Danny helped establish West Virginia University’s Brad and Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative starting with a blank piece of paper and an idea to improve the prosperity of a state by leveraging the states outdoor recreation assets. Using data and case studies to share the vision led to the OEDC receiving a $25 million gift, one of the largest in the University’s history, to begin the journey. As stewards of the transformative gift, the Outdoor Economy part of the OEDC focuses on five areas: talent attraction, outdoor asset development and enhancement, community development, business and workforce development, and research and curriculum. Come join us to discover the successes, challenges, and the opportunities.

Register for this virtual session at the top of this page, link to register is located next to "I'm interested." Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email and attachment to add this event to your calendar. You will receive a separate email reminder from Mackenzie Kucharsky containing the Zoom link prior to the event.

About the speaker:  Dr. Danny Twilley is the Assistant Dean of the Brad and Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative at West Virginia University. In this role, he supports the OEDC’s remote worker initiative, community development, outdoor recreation asset enhancement and development, business and workforce development, and research to tell the program’s story.  He approaches this work by engaging with communities and facilitating academic collaborations across the University, state and local governments, outdoor industry and related groups.

Prior to joining WVU, Dr. Twilley spent 13 years as a faculty member in Ohio University’s Recreation and Sport Pedagogy Department where he served as a Professor of Instruction and Assistant Professor in the Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Studies Program, Director of the Ecotourism Certificate, Interim Program Coordinator, Coordinator of the Outdoor Skill Development Program, and led education abroad programs for 7 years to places such as Costa Rica and the Balkans. In addition, to his academic career he has worked for organizations such as Outward Bound, Project Adventure, Sun River Recreation Department, and the Appalachian Mountain Club.