The coal industry has historically been a major economic driver in regions like Eastern Kentucky, providing jobs and fueling local economies. For decades, however, the industry has experienced a significant decline due to factors of decreased demand, automation and technology. While the coal industry still exists in some capacity, its role as a cornerstone of the economy in the region has diminished, bringing with it widespread job and population loss and the challenges that come with it. So, with decades of decline and increased poverty, how do you recover from a long-time dependency on an extractive economy? Colby Hall and Will Warren believe it’s more than just job creation and development, it’s winning back the hearts and minds of individuals that have fallen out of the workforce with a focused approach on social infrastructure development where individuals believe they are worthy of sustainable employment. Having recently been awarded $40 Million through the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Recompete Challenge Grant, Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) has plans to do just that. Hear from these two Appalachian Leaders and “Boomerangs” as they describe the thought process of applying for the award and what they hope to accomplish through implementation. They’ll share the vision for rebuilding Eastern Kentucky’s workforce, reducing barriers to employment, revitalizing communities, and creating a more resilient future for the region.
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Speakers
Colby Hall
Colby Hall is the Executive Director of the Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR), a non-partisan, non-profit organization that advocates for the 54 ARC-mandated counties in eastern Kentucky through local projects and programs following the decline of the coal industry. The organization’s priorities are centered around broadband and connectivity, remote work, healthy communities, entrepreneurship and regional prosperity.
Hall graduated summa cum laude from the University of Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in biology and biological sciences. After spending a year teaching English abroad in Spain, he pursued a sales career in the heart of the bustling technology startup sector in Atlanta, GA before moving back to Eastern Kentucky to run SOAR. Born in Eastern Kentucky, Hall returned to make a difference in the Appalachia region. Hall’s journey so far has prepared him for the career he believes he was destined for, and that destiny is to bring hope and real-life solutions to the people in his Appalachian Kentucky home following the decline of the coal industry.
Colby is married to Lindsey Hall, a nurse practitioner in the neurosurgery department at UK HealthCare’s Chandler Hospital. They have one son, Hayden Hall, who was born in November 2022.
Will Warren
Will Warren is the Recompete Program Officer for Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR), a non-partisan, non-profit organization that advocates for the 54 ARC-mandated counties in eastern Kentucky. Born and raised in Eastern Kentucky, Will left the region for other opportunities and was led back to SOAR as an Economic Recovery Corps (ERC) Fellow and to the place he has always called “home.” Through the newly formed 30-month ERC Fellowship, 65 Fellows are working alongside Host Organizations in under-resourced communities, building a nationwide corps of diverse, cross-sector talent that promotes connectivity and knowledge-sharing among urban, rural, and tribal areas to elevate new practice and transform the field of economic development.
Through his extensive career in the field, he has become an expert in small community economic redevelopment and is an Appalachian Leadership Institute Alum (Class of 2022-2023). His work experience is in both the public and nonprofit sectors at the local, regional, state, and federal levels, where he consistently created economic and community development opportunities that resulted in increased job growth and generated community investment.
He is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) and an Entrepreneurial Development Professional (EDP) through the International Economic Development Council (IEDC).