What was already there and what had to be built? Check out this interview with my friend Joey.
I’ve been thinking about Union County, South Carolina, since I wrote Rethinking Readiness.
In that piece, I wondered what we might see if we stopped asking whether a rural community is “ready” for a place-based partnership and started looking more closely at what is already there.
My friend and trusted colleague, Dr. Joey Haney, is a perfect thought partner. This is our first in a series of rural leader interviews that we’ll feature in Roots & Wings!
I first met Joey when Partners for Rural Impact had the opportunity to support leaders in Union County, South Carolina. He was superintendent of schools then and he now leads Union Uplifted, the place-based partnership that grew from that work.
For someone who has never been to Union County, South Carolina, what would you want them to understand about the place and the people who call it home?
Union County is a community that thrives on respect and trust. Once you build a relationship based on those two things, you are welcomed into the community. In a time of need or crisis, differences are set aside and people align to help resolve the situation.
Union County has educational pathways, job opportunities, and a quality of life that people value. We also have shortages in services. But the community holds tight to its greatest asset—our people.
That human capital is one of Union County’s greatest strengths!
Tell us about Union Uplifted. How did the idea of building a cradle-to-career place-based partnership in Union County begin to take shape?
During my time in district leadership, I began seeing stronger relationships form among city and county government, economic development, education, and other people invested in Union County.
We worked together on projects and ideas and supported one another.
One thing that mattered to me was that education began to have a seat in conversations beyond the school system. We had a voice at the table as people thought about the future of the whole community.
Then came the idea of a cradle-to-career movement for Union County.
It gave us a way to bring partnerships together, listen to community voices, and align around a shared vision for children and families.
That work became what we know today as Union Uplifted.
When you look back now, what was already present in Union County that gave the place-based partnership something to build from—and what had to be built over time?
We had trusted relationships. We had people who understood that greater alignment was needed.
In a community like ours, relationships and trust matter whether you hold a formal leadership position or not. You have to be part of the community to be respected by the community.
But having relationships did not mean the work would sustain itself. We had to keep listening to and respecting community voices. We had to show people that everyone mattered and that it would take all of us to move a cradle-to-career effort forward. It was essential that people across the county had an opportunity to share and had a voice in the planning.
We also learned that our community needs to see results to believe!
Quick wins mattered because they showed people that the work was progressing.
And the community wants you to do what you say you are going to do. Alignment and sustainability rely heavily on trust in the leadership and in the partnerships.
One thing I appreciate is that you came to this work from working within schools and from serving as school superintendent. When did you realize that schools could not create cradle-to-career outcomes for young people alone?
I saw the need for support around schools early in my career. Over time, that need became even greater. Schools began looking under the surface and trying to understand the barriers that were preventing students from learning. Guidance roles started looking different.
Mental health became part of the conversation. Telehealth and social workers came to the table. And we began changing the question we asked children.
We moved from: “Why didn’t you study or do your homework?”
to: “Why couldn’t you?”
When you begin asking why couldn’t you?, you discover a much bigger need for help.
Schools cannot address all of those needs alone. Kids and youth have to be at the center, with community, education, government, faith-based organizations, nonprofits, families, and other partners surrounding them with support.
When those supports come together, students have more opportunity to learn. Small rural districts still face shortages in the services our children need. That is also why I believe every student needs a trusted adult navigator—someone who can help that young person find the resources they need so the pathway to success becomes more of a reality than just a thought.
When you think about what Union Uplifted needs in order to succeed over the long term, what feels most critical?
Deep investment in place-based work is about the richness of social capital. The work is much bigger than one person.
For Union Uplifted to succeed, we have to continue building alignment and trust. We have to keep people focused on the common vision and keep the community engaged in the work.
That is how the work becomes strong enough to continue beyond any one person.
Joey, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. As we close, when you think about Union County—and about rural America more broadly—what is your hope?
When I think about Union County ten years from now, I hope people can say that a network of invested community members and partners came together, took the time to plan for the future, and built a county-wide movement so that children and families had the opportunity to thrive.
I hope the strength of that network allows the work to continue from one generation to another.
And when I think about rural America, my hope is that we move from focusing on what rural America lacks and begin to invest in what we have—great people.
Continue exploring...
Union County: A Place-Based Partnership Case Study
NationSwell’s Place-Based Impact Hub tells the fuller story of the investments, relationships, and partners that helped catalyze the work in Union County.
Union Uplifted
Learn more about the place-based partnership and its work with children, families, and community partners across Union County.
How has your perspective on readiness evolved? I'd love to hear. Email me at dreama@dreamagentry.com