The event will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall on the university’s Huntington campus.
According to Jenny Gannaway, West Virginia VOAD executive director, the goal of the summit is to bring together national and local experts who will discuss possible solutions for long-term recovery following the state’s historic flooding in 2016.
Friday’s program will feature four panels of speakers from the government, nonprofit, business and higher education sectors. Special guests will include Tom Wooten, author of “We Shall Not Be Moved: Rebuilding Home in the Wake of Katrina,” and Steve Eddy, former city manager of tornado-stricken Moore, Okla.
Marshall University President Jerome A. Gilbert will open the session and Governor-elect Jim Justice will be the luncheon keynote speaker. Maj. Gen. James A. Hoyer, West Virginia adjutant general, and Jimmy Gianato, the state’s director of homeland security, also will be featured.
Justice said, “West Virginia is bouncing back. Our state is just too good to be kept down by a 1,000-year flood and you can see that every day as neighbors help one another rebuild their lives. We must never forget this tragedy and we must use it to learn how we can improve upon our disaster response. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank all the organizations who rolled up their sleeves to help West Virginia families and local businesses impacted by the flood.”
Hoyer, a key leader in the state’s long-term flood recovery efforts, added, “I want to thank Marshall, VOAD and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul for their great work bringing this summit together. Our state continues to rebuild our communities for future success and growth, which will require us to the look to the future with vision and innovation.”
West Virginia VOAD is made up of organizations active in disaster response and recovery throughout the state, and works to bring the groups together during times of disaster preparedness, response, relief and recovery.
In addition to Marshall and West Virginia VOAD, sponsors of Friday’s summit include Neighbors Loving Neighbors, the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, St. Vincent de Paul Disaster Services USA and the advisory board of Marshall’s Lewis College of Business.
A second Economic Recovery Summit is being planned for the spring at West Virginia University.
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Photo: Marshall University student-athletes, President Jerome Gilbert (4th from left), and Athletic Director Mike Hamrick (second from right) assisted with a supply drive to help those affected by the June flooding this past summer.