Alumni Spotlight: Brianna Godwin (Homegrown Leaders - Lumberton 2022)

Job: Executive Director, Robeson County Church and Community Center

Currently Lives: Lumberton, Robeson County

Hometown: Born in Evanston, Illinois; raised in Lumberton, N.C.

Q: What are the greatest assets of rural N.C.?

A: The greatest asset of rural N.C. is the resilient people who have endured weather events, limited access to resources such as healthcare and advanced technology, and have still preserved. We have so much to learn from the way rural people care for their own communities.

Q: What are the biggest community economic development challenges facing your town/county?

A: Lack of industry, climate vulnerability and lack of incentive to pursue higher education are the greatest economic development challenges faced by our county.

Q: What is the best hidden gem in your region?

A: Our hidden gem is the Lumber River. Many who travel here or move into the area never experience the beauty of a canoe trip down the river and all of the wildlife you witness. Historically, the river was a lifeline as the basis of our economy through trade.

Q: Describe the impact that Homegrown Leaders has had on you both personally and professionally.

A: Homegrown Leaders was a reminder that I am not alone in this challenging work and that other leaders across my state/region are working alongside to bring about positive and necessary change to rural communities. The sessions on what attracts businesses to a rural area and leading with emotional awareness offered information that I now use on a weekly basis in my work.

Q: What’s the best advice about leadership that you were ever given?

A: The best leadership advice I’ve received is the quote, “Those who are closest to the problem are closest to the solution and furthest from the resources,” which is to say that leadership is simply about connecting deeply and intentionally with those you serve and represent so that the many times you find yourself in well-resourced rooms, you are telling their stories and uplifting their voices. People in the margins, including rural Americans, have the answers for their own advancement. We simply need to be better listeners and advocates.

Q: What gives you the greatest pride in your work?

A. Knowing who I am working on behalf of gives me the greatest pride in my work. The story of overcoming poverty and adversity in rural, N.C. is my own so it is never difficult to have a deep understanding of how worthy the folks I represent are as well as their potential. I never deserved my circumstances and neither do my neighbors in need. I am here to shine a light on the undeniable disparities that exist, validate our people’s lived experiences and then offer a path to overcome and thrive through personal resilience and improving the overall conditions of the community.

?The NC Rural Center has worked since 1987 to develop, promote, and implement sound economic strategies to improve the quality of life of rural North Carolinians. The Rural Center serves the state’s 78 rural counties, with a special focus on people with low-to-moderate incomes and communities with limited resources. To learn more about how the NC Rural Center is developing and supporting rural leaders across the state, visit?www.ncruralcenter.org.?