, Crossville; and
- Josh Smith, Director of Consumer Advocacy, Ballad Health, Elizabethton.
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