Thrive Rural National Advisory Committee (2019-2021)

The National Advisory Committee (NAC) for the Thrive Rural Framework comprises leading national policymakers, as well as local practitioners and experts in health, community building, and community & economic development.

NAC members provide strategic guidance to the Thrive Rural Framework collaboration.

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Elsie Meeks, a white woman, headshot
Elsie Meeks

Member, Board of Trustees, Native American Agricultural Fund

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Bree Watzak, a white woman, headshot
Bree Watzak

Director of Technical Assistance, Center for Optimizing Rural Health

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Ines Polonius, a white woman, headshot
Ines Polonius

CEO, Communities Unlimited, inc.

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Nathan Ohle, a white man, headshot
Nathan Ohle

CEO, Rural Community Assistance Partnership

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Felicia Lucky, a Black woman, headshot
Felecia Lucky

President, Black Belt Community Foundation

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Whitney Kimball Coe, a white woman, headshot
Whitney Kimball Coe

Director of National Programs, Center for Rural Strategies

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Cara James, a Black woman, headshot
Cara James

President and CEO, Grantmakers in Health

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Jason Henderson, a white man, headshot
Jason Henderson

Senior Associate Dean and Director of Extension, Purdue University

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Mark Haggerty, a white man, headshot
Mark Haggerty

Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

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Anita Brown-Graham, headshot
Anita Brown-Graham

Law Professor and Director, ncIMPACT Initiative at the UNC School of Government

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Roque Barros, a man of color, headshot
Roque Barros

Director, Ford Institute for Community Building at the Ford Family Foundation

Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group