Rural Matters

In this episode, Michael chats with  Meg Taft, Executive Director of the Rural Youth Institute .  They discuss  rural youth development and opportunity; the development of the Aspirations Incubator model in rural Maine; relationship-driven approaches to youth success; family and community engagement; lessons from implementing and evaluating rural youth programs; the future of rural youth support a...

In this episode, Michael chats with  Angela Galbreath, Director of Partnerships for  uFondwa  USA,  and Lesly Joseph,  Agronomist and Statistician specializing in biostatistics.  They discuss  what the University of  Fondwa  is and what makes it unique within Haiti and globally ;  what rural development actually looks like in Haiti ;   how  Fondwa  is helping to reverse the trend of brain drain; w...

In this episode, Michael chats with Mara Tieken, Professor of Education at Bates College and former Rural Matters host. They discuss school closures, how communities respond to them, common misconceptions about school closures, what the research says about the effects of closure, and much more.

In this episode, Michael chats with Adam Ferrari, CEO of Phoenix Energy, an oil and gas company operating in the Williston Basin. They discuss current market conditions, responsible energy development in rural communities, and how landowners can evaluate mineral rights offers. Adam also shares how his engineering and banking experience shapes Phoenix's approach to risk and long-term value. They ex...

In this episode, Michael chats with Andrea Fox, Senior Editor at Healthcare IT News . Together, they discuss a recent study on how rural hospital at home programs have improved the patient experience—who conducted the study and its findings . Plus, they dive into what makes home health in rural areas unique compared to urban areas, policy implications of the study, the Centers for Medicare & Medic...

In this episode, Michael chats with Michael Backus, President and CEO of Oswego Health; Brian Fisher, Managing Director at BRG; and Dr. Julia Clark, Managing Director at BRG. Together, they discuss the realities rural hospitals are facing; what Oswego Health is currently experiencing in upstate New York; innovative and collaborative approaches necessary to rethink operating models; how BRG Healthc...

In this episode, Michael chats with Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association (NRHA); Brian Fisher, Managing Director at BRG; and Dr. Julia Clark, Managing Director at BRG. Together, they discuss the current state of rural hospitals; NRHA's analysis of the impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on rural hospitals; what rural healthcare providers should do now to ensure they can c...

In this episode, Michael chats with Max Silber, Vice President of Mobility and IoT at MetTel. Together, they discuss connectivity and the role copper-based landlines play in rural hospitals; how rural healthcare facilities can transition to digital systems, even with limited costs and resources; challenges that rural organizations could face when transitioning to digital; how MetTel helps those or...

In this episode, Michael chats with Dr. Melissa Sadorf, Executive Director of the Arizona Rural Schools Association; Dr. Steven Johnson, Superintendent of Fort Ransom School District in North Dakota and leader of Rural Educational Associates; and Taylor McCabe-Juhnke, Executive Director of Rural Schools Collaborative. Together, they first offer a warm tribute to Dr. Allen Pratt, who is retiring as...

In this final episode of our MedCerts series, Michael chats with Jenny Story, Office Manager and Co-Owner at Story Family Medicine in Idaho, and Jennifer Kolb, Vice President of Partnerships and Workforce Development at MedCerts. Together, they discuss the unique community Story Family Medicine serves , the challenges it faced in finding new talent, why it partnered with MedCerts to deploy a phleb...

In this episode, Michael chats with MacKenzie Nuckolls, RN CNOR, Assistant Director of Surgical Services at Union General Health System in Georgia, and Jennifer Kolb, Vice President of Partnerships and Workforce Development at MedCerts. Together, they discuss MacKenzie's role at Union General Health System, challenges the hospital faced as it tried to fill talent gaps, how the hospital's partnersh...

In this episode, Michael chats with Marion McFadden, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Together, they discuss how McFadden's office coordinated the response to recent natural disasters; the impact of HUD's housing supply work, including PRO Housing and the Section 108 Legacy Challenge; how HUD...

In this episode, Michael chats with Jennifer Kolb, Vice President of Partnerships and Workforce Development at MedCerts; Dana Janssen, Chief Product Officer at MedCerts; Rupi Hayer, Senior Manager for Chronic Disease Education in the Improving Health Outcomes Department at the American Medical Association (AMA); and Lauren Clemmons, Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Osteopathic Principles...

In this episode, Michael chats with Chris Estes, Co-Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group (Aspen CSG). Together, they discuss recent federal investment in rural areas, why private philanthropy and government need to rethink funding strategies, why rethinking measurement is important, the impact of investing in rural development hubs, and much more . For more informat...

In this episode, Michael chats with Elizabeth "Libby" Jones, Program Director of the Global Health Advocacy Incubator's Overdose Prevention Initiative (OPI). Together, they discuss  OPI's mission, what they're working on now, differences between rural and urban issues surrounding the opioid crisis and overdose epidemic, what's happening at the federal level to address these concerns in rural Ameri...

In this episode, Michael chats with returning Rural Matters guest Luke Shaefer, Faculty Director of Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy, professor of social work, and co-author of The Injustice of Place, which explores the legacy of poverty in disadvantaged rural communities across the U.S. Together, they discuss the impetus and resea...

In the fourth and final installment of our 2023 series with Self-Help Enterprises, Michael chats with the following rural water, housing, and health experts: Tami McVay, Director of Emergency Services at Self-Help Enterprises; Meghan Tosney, Assistant Deputy Director at California's State Water Board's Division of Financial Assistance; Eddie Ocampo, Program Director with the Community Sustainabili...

In the fourth installment of our latest series with Ascendium, Michael chats with Dr. Mallory Dwinal-Palisch, Chancellor of Reach University and CEO of Craft Education System, and Mary Wurtz, Policy Analyst at The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation. Together, they discuss their work to bolster the rural public-sector workforce, the power of apprenticeships in advancing rural communi...

In the third installment of our 2023 series with the Self-Help Enterprises, Michael chats with the following rural water, housing, and health experts: Jessi Snyder, Director of Community Development at Self-Help Enterprises; Olivia Gomez, Family Resource Community Liaison at Planada Elementary School District and board member of Self-Help Enterprises and the Planada Community Services District; Pa...

In the second installment of our 2023 series with the Self-Help Enterprises, Michael chats with the following rural development experts: Betsy McGovern-Garcia, Director of Real Estate Development at Self-Help Enterprises; Jennifer Gomez, City Manager for the City of Farmersville, California; and Adrianne Hillman, Founder and CEO of Salt + Light Works. Together, they discuss rural housing and commu...

In the third and final installment of our 2023 series with the Brookings Institution, Michael chats with Jeffrey West, Executive Director of Education to Employment Partners, where he works to bring people, information, and resources together to improve the quality of educational attainment and career development services in South Texas. Together, they discuss how one partnership, UpSkill Coastal...

In the second installment of our 2023 series with the Brookings Institution, Michael chats with Kate Hansen, Senior Policy Associate at the Center for Rural Affairs; Brett Melone, Chief Business Strategies Officer at California FarmLink; and farmers Dan Voss and Max Chavez (interpretation by Carmen Montes, Center for Rural Affairs). Together, they discuss farming initiatives and stewardship, the r...

Synopsis: In the third and final installment of our latest series with Ascendium, Michael chats with Emily Labandera, Director of Research at Excelencia in Education, and Cassandra Arroyo, Research Fellow at Excelencia in Education and doctoral student at the University of Michigan. Together, they discuss Excelencia's research and work to accelerate Latino student success in higher education, the...

In the first installment of our 2023 series with the Self-Hep Enterprises, Michael chats with the following rural development experts: Tom Collishaw, President and CEO of Self-Help Enterprises; Peter Carey, former CEO of Self-Help Enterprises and current Management Consultant; and Sergio Cuellar, Independent Consultant for nonprofit organizations. Together, they discuss self-help housing and homeb...

In the first installment of our 2023 series with the Brookings Institution, Michael chats with Mark Rembert, Director of Research & Knowledge and the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI). Together, they discuss common misconceptions about rural America, how data and research can combat those misconceptions and deepen the broader understanding of rural America, and much more. Plus, we share a clip fro...