From the NC Rural Center
Congratulations and thank you to Tina Royal for agreeing to be featured in this month's Alumni Spotlight.
Name: Tina Royal
Position: Director, Black Butterfly Network
What county do you live in? Davidson
Leadership Class: REDI 2023
What has been the impact of REDI on your leadership journey since completing the training, personally and professionally?
Encouragement and giving me the security to work toward community collaborations and work to bring organizations together on projects to avoid duplication of programs and events. I filed to run for NC Senate District 30 and will be a candidate for the November 2024 elections.
What recent accomplishments, projects, initiatives, or points of pride would you like to share?
Our organization hosted the first Black History Month Art Invitational, a new artists exhibition. We had eight new artists showcase their art and speak with community attendees. Some of our artists had buyers purchase their first one-of-a-kind artwork. This was a wonderful event, and I am so proud of the outcome.
What are the greatest assets in your rural community or region?
Our value system assures that citizens feel like they belong, supporting one another and working toward a better community. I believe those assets will help keep our community striving and thriving and working together to bring more folks together.
What are the most significant economic development challenges facing your rural community or region today?
Lack of affordable housing open to accepting subsidized housing vouchers and a lack of rental homes for Section 8 recipients. Our community needs more entrepreneurship/small business growth and programs. We need these programs to be visible and easy for interested people to find and learn more about. I also feel we are in need of more local economic development.
What advice would you offer to current or emerging leaders in rural areas?
Work to bring more collaboration in your rural and smaller communities. Try to pull organizations together to work smarter not harder to provide various opportunities for the community.