A national group of thought leaders convened at Shepherd University’s Center for Regional Innovation on Tuesday, December 6, to discuss the Appalachia Advancing project. The project will identify opportunities in the Appalachian region to build community-based, collaborative economies that leverage innovative technologies and public-private partnerships.
The initial project, part of a broader initiative called BROCADE (Building Resilient Opportunities in Culturally Aware, Diverse Environments), will focus on McDowell County, West Virginia, the southernmost county in West Virginia and one that has fallen on hard times since the collapse of the coal economy. The project intends with to design an approach that is repeatable, scalable, and transferable to other areas of Appalachia and similar communities in the U.S.
Dr. Linton Wells II, managing partner of Wells Analytics, LLC and a former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, is the chief architect of the Appalachia Advancing project. In addition to Wells, the project is being co-led by Dr. Michael Hieb, research associate professor in George Mason University’s Center for Excellence in C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computing, Intelligence) and Cyber, in partnership with Shepherd University President Mary J.C. Hendrix, an internationally renowned cancer researcher and founder of Shepherd University’s Center for Regional Innovation.
“The BROCADE framework uses industrial-strength platforms, such as the internet, to help individuals unleash human capacity,” said Wells. “BROCADE integrates many innovative technologies with scalable economic models that are adapted to local settings. It is a bottom-up approach, based on local engagement and leadership. The participants we invited to discuss the project are experts in issues facing Appalachia.”
“Appalachia Advancing has the potential for Mason and the Volgenau School of Engineering to assist disadvantaged communities while providing meaningful research and student projects. The projects will be applying lightweight technologies, such as those used in disaster relief, with innovative economic models, in a multidisciplinary manner, said Dr. Hieb. “I see BROCADE as engaging academia (both in engineering and social sciences) in ways that have not been used before to develop innovative and practical solutions in this area.”
For more information about the Appalachia Advancing project, contact Dr. Linton Wells, linwells@gmail.com, 202-436-6354; Dr. Michael Hieb, mhieb@gmu.edu, 703-993-3990; or Dr. Mary J.C. Hendrix, mhendrix@shepherd.edu.
For more information about Shepherd’s Reinventing West Virginia Economic Summit, contact Dr. Chip Zimmer, wzimmer@shepherd.edu, 304-876-5183.