Narrative Change Steering Committee Members

Laura Harbert Allen is the religion correspondent and vertical editor for 100 Days in Appalachia, a collaborative non-profit newsroom that tells Appalachia’s story through people who are deeply rooted in the region. Laura has nearly 30 years of experience in media, including stints as a public radio reporter, producer, and manager in WV, OH, KY, and NC. She lives in Charleston with her husband Jeff and their WV brown dog, Rosa.

Molly Born is a writer and producer based in Charleston, West Virginia, working across several forms of media. She was a founding member of the team behind the documentary King Coal, which she co-produced. As a journalist, she was twice named a Livingston Award finalist, and she was one of the inaugural fellows in the Report for America program.

Jamela T. Brown hails from Rand, West Virginia, (home of NFL Hall of Famer Randy Moss) and has been writing poetry for more than 25 years. Her recently released book, “Chronos to Kairos: A Poetry Journal with Guided Prompts to Embrace the Gift of Time,” will keep readers engaged and intrigued at every turn of the page. Alternatively, Jamela, also known as J. Tanae’, is the co-host/executive producer of KROSS BARZ Podcast. Graduating with a BA in Psychology from Marshall University, she is a licensed social worker with Kanawha County Schools. Jamela is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., living her life on purpose while inspiring others to do the same.

Tijah Bumgarner is a filmmaker and professor. She teaches filmmaking at Marshall University. Bumgarner holds a BFA in film/video from the California Institute of the Arts and an MA in Media Studies from West Virginia State University. As a doctoral candidate at Ohio University, her dissertation explores how extraction in Appalachia is narrativized. In 2017, Bumgarner completed her first feature film, Meadow Bridge, a coming-of-age narrative set in rural West Virginia. In both scholarship and practice, Bumgarner seeks to disrupt stereotypes that conform to a single defining narrative of the region.

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Crystal Good (@cgoodwoman, she/her/hers), a sixth-generation West Virginian writer-poet and founder of Black By God THE WEST VIRGINIAN (BlackByGod.org)—a platform amplifying Black voices in central Appalachia—is an Irene McKinney Scholar, Black Appalachian Storytellers Fellow, and graduate of WVSU (BA Communications), West Virginia Wesleyan (MFA in Poetry), and WVU (MA in Journalism), who has served as a consulting producer for CNN’s United Shades of Appalachia and as a story consultant for King Coal, currently living in Princeton, WV while working on two forthcoming University of Kentucky Press books: an anthology on Black political thought in WV and a creative biography of Ada “Bricktop” Smith.

Lauren Hatcher works with the Mountain State Spotlight team as their Development Officer. With 10 years of West Virginia nonprofit experience in roles ranging from engagement, marketing & communications, development, and recruitment.

As Development Officer, Lauren uses her rich experience to preserve and promote the honest and complex truth in the Mountain State to supporters. She weaves together people’s experiences to encourage every funder, grantor, and reader that there is potential not only to inform but also to inspire change through our collective stories in West Virginia and beyond.

Dave Lavender has worked in five states as an entertainment reporter for newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, and social media. The author of two travel books, Lavender currently coordinates the West Virginia Film Office for the West Virginia Department of Economic Development. 

The winner of Marshall University’s Drinko Academy Outstanding Cultural Ambassador Award in 2019, Lavender has been on more than a dozen non-profit boards. He is board president for “Hope in the Hills,” which puts on Healing Appalachia, the world’s largest recovery-based music festival. Lavender is also a board member for the Huntington Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Huntington Mayor’s Council for the Arts, the creative network committee for Tamarack Foundation and heads the cycling group Critical Mass Huntington. 

On a personal note, Dave has been married for more than 25 years to creative and photographer Toril Lavender, marketing manager at Blenko Glass. They have two sons (who run the ziplines at Heritage Farm) and a dog Milo. They all love travel, the arts, and outdoor adventures.

Carling McManus is the President and co-founder of 84 Agency, a communications firm dedicated to amplifying the voices of nonprofits and change-makers across Appalachia and beyond. Under Carling’s leadership, 84 Agency has earned prestigious recognition, including the Telly Awards, the Communicator Awards, the Hermes Awards, and the WV Public Relations Society of America Crystal Awards, establishing itself as a trusted partner in strategic communication.

An experienced storyteller, filmmaker, and poet, Carling has published work in Poetry Northwest, Best New Poets, and The Beloit Poetry Journal and has received fellowships and funding from the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, the West Virginia Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Jorge Rodriguez-Stanley is a communications professional and journalist with more than a decade of experience in narrative change work in Los Angeles and West Virginia. He was part of the original editorial team that shaped the nationally recognized brand we are mitú that speaks for and to Latine millennial audience who were English-first starting in 2015. As part of the editorial team, he worked with creatives to create content and shape the narrative that the Latine community was worthy of investment, representation, and recognition in Hollywood, politics, and beyond. In 2022, he joined the West Virginia Community Development Hub’s staff and used his knowledge of narrative change and storytelling to uplift and amplify stories in West Virginia. He believes strongly in using words and community to first change how people feel about themselves and using that empowerment to change how others think about us. As a queer Latine person, Jorge knows the power of forming strong community bonds and working together to change the world around us one story at a time.

Tiara Brown is a communications specialist and consultant based in Charleston, West Virginia, dedicated to empowering communities within and beyond the Appalachian region. As the current network coordinator for The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation’s Narrative Change Project and a former Generation West Virginia Fellow, Tiara focuses on reshaping perceptions of West Virginia while creating opportunities that uplift individuals and strengthen communities. With a background in broadcast journalism, she is passionate about storytelling, ethical community engagement, and partnership development.

Sara M. Crickenberger joined Mountain State Spotlight as Executive Director in 2023. Sara began her professional career as a journalist. She was a reporter at the Martinsburg Evening/Weekend Journal, Beckley Register-Herald, Charleston Daily Mail, The Seattle Times, and other publications. She served as CEO of the American Lung Association of West Virginia and Carnegie Hall in Lewisburg and taught writing in the English Department at Virginia Tech. She earned a BA in journalism from Marshall University, an MA in Communication Studies/Corporate and Organizational Communication from West Virginia University, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Virginia Tech.

Debbie is most recently the former General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the West Virginia Investment Management Board. Debbie earned a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Virginia School of Law; a Bachelor of Science degree in Business, Major in Economics, from Virginia Tech; and a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Mathematics Education from West Virginia State University. She was a partner at Bowles Rice, PLLC; Executive Vice President at BB&T Corp. and member of BB&T’s legal staff; and a national board certified and AP high school math teacher. She has previously worked with other nonprofit organizations and in volunteer positions.