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.
Elsie Meeks
Member, Board of Trustees, Native American Agricultural Fund
Bree Watzak
Director of Technical Assistance, Center for Optimizing Rural Health
Ines Polonius
CEO, Communities Unlimited, inc.
Nathan Ohle
CEO, Rural Community Assistance Partnership
Felecia Lucky
President, Black Belt Community Foundation
Whitney Kimball Coe
Director of National Programs, Center for Rural Strategies
Cara James
President and CEO, Grantmakers in Health
Jason Henderson
Senior Associate Dean and Director of Extension, Purdue University
Mark Haggerty
Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress
Anita Brown-Graham
Law Professor and Director, ncIMPACT Initiative at the UNC School of Government
Roque Barros
Director, Ford Institute for Community Building at the Ford Family Foundation