The Rural Impact

In the third episode of our seventh series, " Courageous Conversations About the 2024 Election-Rural Issues Impacting Real Lives ," Michelle talks with Founder and President of the Center for Rural Strategies, Dee Davis. Dee has helped design and lead national public information campaigns on topics as diverse as commercial television programming and federal banking policy. Dee began his media care...

Rural Impact on the Road | A Special Rural Impact Extra Episode Guests : > Jared Chaffin, Chief Executive & Finance Officer, Friend Community Healthcare System > Melissa Florell, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor & Nurse Educator > Jed Hansen, PhD, APRN, FNP-C, Executive Director, Nebraska Rural Health Association > Senator Teresa Ibach, District 44, Nebraska Unicameral Legislature...

In the second episode of our seventh series, "Courageous Conversations About the 2024 Election-Rural Issues Impacting Real Lives," Michelle begins the episode with Isaac Wright, Co-Founder of the Rural Voter Institute. Isaac is a founding-partner of Forward Solution Strategy Group, a company primarily focused on public affairs and issues. As co-founder of the Rural Voter Institute, Isaac gathered...

In the first episode of our seventh series, "Courageous Conversations About the 2024 Election-Rural Issues Impacting Real Lives," Michelle talks with Former North Dakota Senator and Co-Founder and Chair of The One Country Project, Heidi Heitkamp. U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp was the first female senator elected from North Dakota from 2013 – 2019. During her six years in the U.S. Senate, Heitkamp qu...

In the third episode of our Pathways and Policies to Ensure Rural Learners Succeed in Place. Why It's Essential for America's Future series, we begin our episode focused on " How Institutions and Industry Set Rural Learners Up for Success " with Joe E. Ross, President of Reach University, the nonprofit institution advancing fully job-embedded, apprenticeship-based higher education. He previously l...

In this very special summer Rural Impact Extra Episode, Michelle interviews United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Administrator for the Food and Nutrition Service, Cindy Long. Long was appointed Administrator for the Food and Nutrition Service on September 13, 2021. Long most recently served as Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Acting Administrator, and has had extensive experience with FN...

In the What’s Your Impact special episode supported by Wipfli, Michelle begins the episode with Alan Morgan, Chief Executive Officer of the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). This discussion, recorded just one day after the White House announced news about a dynamic partnership designed to provide support to combat cyber-attacks, focuses on how cybersecurity impacts health systems, as well...

In the second episode in our Pathways and Policies to Ensure Rural Learners Succeed in Place and Why it’s Essential for America’s Future series, we begin our episode focused on “The Key to Opening Doors” with Kirstin Yeado, Senior Program Officer at Ascendium Education Group. In this role, Kirstin is responsible for strategic grantmaking to advance Ascendium’s Support Rural Postsecondary Education...

In the first episode in our sixth series, Pathways and Policies to Ensure Rural Learners Succeed in Place and Why it’s Essential for America’s Future , we begin our episode The Rural Reason to Focus on Workforce Policy with Deputy Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training for the U.S. Department of Labor, Manny Lamarre. DAS Lamarre’s experience spans across workforce development policy, prog...

In the third episode in our fifth series, Coming to Terms with Housing and Homelessness in Rural Places, we begin our episode with Jess Huff, Reporter for The Texas Tribune. Jess joined the Tribune in 2023 and is based in Lufkin, Texas. She grew up in Utah and has also lived in Arizona and the Netherlands. Her latest adventure brought her to East Texas where she worked for The Lufkin Daily News, l...

In the extra episode in our fifth series "Coming to Terms with Housing and Homelessness,” Michelle talks with Marion Mollegen McFadden, The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development. In this role McFadden oversees the administration of federal financial assistance to assist communities in ending homelessn...

In the second episode in our fifth series "Coming to Terms with Housing and Homelessness,” Michelle talks with Elizabeth Carpenter-Song, Ph. D. Elizabeth is a medical and psychological anthropologist at Dartmouth College, and author of the book Families on the Edge: Experiences of Homelessness and Care in Rural New England . Her research strives to center the lived experiences of rural community m...

In the first episode in our fifth series, Coming to Terms with Housing and Homelessness in Rural Places , we begin our episode with the Housing Assistance Council’s (HAC) Director of Public Policy, Jonathan Harwitz. Prior to joining HAC, Jonathan was Director of Housing Community Development and Insurance Policy for the House Financial Services Committee. He also served as Managing Director of Fed...

In this Impact Extra Episode, Michelle introduces issues from our upcoming series focused on rural housing as well rural transportation issues with special guest Farah Ahmad, Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Deputy Under Secretary Ahmad works to advance policies and programs that create economic inclusion and opportunity in rural communitie...

Guests: Alan Morgan, CEO, National Rural Health Association Susan Burton, Director National Grassroots Advocacy, National Association of Community Health Centers Brock Slabach, Chief Operations Officer, National Rural Health Association Carole Johnson, Administrator, HRSA In part two of our first ever "Rural Impact on Location” episode, host Michelle Rathman, closes out the conversations she had w...

In Part One of our very first "Rural Impact on Location” episode, host Michelle Rathman, traveled to Washington D.C. on a mission to get closer to connecting dots on matters of current health policy and legislative priorities focused on rural health.     During her time at the National Rural Health Association Policy Institute and the National Association of Community Health Centers Poli...

In this What’s Your Impact Episode in our series "Arriving at Thriving,” Michelle talks with Kelly Arduino, MA, MBA. Kelly is the Healthcare Industry Leader and Partner at Wipfli LLP, a top 20 accounting and consulting firm. She has over 25 years of diverse healthcare experience which gives her a unique perspective on today’s challenges. Kelly was psychotherapist and an academic researcher in heal...

In this extra episode in our series "Arriving at Thriving,” Michelle talks with Mercer County West Virgina Commissioner, Hon. Greg Puckett. Greg is continually focused on establishing evidence-based strategies and promising approaches to finding solutions on local, regional, state and national levels. A staunch advocate for community-based change, focusing on efforts predominantly in rural areas a...

In the third episode in our fourth series "Arriving at Thriving,” Michelle talks with Tony Pipa, Senior Fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution. Tony has three decades of executive leadership experience in the philanthropic and public sectors addressing poverty and advancing inclusive economic development in the U.S. and globally. He launched and leads the Rei...

In the second episode in our fourth series "Arriving at Thriving,” Michelle talks with Dr. Bill Soules, member of the New Mexico State Senate and Chair of the Senate Education Committee. Soules earned his BA and MA in psychology and his interdisciplinary Ph. D. from New Mexico State University with a degree that spans education and psychology. Senator Soules is a champion for the data-driven and c...

In the first episode in our fourth series "Arriving at Thriving,” Michelle talks with Co-Authors of 100% Community – Ensuring 10 Vital Services for Surviving and Thriving and the Co-Founders of Anna, Age Eight Institute, Dr. Katherine Ortega Courtney and Dominic Cappello. Katherine and Dominic are social innovators who are solving our most costly public health, education, and safety challenges thr...

In this extra episode Michelle reflects on the inaugural season. She highlights the many subjects covered in 2023 including rural health, our nation’s struggling rural hospitals, maternal and infant mortality challenges, Medicaid unwinding, food security, rural education, and the opioid epidemic. During this special episode, Michelle shares The Rural Impact’s goal to engage in conversations that e...

In this Rural Impact Extra Episodes series, "Women Who Impact," Michelle highlights inspirational leaders making extraordinary impacts in rural health in recognition of National Rural Health Day (NRHD). In the final episode, Michelle meets with Alana Knudson, Director of the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis. With over 25 years of experience leading health services, research projects, an...

In this Rural Impact Extra Episodes series, "Women Who Impact," Michelle highlights inspirational leaders making extraordinary impacts in rural health in recognition of National Rural Health Day (NRHD). In the third episode, Michelle talks with the Chief Executive Officer of the Colorado Rural Health Center, Michelle Mills. Michelle Mills is deeply committed to rural health at the state and federa...

In this Rural Impact Extra Episodes series, "Women Who Impact," Michelle highlights inspirational leaders making extraordinary impacts in rural health in recognition of National Rural Health Day (NRHD). L isa Davis, Director of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health and Outreach Associate Professor on Health Policy and Administration at Penn State, speaks with Michelle in our second episode. Maki...