As a native of a small town in Russell County, in Southwest Virginia, Jaynae Wright (MPP ’25) cares deeply about her community and the people who live there. Although rich in natural beauty and Appalachian culture, the region struggles with difficult economic conditions.
Motivated by a desire to help, Wright enrolled in college at Emory & Henry and immersed herself in learning about childhood education and development. A clear next step for her was coming to Batten for a master’s in public policy. As a 2nd-year graduate student last year, she participated in the Tadler Fellowship for Impact Investing in Appalachia, and focused her capstone project on children’s issues.
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity provided by the Tadler family so I could spend more time learning about and serving the rich and unique region of Appalachia, my home,” she said. “I hope to devote my career in public policy to the youngest citizens in Appalachia, as well as their families.”
Thanks to generous giving from UVA alumni Richard and Donna Tadler over the past five years, more than 175 Batten students have traveled to the region and engaged directly with community partners to understand, research, and design policy solutions for a host of challenges, including affordable housing, job placement, healthcare access, addiction, energy transition and climate resilience.
Twenty-five of those were students who, like Wright, participated in the year-long intensive Tadler Fellowship program. To date, they have contributed a combined 10,800 hours of pro bono support.
Last year, Adam Ashley (MPP ’25) worked with the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority and WV Hive Network to strengthen economic development outcomes in southern West Virginia for small businesses and entrepreneurs who face particular challenges accessing public funding and resources. Through this work, Ashley said, he has a broader view of problem-solving in rural America.
“My goal is to create tangible impacts on the lives of residents in Appalachia, as well as gain valuable insight on how to practically implement policy solutions that best serve rural communities across the region,” he said.
The body of work from the Batten-Tadler partnership shows a significant need for building local capacity for economic development in the region. By various measures, Appalachia is one of the most distressed areas in the country, with poverty rates hovering at 46%, disability rates at 33%, the highest opioid addiction rates, and the lowest levels of educational attainment, innovation, and economic growth.
“To make matters harder, these communities have an incredibly low tax base, so community leaders working to rebuild main streets and kickstart economies are hitting major roadblocks,” said Christine Mahoney, professor and chief innovation officer at Batten who leads the Appalachia initiative. A significant barrier is lack of capacity and technical expertise to research and prepare complex applications for public funding opportunities.
Due in large measure to Mahoney’s years of engagement and leadership in Southwest Virginia, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in early January had awarded almost $20 million to a coalition of public entities and nonprofits for a wide range of economic and community development projects identified by local leaders. The grant was later rescinded.
Now, the Batten School’s Tadler-funded efforts are more important to the region than ever. Under Mahoney’s guidance, the 2024-25 cohort of Tadler fellows researched and identified more than 130 funding possibilities for local governments to pursue, and drafted 12 grant proposals totaling almost $3.5 million. The proposals covered a range of potential projects, including:
- Developing vacant land into residential and mixed-use development;
- Accelerating the commercialization and deployment of innovative energy technologies;
- Developing a business incubator;
- Building nature and hiking trails;
- Supporting multi-state collaboration for investments in human capital such as workforce training and business development;
- Improving recycling infrastructure; and
- Assisting rural firefighters.
“These are projects the communities identified but were unable to pursue. Through this program, the Batten students not only helped clear a pathway for their community partners, they gained invaluable hands-on experience and an understanding of impact investing,” Mahoney said.
“It’s a truly powerful thing to see come together. I’m excited for the next steps, and encourage others to get engaged as investors in building a brighter future for Southwest Virginia and preparing the future leaders of Virginia and beyond.”
###
