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2018 Rural Resiliency Forum

2018 Resilient Virginia Conference

The 2018 Resilient Virginia Rural Resiliency Forum, held on October 23 at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, brought together public, private, and academic stakeholders to strengthen the resilience and prosperity of Virginia’s rural communities. The forum focused on the interconnected areas of resilient agriculture and forestry, green and blue infrastructure, hazard mitigation and disaster preparedness, and integrating resiliency into planning. Participants explored strategies to enhance collaboration, leverage existing resources, and advance practical actions, while informing state-level policies to support rural communities in facing economic, environmental, and social challenges.

Plenary Speakers

Heidi Hertz, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry
Chris Bast, VA DEQ
Robbie Talbert, VA DOF
Russ Baxter, VA DCR
Stacie Neal, Governor’s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security
Kathy Holm, USDA
Karen Firehock, Green Infrastructure Center
Julie Shortridge, Virginia Tech
Rebecca Joyce, VDEM Region 6

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Trish Porter

Director of Programs & Communications

Trish Porter is the Director of Programs and Communications at Resilient Virginia, where she develops and leads programs focused on resilience, systems thinking, and cross-sector collaboration. She is the co-creator and curriculum lead for the Resilience Foundations Certificate Program and served as lead author of the Regional Resilience Roadmap for Central and Southwest Virginia.

In her role, Trish oversees statewide educational initiatives including the Resiliency Academy, Spotlight On Webinar series, and the biennial Resilient Virginia Conference. She works closely with local governments, nonprofits, academic institutions, and state agencies to support resilience planning, knowledge sharing, and collaborative problem-solving across sectors.

Trish specializes in translating complex resilience and sustainability concepts into practical, accessible learning experiences for local leaders, practitioners, and communities. She holds a Master of Natural Resources with a Graduate Certificate in Global Sustainability from Virginia Tech and brings a multidisciplinary background in sustainability, communications, education, and strategic program development.

Jessica Steelman

Executive Director

Jessica is a systems-level resilience and sustainability practitioner with experience leading nonprofit strategy, cross-sector partnerships, community-centered planning, and resilience implementation across Virginia. She brings a multidisciplinary background in coastal resilience, behavioral health, community engagement, grant strategy, and organizational leadership, with a focus on strengthening the natural, built, economic, and social systems that communities depend on.

Her work centers on connecting people, resources, and ideas across public, private, nonprofit, academic, and regional networks to move resilience priorities from planning into practical action. Through strategic leadership, program design, partnership development, and resource mobilization, she helps communities and organizations build capacity, reduce risk, and advance more resilient and sustainable futures.

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NEXT RESILIENCY ACADEMY JUNE 25: Proactive Resilience: Planning, Adapting, and Mitigating Hazards Before They Strike

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