Natalie Roper
Executive Director, Generation West Virginia
GROWING UP in Richmond, VA, Natalie
Roper didn’t know what she wanted to
one day be—only that it would be some-
thing through which she could make an
impact. Her family encouraged her to
follow her passion for people and let the
details work themselves out. Her grand-
mother, in particular, has been a major
source of inspiration.
“She never waited for the world to be
a certain way but instead actively shaped
the world around her,” says Roper. “She
is someone who sees the possible in all
things and works to make this potential
a reality. This has influenced how I see
myself and reminds me to go after creating
the world as I know it can be.”
Roper found her calling when she
moved to West Virginia and accepted the
position of executive director at Generation
West Virginia, an organization whose
mission is to attract, retain and advance
young talent in the Mountain State. The
task at hand is not easy, but Roper, a
transplant who is firmly committed to her
adopted home, is invested and enjoying
the wild ride.
It was during Roper’s first professional
job as an intern to the executive director
of the National Farmers Market Coalition
that she learned the value of teamwork,
a lesson that has come in handy with her
work in the Mountain State.
“I saw firsthand that when people
work together, they can make big things
happen,” she says. “I also learned the
power of asking people to join my team.
Everyone plays a role if we can help them
see themselves as part of the solution.”
This lesson was of particular importance
when Roper faced what she considers the
greatest challenge of her career: assisting
with the passage of broadband legislation
in 2017 to expand high-speed internet
access in West Virginia. A dismal 2014
statistic stating almost every other West
Virginian lacked access to high-speed
internet spurred her to action, resulting in
a three-year campaign to educate policy-
makers and the state on the importance of
internet access in attracting and retaining
young talent.
According to Roper, her success to
date is a result of looking for opportu-
nities to bring people together instead
of focusing on things that create more
division. “I’ve found that we all want
many of the same things,” she says. “This
has allowed me to build coalitions around
the issues I care about, like broadband
expansion, and build the momentum
needed to create change.”
Creating change isn’t a practice she
leaves at the office at 5 p.m. It’s an effort
she takes into her community as well.
“Volunteering is one of the best ways to
be a good neighbor,” she says. “Through
volunteering, we can stand up for the
things we believe in and be a part of
making our communities the best they can
be. There’s always an option to do nothing,
but choose to do something instead.”
Roper serves as a board member for
Covenant House, where the organization’s
mission is to eradicate homelessness and
hunger in the greater Kanawha Valley.
At the West Virginia Healthy Kids and
Families Coalition, she is an advisory
board member who contributes to the
organization’s efforts to improve the
health of children and families, and she
is an advisory committee member for the
Community Leadership Academy, where
programming helps emerging and estab-
lished leaders develop their leadership
skills. She has also volunteered as a foster
dog caretaker at the Kanawha-Charleston
Humane Association and as a board
member of the West Virginia Center for
Civic Life.
Roper has embraced every element of
the Mountain State: the good and the
bad. Despite the hurdles, every day she
makes the decision to stay and fight, and
her motivation comes from young West
Virginians.
“Every day I am inspired by the incred-
ible young people who choose this place,”
she says. “They are choosing West Virginia,
where they are a part of reimagining what’s
possible and investing in making our
communities the best they can be.”
Roper takes in the view at the Ritter Park Rose
Garden, which features more than 3,000 roses.
“Never doubt that a small group
of thoughtful, committed citizens
can change the world; indeed,
it’s the only thing that ever has.”
– Margaret Mead
JENNIFER JETT PREZKOP
TRACY TOLER
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE . . . ?
Cartoon Character Moana • App Calm • Movie “Hidden Figures” • Small Local Restaurant Secret Sandwich Society
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FALL 2018
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