West Virginia State University

Community Vitality & Economic Development

Community Vitality and Economic Development (CVED) is committed to improving the viability, energy and economic sustainability of communities in West Virginia. Their focus areas include community development and regional and local economic and small business development revitalization. The CVED initiatives include downtown revitalization, historic preservation, green projects, community gardens, small business development and support, financial sustainability, non-profit development, economic analysis, disaster preparedness and tourism.

One of CVED’s primary areas of focus is community development and revitalization. They work closely with communities to revitalize downtown areas by improving vitality, facilitating needs assessments, strategic planning, workshops and meetings, funding research, property redevelopment uses, community clean-ups and more.

CVED also supports small business development, retention and expansion efforts. They provide various services to entrepreneurs, such as incubation, mentoring, access to capital assistance, management strategies, marketing, counseling on collaborative development, business plan assessment and strategy for expansion.

Furthermore, CVED helps communities develop strategic plans for regional economic projects and works with businesses to determine linkages and development strategies for stabilizing existing market share and developing growth strategies.

The CVED department has staff members and programs at various central and southern WV locations, including Kanawha, Fayette, Logan and Raleigh counties.

Our Team

Renato Castillo, J.D.
Renato Castillo, J.D.
Environmental Justice Coordinator
Adam Hodges, MFA
Adam Hodges, MFA
CVED Program Leader
Kaysha Jackson, PMP
Kaysha Jackson, PMP
Director Urban and Non-Traditional Programming, Deputy Title IX Coordinator
Robert
Robert "Robby" Moore
CVED Extension Educator
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