STRONGacc

Kudos to Kingsport Chamber Education and Workforce Development for facilitating this program for students who are interested in early childhood education. Quality, affordable and accessible early education is important to families and the workforce. Having quality early childhood educators is essential! Thank you Kingsport Chamber and Madison Greene for working with partners to provide this amazing opportunity!

Sharing from our friends at Strong Families NETN!

🌟 June Recharge Lunch & Learn Series 🌟

Join us on June 23 for an inspiring and practical professional learning opportunity featuring Danielle Dye, Community Schools Specialist with the Virginia Board of Education.

🗓 Session Title:

The Human Side of Leadership: Creating Teams Where People Thrive

📖 Session Description:

Supervision is more than managing tasks—it’s about creating the conditions where people can do their best work.

In this interactive Lunch & Learn session, participants will explore how healing-centered leadership practices can help build trust, increase engagement, reduce burnout, and strengthen team culture. Through discussion, reflection, and peer learning, attendees will gain practical strategies for creating workplaces where people feel supported, valued, and empowered to thrive.

✅ Learn ways to foster trust and connection within teams
✅ Explore approaches to support staff well-being and reduce burnout
✅ Strengthen team culture through healing-centered leadership practices
✅ Leave with actionable tools you can implement immediately

Whether you supervise a team, lead a program, or support organizational growth, this session offers valuable insights to help you cultivate a healthier, more engaged workplace.

To register: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tIHl_BA5SV6jlNBnutdgrg

After five years of dedicated leadership, we share that Mark Cruise will retire as Director of the STRONG ACC effective June 30, 2026.

Since 2021, Mark has helped lead and strengthen a nationally recognized cradle-to-career collaborative serving Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Through his visionary and servant-hearted leadership, the STRONG ACC has expanded partnerships, advanced collective impact strategies, and worked alongside communities to improve outcomes for children, youth, and families across our region.

As we celebrate Mark’s tremendous impact and legacy, we are also looking ahead with excitement for the next chapter of this work.
The STRONG ACC has officially launched the search for its next Director. We are seeking a collaborative, strategic, and passionate leader committed to advancing economic mobility and opportunity for the next generation across our region.

👉We invite you to learn more, apply, and share this opportunity with your networks - http://bit.ly/4wznP5s

Thank you, Mark, for your leadership, partnership, and unwavering commitment to this region and its future.

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Another outstanding SWVA Economic Forum is in the books. Congrats to the team at The University of Virginia's College at Wise for putting on a great event! The STRONG Accountable Care Community was grateful to be a sponsor. It was a pleasure meeting and catching up with partners as well as making new connections.

The energy inside the David J. Prior Convocation Center at UVA Wise was unmistakable Thursday as community leaders, business owners, educators and residents packed the house for the annual SWVA Economic Forum. The crowd gathered not only to discuss the future of Southwest Virginia, but also to welcome keynote speaker Abigail D. Spanberger, making her first-ever visit to the College as Virginia’s governor.

Throughout the day, attendees filled every available seat as conversations continued around innovation, tourism, housing and the future of Southwest Virginia. Other speakers included Vijay Srinivasan, President of U.S. Commercial and State Government Operations at CGI, and Amanda Weinstein, Ph.D., Director of Research at the Center on Rural Innovation.

Read more about the day: www.uvawise.edu/strategic-engagement-government-relations/news/2026/05/uva-wise-hosts-successful-2026-swva-economic

The STRONG ACC was proud to sponsor yesterday’s membership breakfast at the Chamber of Commerce of Smyth County, Inc. It was great seeing many of our partners in attendance as well as meeting a number of people who are interested in joining our work.

Dan Minahan, Vice Chair of the STRONG ACC Leadership Council, and Mark Cruise, Director, spoke about how organizations can participate in the STRONG ACC’s regional agenda spanning early childhood development through career pathways leading to thriving wage employment.

Happy 12th anniversary to our partner, HOLA Lakeway! We were delighted to attend the Open House, watch the beautiful micro-theater performance: “Chronicles of the Deep Ocean” and see the amazing visual arts exhibition and book presentation: “Traces of Color, Letters on the Heart.” We are so proud of the work you’re doing with children, youth, and families in Hamblen County!

Thank you EO for hosting the the annual Ready Region Southwest Coalition Gathering! The day was thoughtfully designed around reflection, motivation, connection and goal-setting; celebrating a year of impactful coalition work while also sharing an inspiring look ahead at the upcoming year’s strategies. Thank you for including STRONG ACC in this special day!

🎓This week, we reached an outstanding milestone for our Supported and Second-Chance Employment Workgroup. Six parents/caregivers completed the FoundersForge Avante Small Business Bootcamp program at the Johnson City Recovery Center, where they learned practical business-building skills while in recovery.

We were thrilled to see their success during the Pitch Night celebration. 🎉

A huge congratulations to Tanner "Tater" Dyer, the winner, who is launching a mechanic repair business for outdoor equipment, and to Courtney Campbell, our runner-up, who is becoming a realtor focused on affordable housing through HUD. We’re incredibly proud of their determination and grateful to JCRC and FoundersForge for their partnership in making this possible. The future of these families is bright, and we can’t wait to see them grow! 🌱