{"id":29562,"date":"2026-06-08T11:12:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T15:12:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/?p=29562"},"modified":"2026-06-08T11:35:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T15:35:55","slug":"seventh-annual-small-communities-big-solutions-conference-set-for-july-8-in-huntington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/seventh-annual-small-communities-big-solutions-conference-set-for-july-8-in-huntington\/","title":{"rendered":"Seventh Annual Small Communities, BIG Solutions Conference set for July 8 in Huntington"},"content":{"rendered":"
Marshall University is partnering in the 2026 Small Communities, BIG Solutions Conference, which returns to Huntington, West Virginia July 8, bringing together community leaders, innovators and changemakers from across the state for a day centered on this year\u2019s theme, \u201cPowered by Purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event is set for 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the West Edge Factory, 1040 Vernon Street in Huntington.\u00a0 Registration is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hosted by the Alliance for the Economic Development of Southern West Virginia, Coalfield Development, The Community Development Hub and Generation West Virginia, the conference continues its mission of spotlighting the people, programs and partnerships creating positive change across West Virginia communities. The conference serves as a collaborative space where leaders from across sectors can exchange ideas, build connections and explore innovative approaches to strengthening West Virginia communities. Attendees will experience keynote presentations, breakout sessions, panel discussions and networking opportunities focused on workforce development, economic revitalization, entrepreneurship, education, childcare and community-led solutions.
\nThis year\u2019s theme, \u201cPowered by Purpose,\u201d highlights the dedication and determination of the individuals and organizations working every day to move West Virginia forward.<\/p>\n

Marshall is one of 10 higher education partner institutions in southern West Virginia participating in the conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis conference is an ideal platform for showcasing West Virginia\u2019s innovations and driving meaningful change,\u201d said Brandon Dennison, vice president of workforce and economic development at Marshall University. \u201cI especially appreciate the focus on small communities and bottom-up innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n

A featured part of the conference is the annual Power of Performance Awards, which recognize individuals, organizations and initiatives making a lasting impact through community revitalization, workforce development and innovative solutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis conference has always been about celebrating the incredible work happening across West Virginia while creating opportunities for collaboration and new ideas,\u201d said Heather Foster, executive director of The Community Development Hub. \u201cIt\u2019s inspiring to bring together people who are passionate about strengthening their communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe passion and resilience found in West Virginia communities continue to inspire innovative solutions to some of our biggest challenges,\u201d said Jacob Hannah, chief executive officer of Coalfield Development. \u201cThis conference is an opportunity to celebrate that work while building stronger partnerships for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Small Communities, BIG Solutions Conference continues to catalyze collaboration, inspiration and action, empowering attendees to return to their communities with fresh ideas, meaningful connections and renewed energy to create lasting impact across West Virginia.<\/p>\n

Agenda overview:
\n\u2022 State and federal updates
\n\u2022 Creative placemaking
\n\u2022 Growth in rural businesses
\n\u2022 Childcare
\n\u2022 Grant writing
\n\u2022 Community-led revitalization
\n\u2022 Recovery
\n\u2022 AI in Appalachia
\n\u2022 Higher education<\/p>\n

For more information, visit https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/aedswv\/small-communities-big-solutions\/<\/a> or contact Paige Reger at reger17@marshall.edu<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Marshall University is partnering in the 2026 Small Communities, BIG Solutions Conference, which returns to Huntington, West Virginia July 8, bringing together community leaders, innovators and changemakers from across the state for a day centered on this year\u2019s theme, \u201cPowered by Purpose.\u201d The event is set for 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the West […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":239,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-murc","category-news-releases"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/239"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29562"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29562\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29568,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29562\/revisions\/29568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}