Fostering Solutions

Maximizing with Michelle: Justin Clark, Executive Director of The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Charleston, West Virginia

Justin Clark is the Executive Director of The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Charleston, West Virginia. Justin moved to the Mountain State in May of 2021 and led the process of reopening the Clubs to in-person programming following a 15-month COVID-19 related closure. During his tenure, the Clubs have been recognized at the state and national level for successes in programming and advocacy, have significantly increased revenue, and are on track to exceed pre-COVID attendance levels in the fall of 2023.

 

Justin, a first-generation college student, obtained his Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration in nonprofit management in May 2023. He looks forward to pursuing a doctoral degree in the future. When he isn’t at work Justin can be found spending time with his family, attempting to perfect his biscuit recipe, or enjoying a book on the front porch.

 

Justin & his wife Anne Marie enjoy the peace and quiet around Kanawha State Forest where they live with their sons, Asher (6) and Simeon (4) along with Anne Marie’s grandmother, Dora.

Maximizing with Michelle: Clint Arnold, CEO, Kanawha Institute for Social Research & Action, Inc. (KISRA)

Clinton Arnold is the CEO of KISRA, Inc. This nonprofit organization provides life, business, affordable housing, mental health, and coaching programs for the recovery, transitioning, and youth populations throughout West Virginia. He is also a West Virginia State University professor, teaching entrepreneurship, marketing, and business operations courses.

 

Clinton is a former business owner and telecommunications professional. He spent 25 years with Verizon Communications Inc. before retiring in 2013 as a director, where he led teams in sales, product marketing, product development, training, channel sales, customer marketing, and operations and communications, earned multiple President’s Leadership awards, as well as Platinum, Presidents and Diamond Club awards for sales and operations excellence.

 

Additionally, after serving faithfully in churches since his youth, he answered a call to serve as an Executive Pastor. He was licensed as an Executive Pastor in 2014 and is a certified Faith Based Counselor specializing in marriage and relationships.

 

The foundation of his experience is education, training, and life. He has a BA in Communications from the University of Kentucky, where he was the baseball team co-captain his senior year. He was also a four-year letterman and All-SEC performer for the baseball team from 1982-1986. He earned an MBA from the University of Charleston and graduated from the University of Maryland Executive Leadership Program, and the Center for Creative Leadership in San Diego, CA. He has completed the first year of the Doctorate in Business Administration program at Marshall University. He expects to defend his dissertation in the Spring of 2025.

 

He has been married to Trina, a retired teacher, and UK graduate, for 37 years, and they have two grown children and five grandchildren.

Maximizing with Michelle: Jessica Hudson, Executive Director, Dress for Success River Cities/Kanawha Valley

After nearly 15 years of a serving several different non-profit organizations throughout the Kanawha Valley,  in the fall of 2015 Jessica Hudson took her passion and desire to positively impact people and communities to Huntington, where she became the Executive Director of Dress for Success River Cities, which recently opened a branch in the Kanawha Valley.  After attending Concord University,  Jessica later furthered her education by obtaining her Fundraising Management Certification through the School of Philanthropy at IUPUI.  With the knowledge gained through that educational experience , along with a natural ability to engage an audience through her stories and experiences,  Jessica has devoted herself not only to her current cause of empowering and supporting women, but to sharing her expertise and knowledge with others.  She is passionate about encouraging people to devote their time, talents and treasures to make their community a better place.   In 2017 Jessica accepted the Momentum Award from Dress for Success Worldwide, the first award of its kind. This award was in recognition of the achievements of the affiliate to overcome some significant obstacles to build a thriving and sustainable organization.  Jessica has been instrumental in helping Dress for Success River Cities reach new heights and more importantly serve more women in need of support to move from poverty to self-sufficiency. Outside of her career, Jessica is dedicated to being a mom to a busy 17-year-old and supporting his goals, as well as a fan of WVU athletics, traveling and DIY projects. 

 

Maximizing with Michelle: Dural Miller, CEO of Keep Your Faith Corporation

Dural is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of KYFC, Inc. Through partnership and mission focused drive, Dural has been able to apply leadership and community support to strategies designed to meet individual and collective social needs of family and community. Since 2006, Dural and his team of committed volunteers and professionals have been able to positively impact community wellness by moving forward school and community-based social programs developed to promote positive social and health outcomes.

Maximizing with Michelle: Sharon Lansdale, President/CEO of the Center for Rural Health Development, Inc.

Ms. Lansdale is the President/CEO of the Center for Rural Health Development, Inc.. She joined the Center in 1994 and brings over 40 years’ experience in health and health care resulting from her work in both the private and public health sectors. The Center is a private nonprofit that works to strengthen West Virginia’s health care system and improve the health of West Virginians.

Before entering public health, Sharon worked as a hospital pharmacist, including serving as the director of pharmacy at a hospital in Charleston. As a hospital pharmacist she was engaged in educating patients with diabetes about how to manage their diabetes once discharged from the hospital. This led her to the WV Bureau for Public Health where she developed the Bureau’s first diabetes control program. After serving as a consultant at the Bureau for about 10 years, she became the Director of the Division of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention. In this role, she managed the development of several chronic disease control programs and community health improvement programs such as Planned Approach to Community Health (PATCH) and Community-Oriented Primary Care (COPC).

Through her role at both the WV Bureau for Public Health and Center she has focused on the health and health care needs of rural communities in West Virginia. The Center created the WV Rural Health Infrastructure Loan Fund to provide a source of affordable capital financing for health care providers and organizations in the state. Since 2001, the Center has partnered with banks and other funders to leverage over $65 million in health care infrastructure improvements in the state.

Throughout her work at the Center, Sharon has focused on the linkages between both health and health care and economic development. In fall 2018, recognizing that community health and economic prosperity are inextricably linked, the Center launched Wild, Wonderful and Healthy West Virginia. Through Wild, Wonderful and Healthy West Virginia the Center works to strengthen the capacity of communities to improve the health of residents and create a community culture that supports entrepreneurial and small business development.

Sharon has received recognition for her work to address health and health care disparities, especially in rural and under-served communities throughout her career. Recent recognition of note includes the CDC’s Childhood Immunization Champion Award in 2012 and the Health Innovator Award by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation in 2019 in recognition of the Foundation’s 75th Anniversary.

Maximizing with Michelle: Sarah Bolyard, President and CEO, YMCA of Kanawha Valley

Sarah began her career with the YMCA of Kanawha Valley in August 2020 where she serves as the President and CEO. The YMCA of Kanawha Valley is comprised of the Charleston Family Y and the Cross Lanes YMCA Child Development Center with $4.5 million in annual revenue. Prior to the Y, Sarah served as the WV Executive Director for the American Heart Association for close to a decade. Before then, she held various roles in pharmaceutical sales. Sarah is a graduate of West Virginia University and holds a degree in Public Relations. Sarah resides in Charleston with her husband Brian, and their young son Willie.

Maximizing with Michelle: Stephanie Tyree, Executive Director, WV Community Development Hub

A native of Charleston West Virginia, Stephanie Tyree is the Executive Director of the WV Community Development Hub (The Hub). 

 

With fifteen years of experience in policy, community development and community organizing, she has dedicated her career to advancing community-based, systemic solutions for rural, coal-impacted communities in Central Appalachia. Her primary area of expertise has centered around developing tools to drive community collaboration, leadership engagement, and community-driven change to build strong resilient rural communities.

 

Since joining the WV Community Development Hub in 2012, Stephanie has created the organization’s community-based policy program, expanded the organization’s footprint to better serve communities in southern West Virginia, led research and evaluation processes relating to rural community development in West Virginia, including publishing the WV Community Development Innovation Report and the 6 Best Practices of Rural Community Building, and has elevated the leadership of the organization within regional and national community economic development fields. She has secured over $20 million in funding over the past 8 years to support The Hub’s work, helping to funnel significant resources to WV communities served by Hub programs. 

 

Stephanie is passionate about identifying innovative strategies to address barriers to community investments for rural downtown development in West Virginia. She is inspired by the leadership growth and local transformations she has seen West Virginia communities achieve when they are provided with the tools, support, and resources to execute their vision for development and when rural development barriers are collaboratively addressed.

 

Stephanie has an undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a law degree from NYU School of Law. She was recognized as a “WV Wonder Woman” by WV Living Magazine in 2016, was a recipient of The State Journal’s “Next Generation: 40 Under 40” award in 2018, was a 2016 BALLE Fellow, and a 2021 Fulcrum Fellow with the Center for Community Investment. She currently serves on the WV Community Development Advisory Boards for Wesbanco and Truist banks. Additionally, she is a member of the Fayette County West Virginia Library Board, the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation Board of Directors, and is the Chair of the Board of Directors for Invest Appalachia, a regional impact investment fund serving rural Appalachia. 

 

Stephanie lives with her husband and two young sons in beautiful Fayette County West Virginia. When she’s not at work, you’re most likely to find her at Summersville Lake or hanging around a local bookstore. 

 

Maximizing with Michelle: Jennifer Reed Goddard, CEO, YWCA Charleston

Jennifer Reed Goddard, APR, has served as the Chief Executive Officer of YWCA Charleston, West Virginia since 2022. She first joined the organization in 2016 as their Chief Program Officer. 

 

Jennifer started her career as the Director of Communications for the West Virginia Kids Count Fund where she wrote and produced the first four annual data books and developed the communications and outreach plans for the organization. Following her dreams, she then worked a regional advertising and public relations agency, which led to more than 15 years in corporate communications and as a community relations and outreach consultant for many Fortune 500 companies. 

 

A nearly lifelong Charleston resident, Jennifer has an undergraduate degree in Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management. She has achieved the designation “APR” as an accredited public relations professional and serves as the Public Relations Society of America West Virginia Chapter president for 2021-2022. She has served on numerous non-profit boards in the community and is excited that her career has brought her back into the world of non-profit management. 

Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Ohio University and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. She recently completed a Certificate in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from University of South Florida.

Jennifer and her husband Todd enjoy weekends exploring and hiking Wild, Wonderful, West Virginia with Rocket the Wonder Dog.

 

Maximizing with Michelle: Mavery Davis, CPA, Director of Lending, New Economy Works WVSeed Commons

Born in Los Angeles, California, Mavery Davis moved to West Virginia on a football scholarship. Although his scholarship did not fully materialize, Mavery remained in West Virginia, completed his degree, and had a career filled with ups and downs, as he candidly shares. Maveryis a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), breaking the chains of poverty and creating wealth. He is a CPA by day, serving as Director of Lending for New Economy Works WV/Seed Commons, and a community organizer, a motivator, and the Financial Literacy Bootcamp (FLBC) founder by night. Through the FLBC, he teaches youth the psychology of money and financial basics. Through these efforts, he plants the seeds of collective, community wealth, and abundance. 

 

Mavery earned the Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs Trail Blazer-Pioneer Award (2020). In addition to his professional accountant certification, Mavery also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree with a concentration in Accounting from West Virginia State University (WVSU) and a Master’s of Science Degree with a concentration in Public Accounting from Strayer University. Additionally, Mavery is an adjunct professor of Accounting at WVSU, a guest teacher at Makeshop Design Lab, a National Society of Black Certified Public Accountants (NSBCPA) Board member, and a collaborator in All Things Workshops! 

 

Mavery has been recognized as a Top 40 under 40 Black CPA by the NSBCPA (2021) and a Hometown Hero by WV Can’t Wait (2022). In his current role, as the Director of Lending for New Economy Works WV, he brings a passion for uplifting people and connecting them to the resources they need along their cooperative business journey.

 

Mavery’s essential roles are husband and father.

 

Maximizing with Michelle: Melanie Seiler, founding Executive Director of Active SWV

Melanie Seiler is the founding Executive Director of Active Southern West Virginia, with 20 years of experience in business ownership and management. Melanie has an Associate's degree in Adventure Sports and a Bachelor's in Adventure Recreation Management. She is also certified in CDC Work@Health T3, Diabetes Prevention Program, American Canoe Association stand-up paddle boarding, Professional Ski Instructors of America telemark skiing, and a WV Division of Natural Resources river guide. Melanie was named one of West Virginia Executive Magazine's Generation Next 40 Under 40 professionals in 2017 and a 2019 West Virginia Living Wonder Woman.