Emily Cerna is the Program Manager for the POWER & ARISE initiatives at the Appalachian Regional Commission, serving since August 2022. In this role, Emily oversees the entire POWER and ARISE application cycles, guiding program development and implementation strategy, and serves as primary program lead for ARISE. Before her time with ARC, Emily worked with non-profits, supporting emergency response and humanitarian relief programs across Ukraine, Haiti, India, Brazil, and the United States. She holds a MSc. in Humanitarian Programme Management from the Grenoble École de Management and a B.A. in Biology and Sociology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Emela Chaudhri, an expert in workforce development, is the Director of Business & Workforce Investment at the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), where she supports and leads a team of highly collaborative and experienced professionals, who support program development, grants management, and technical assistance activities across the Appalachian Region. Emela’s career in economic development began working for a local development district in Northern Kentucky, where she utilized her expertise to advance college and career readiness programs to meet industry needs across an eight-county region. Emela holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Northern Kentucky University and a master’s degree in Anthropology of Development & Social Transformation from University of Sussex, United Kingdom.

Michael Hamilton is an Eastern Kentucky native and proud Appalachian with a passion for helping underserved communities thrive. He is the Program Analyst for the POWER and ARISE initiatives overseeing program development and the application processes and serves as the primary program lead for POWER. Prior to joining ARC in 2023, Michael was a graduate intern with the Economic Development Administration working on programs like the Build Back Better Regional Challenge, the Good Jobs Challenge, and the Coal Communities Commitment. Michael holds an MPP from Duke University and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Kentucky.

Stephanie Jones serves as the Deputy General Counsel at the Appalachian Regional Commission. Prior to joining ARC, she was a Senior Legislative Counsel for the New York City Council. In that role she served as the senior legal advisor to the committees responsible for business, labor and consumer legislation, which included drafting and negotiating bills for final passage. Previously, she managed policy and compliance matters for the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Stephanie is admitted to the bar in New York. She holds a Juris Doctor Degree from Emory Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics and Law from SUNY Binghamton.

Laura currently serves as Regional Program Analyst for ARC’s Technical Assistance Division. Prior to joining ARC, she filled dual roles as both Managing Grant Director for Virginia State Initiatives and Project Manager for Local Workforce Development Area #11, fiscal agent to Northern Virginia Career Works. In these roles, Laura actively contributed to workforce and economic development initiatives, many of which concentrated on uplifting marginalized groups or underserved populations in the Northern Virginia region. Laura’s professional experience also includes leading workforce and reentry programs in the field of restorative justice, creating and implementing staff training programs, as well as managing both non-profit and for-profit business operations. Her educational background includes a B.S. in Applied Social Sciences and professional certification through the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP).

Molly Theobald serves as Director of Critical Infrastructure at ARC, which manages the Commission’s portfolio of projects that impact the built environment, including water, sewer, broadband, transportation and tourism projects. Molly has over 20 years of working in community and economic development, and previously worked in tourism development for the TVA, in housing development for private industry, and as a neighborhood planner for a CDFI in Philadelphia.