About the Lab

What is the Lab experience like?

The Lab is a three-year leadership development program for leaders across Central Appalachia. Members meet in-person on a quarterly basis for a day of collaborative learning, rotating through different Central Appalachian communities.

In addition to the in-person learning opportunities, members also pursue personalized learning plans asynchronously, meeting quarterly with a coach from TFA Appalachia to support their development.

  • Lab members convene with community guests in Roanoke, Virginia

  • Lab members on a downtown tour of Charleston, West Virginia

  • Lab members discussing problems of practice in Damascus, Virginia

  • Lab members learning a Connecting Humans and Telling Stories (CHATS) protocol on campus at Emory & Henry College

  • Lab members joined by community members for lunch in Hazard, Kentucky

  • Lab members touring the Appalachian Arts Alliance in Hazard, Kentucky

  • Lab members engaging in an interactive learning session in Corbin, KY

  • Lab members engaging in conversation about the 2030 goal in Hazard, KY

  • Lab members learning from a fireside chat with professors at Emory & Henry College

  • Lab members enjoying happy hour conversations at The Wrigley Taproom in Corbin, KY

  • Lab members convening in Hazard, KY

What are the intended outcomes of CALL participation?

At the end of the Lab experience, members will…

  • Through the Lab, we expose members to new perspectives (both from within and outside of the cohort) that share a common belief in TFAA’s 2030 goal. We believe that impact will be strengthened and/or accelerated as a result of collaboration across lines of difference, and we believe that taking the time to forge and sustain connections in this way will yield sources of untapped innovation potential. As a member, you’ll meet with folks working on different and similar community issues across Central Appalachia, building a network that will sustain not only members’ individual professional growth but growth for your community.

  • Members will take time to develop historical, social and cultural insights and inquiries relevant to similar and different community issues across at least 12 communities in Central Appalachia. Ultimately, members will come to understand shared challenges/opportunities across different geographies and will be able to affirm community assets, in addition to deeply understanding the aspirations of students, families and community members in the places they learn about.

  • We believe that focusing on leadership at these three levels will lead to accelerated impact toward the TFAA 2030 goal in Central Appalachia. The leadership development support provided by TFAA is boutique-style and highly personalized, focusing on developing members’ individual and unique vantage points. Members will receive support in the pursuit of their individual goals both through 1:1 work with TFA Appalachia staff and through collaboration within the Lab cohort. Members will pursue a personalized learning plan throughout the three-year duration of the Lab experience.

  • The Lab is unique in bringing systems-change thinkers together across many lines of difference, grounded in the belief that a myriad of innovations, points of connection, and actions across these lines will be what ultimately achieves TFAA’s 2030 goal for the region. We seek to position members to collaborate across silos and sectors, creating “sticky” actions that compel change in multiple ways. Members will engage in meaningful workshopping and peer-to-peer consultancies within the cohort, furthering their specific thinking around individual and community challenges, while contributing to others’ thinking in the same way.

Curious to hear why current members decided to join the Lab?

  • Sky Marietta

    Central Appalachia is standing at a unique moment in history, on the cusp of realizing one of the greatest economic turnarounds in our nation's history. As someone who grew up in this region, I am excited to share the cultural and natural assets that make the Kentucky Mountains unique. This work requires many of us contributing in lots of ways, and I am thrilled to connect with other leaders and see the possibilities of coordinated impact. These connections will make all of us stronger, and inform our work.

  • LLeweLLyn Cooper

    The biggest thing about being a fellow for me has been moving to a new community, learning the culture, politics, people in that community and understanding how things work in Madisonville, TN.

  • Alex Moseman

    I grew up on a mile-long gravel driveway, and while I've never lived outside of Indiana, the Lab feels like coming home.

  • Amy Chalmers

    I am most excited to be in community with other folks in the region who are passionate and eager to share ideas, strategies, and challenges in our collective work!

  • Megan Feifer

    I'm looking forward to working in community with folks in Appalachia. I'm new to the region and am excited to learn from local folks.

  • Luke Glaser

    I am excited to meet people from across the region who share a passion for making it better. I want to hear their ideas and share mine, the ingredients for any good recipe that will move our commuities forward and call people to be here working with us.

  • Geoff Marietta

    I am excited to network with and learn from other Lab members. I also love the idea of mid-career professional development. Opportunities like this are rare but so needed!

  • Kacey Sterne

    I'm excited to reconnect with the Teach For America community in an area I now call home. This Lab gives me the opportunity to collaborate with amazing leaders in different fields to help change the landscape for kids across Appalachia- it's not everyday you get to feel like you have a chance to be a part of a change that immense!

  • Mira Denton

    I am looking forward to building my professional network through the Lab and working to accomplish STEM Designation for all schools in my home district.

  • Leah Wilson

    I am excited to connect with and learn from other Appalachian folks who care about the future of this beautiful region!