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DFE Location

Berea, Kentucky

DFE Abstract

Zak Sholtz spent twelve weeks in the summer of 2018 as an intern at Fahe in Berea, Kentucky. Fahe works with a network of 50+ nonprofits to grow the prosperity of Appalachia by using expertise in finance, collaboration, innovation, advocacy, and communication. They strive to empower the people and communities of Appalachia with the resources and opportunities needed to build better lives. Under the supervision of Alex Dadok, Zak worked with Fahe’s Director of Advocacy, Communication Manager, SVP of Membership, and CEO in developing strategic content for marketing, advocacy, and public relations. This work included internal research in Fahe’s strategies and management of mortgage and lending services as they related to issues of persistent poverty, engagement with community leaders to develop visual content for advocating Fahe’s mission, writing impactful editorials intended for publication, and creating strategies for media relations by developing blueprints for communication between Fahe’s officers and media contacts. As a communications major, Zak gained technical experience in media design and the application of theoretical communicative methods for collaborative thinking. Zak’s advisors were Dr. Jacob Dickerson and Dr. Peter Hackbert.