Brandon Dennison
Coalfield Development Corp
Huntington, WV USA
"You have to set aside your ego. It’s not about getting the credit; it’s about how can we truly move the needle on these really big problems."
Career Roadmap
Brandon's work combines: Business, Non-Profit Organizations, and Accomplishing Goals
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
This has been a negative stereotype about West Virginia for a long time and I think when you've been called something for so long you start to believe it to a certain extent. As a result, insecurities have developed here and you start to think that you aren't capable of changing or doing better. I saw the people in this community as highly dedicated, driven, and hardworking and I wanted to prove that we could do more.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
History, General
Shepherd University
Bachelor's Degree
Political Science and Government, General
Shepherd University
Graduate Degree
Public Administration
Indiana University-Bloomington
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
Born and raised in West Virginia.
2.
I attended Shepherd University, where I earned bachelor’s degrees in history and political science.
3.
While in college, I volunteered with my church on service missions, where we would go repair homes in West Virginia’s coal country—this sparked my interest in helping my community.
4.
On these trips, I saw many people (some even my own age) desperate for work and realized that the root of the problem was the disappearing coal industry and its impact on the economy.
5.
I decided to move to Indiana to attend Indiana University, where I earned my master’s degree in public affairs and learned more about social entrepreneurship and nonprofit management.
6.
In 2010, I founded Coalfield Development, a community-based nonprofit dedicated to diversifying Appalachia’s coal-based economy and providing opportunities for its people.
7.
I partnered with my best friend from high school, who brought an expertise in engineering—we started with a crew of three people and slowly began building up our support network.
8.
We have now created more than 200 new jobs, over 50 new businesses, and more than 800 professional certification opportunities for unemployed people, many of whom were laid-off coal miners.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
West Virginians are just a bunch of rednecks that can't do anything besides mine for coal.
How I responded:
This has been a negative stereotype about West Virginia for a long time and I think when you've been called something for so long you start to believe it to a certain extent. As a result, insecurities have developed here and you start to think that you aren't capable of changing or doing better. I saw the people in this community as highly dedicated, driven, and hardworking and I wanted to prove that we could do more.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Owning and operating your own business is really tough financially, especially when its a nonprofit. We have many loans and bills that have to be paid so we have to get creative sometimes.