West Virginia Policy Institute

January 11, 2022
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM ET
Registration Fee: FREE for WVNPA and Philanthropy WV Members, $15 for Nonmembers.  (If you are a nonmember and wish to pay with a check please email hilaria@wvnpa.org)

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(DRAFT) Agenda

• Welcome and remarks from Joint Public Policy Committee Co-Chairs
  
• Facilitated Discussion: How to be a good advocate, with panelists:
  • Caitlin Cook, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy, Mountaineer Food Bank
  • Rebecca McPhail, President, WV Manufacturers Association
  • Crystal Good, Founder, Black By God THE WEST VIRGINIAN
  • Chris Hall, Senior Government Affairs, Orion Strategies
• What issues should you watch this session?
• How to: Technical use of the legislative website and following bills.
• Closing Remarks

Meet the Panelists:

Caitlin Cook serves as Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at Mountaineer Food Bank. Caitlin graduated from Youngstown State University with degrees in Journalism and Philosophy.  A Charleston, West Virginia native, Caitlin has spent her professional career researching, addressing, and helping inform debates about a variety of policy issues that impact West Virginians. In her current role, Caitlin enjoys the opportunity to connect policymakers with experiences, perspectives, and needs to better inform food security policy.

Rebecca R. McPhail joined the WVMA as its president in 2013.

McPhail previously served at the President of state economic development organization Vision Shared.  Prior to her work at Vision Shared, McPhail was Assistant Vice President of Development at Marshall University. Before returning to West Virginia in 2003, she worked as Grant Development and Research Manager and Interim Director of Development for the YMCA of Greater Cleveland in Cleveland, Ohio.

McPhail is a graduate of the West Virginia Institute of Technology with a B.A. in History and Government.  She is a member of the WV Department of Environmental Protection Advisory Council, the WV Early Childhood Development Council, serves on the boards of the West Virginia High Technology Foundation, West Virginia Symphony, and the YMCA of the Kanawha Valley. She is a graduate of Leadership West Virginia, was named the West Virginia University Institute of Technology Alumni of the year in 2019 and recognized as 2017 Young Gun by The West Virginia Executive magazine. 

McPhail resides in Charleston, WV with her husband David Yaussy, and two sons, Garrett and Owen.

Chris Hall is head of governmental affairs for Orion Strategies and leads the firm’s Charleston office. Hall has worked with legislators on both sides of the aisle as well as elected executive officials and government agencies. He has written numerous bills and shaped volumes of policy over two decades that is now law. He has also managed a number of professional associations and organized grassroots advocacy efforts to affect both state and federal legislation.

Prior to joining Orion Strategies, Hall served nearly 14 years as a founding member and managing partner of the Charleston-based public relations and governmental affairs agency TSG Consulting.

A graduate of West Virginia University, Hall holds a Bachelor of Science in Journalism specializing in Public Relations, with minors in Political Science and Business Administration.

Crystal Good (she/her/hers) is a writer and artist whose work seeks to build a more inclusive and truthful narrative about Central Appalachia. She is the founder and publisher of Black By God THE WEST VIRGINIAN, a print and multimedia publication centering Black voices to address the information gap. Crystal is the author of “Valley Girl” and holds the completely made up (but totally sincere) office of Social Media Senator for the Digital District of West Virginia, which encourages digital and political literacy. @cgoodwoman