Batten School MPP alumna Natalie Roper was selected as one of two Woman of the Year “Rising Stars” at the recent West Virginia Women’s Leadership Summit. The Summit was hosted by the Women’s Innovative Networking Group (WINGS), an affiliated program of the Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce.

Roper is currently the executive director of Generation West Virginia, a network of young talent organizations established to encourage leadership development in the state. The organization works with both the private and public sectors to further its mission in West Virginia.

Award selection committee member Nikki Bowman said, “Natalie Roper has been a dynamic and leading voice in addressing one of the state’s most pressing issues–retaining and attracting young talent. Through her work as Generation West Virginia’s executive director, she’s pushed for broadband expansion and other legislation, rallied younger generations to be more vested in their towns, and served as a role model for other young women.”