Nancy Hale, president/CEO of Operation UNITE, moderated a panel called “Collaborating to Beat the Opioid Epidemic” at a BRIGHT Kentucky meeting in Corbin on Tuesday, September 24, 2019.
The stop was part of a visit to the Cumberland Region (Corbin, Somerset, Monticello) to discuss “Collaborating for a Higher Impact.”
BRIGHT Kentucky, a program of Leadership Kentucky, is designed to build the capacity of next-generation leaders (average age 20-40) in the Appalachian region of Kentucky to innovate, collaborate, and advance community and economic development.
A major focal point of BRIGHT Kentucky is to help participants fully understand the local economic context and to build robust skill sets in communication, collaboration, consensus building, visioning, and community engagement. Participants will complete the program with the skills necessary to think long-term and strategically to build upon the strengths of their communities and lead the region to a more prosperous future.
BRIGHT Kentucky engages bright, entrepreneurial minds from all sectors and regions to offer non-partisan, ethical leadership training, expanded networks, and mentors designed especially for residents of the 54 Kentucky counties of the Appalachian Regional Commission with the help of an ARC grant.
BRIGHT Kentucky is made possible by a $500,000 ARC grant and private funding from the Whitaker Foundation and others. The Appalachian Regional Commission is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments, including Kentucky, focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the Region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.