Join us for Rural Resource Coalition’s Annual meeting as we meet virtually to focus on Resiliency: The Past, Present & Future of Conservation, Culture & Tourism of Rural South Carolina.
Agenda and Speakers
9:00 - 9:10 AM OPENING REMARKS
Jennie Stephens, RRC Co-Chair, Executive Director, Center for Heirs' Property Preservation
9:10 – 10:00 AM TOURISM
Moderator: Peach Morrison, South Carolina Lowcountry & Resort Island Tourism Commission
Doug Bostick, Executive Director/CEO, South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust, Liberty Trail
Paul McCormack, State Director of State Park Services, SC PRT
Mary Roe, Executive Director & Director Programs and Development, Palmetto Conservation Foundation
10:00 – 10:05 AM BREAK
10:05 – 11:00 AM CULTURE
Moderator: Susan DuPlessis, SC Arts Commission
Chef B.J. Dennis, Gullah Geechee Culture Cuisine
Wenonah Haire, Catawba Nation, Digital Engagement Specialist
Betty W. McDaniel, BA, MEd, PhD
Victoria Smalls, Executive Director, Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, National Heritage Area
11:00 - 11:05 AM BREAK
11:05 – 11:40 AM CONSERVATION
Moderator: Dale Threatt-Taylor, The Nature Conservancy
Ben Duncan, Chief Resilience Officer, SC Office of Resilience
Chairman Tom Mullikin, South Carolina Floodwater Commission
11:40 - 11:55 AM BROADBAND: THE BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE OF CONSERVATION, CULTURE & TOURISM (15 minutes)
Jim Stritzinger, Broadband Director, State of South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff
11:55 AM – 12:00 PM CLOSING REMARKS
David Harper, RRC Co-Chair, Founder & CEO, Land in Common
About RRC's Annual Meeting
Our annual meeting is a chance for leaders from conservation, farming, forestry, tourism, and community economic development to meet, reconnect, and discover new ways to work together. You’ll hear from partners about recent successes and emerging opportunities to advance our vision of rural prosperity.
With emphasis on spurring wealth creation from within rural communities, the RRC works to create a stronger South Carolina rural economy through: local food markets, working farm and forest conservation, affordable housing, renewable energy, place-based tourism, and more.