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Brandon Dennison Highlight
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.
About Brandon
- Born and raised in West Virginia.
- I attended Shepherd University, where I earned bachelor’s degrees in history and political science.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- In 2010, I founded Coalfield Development, a community-based nonprofit dedicated to diversifying Appalachia’s coal-based economy and providing opportunities for its people.
- 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.
- 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.
