NEWPORT – Clinch-Powell was honored to be part of the Partners for Rural Transformation (PRT) Rural Investment Summit held Monday, July 20 through Thursday, July 23 in Knoxville, Tennessee and Cherokee, North Carolina.

As part of the summit, key regional and national leaders representing foundations, banks and investment firms toured rural and native communities in East Tennessee and North Carolina to bring focus to the need for greater investment in rural communities. The tour included a visit to downtown Newport to learn about the long term community work being led by Clinch-Powell and partners and the challenges since the area was impacted by Tropical Storm Helene in 2024.

Members were welcomed by Newport Mayor Trey Dykes and Joannie Stokely from County Mayor Rob Mathis’ office while gathered at Empower Cocke County. The group heard from Clinch-Powell Board Member Tom Stephens, CEO Lindy Turner, Executive Director Trenna McCauslin, Senior Community Resource Navigator Michelle Lane, and Appalachia CARES AmeriCorps member Michael De Los Santos, who spoke about Clinch-Powell’s ongoing efforts to invest in people, housing and community capacity to help restore financial stability, expand access to housing and help the community build long-term prosperity. Newport Medical Center CEO Scott Williams also spoke to attendees, telling them about the challenges of rural healthcare.

Members traveled to Hartford, Tennessee to learn about ongoing recovery work in the area following its devastation during Tropical Storm Helene, and then on to Cherokee, North Carolina to learn about the area’s economic struggles and how authentic cultural experiences and products are creating opportunities for economic growth.

PRT members, including Turner, stayed in Cherokee for two days of seminars and break-out sessions exploring ways to strengthen the national economy by activating the potential of rural and native communities experiencing persistent poverty through investment and connecting them to regional and national strategies.

PRT is a coalition of community-rooted organizations serving 78 percent of the nation’s rural persistent poverty counties. With more than 250 years combined experience advancing economic opportunity in rural America, PRT serves communities in the Mississippi Delta, Appalachia, Native American communities, the Deep South, The Rio Grande Valley, and more by working to eliminate persistent poverty. Clinch-Powell RC&D is a member of Fahe, one of the six founding organizations of Partners for Rural Transformation.