You can’t tell the story of SOAR without Congressman Hal Rogers.
Long before the programs, partnerships, investments, and annual Summit that define SOAR today, there was an idea: Eastern Kentucky needed a table big enough to bring the region together around its challenges, opportunities, and a shared vision for the future.
Congressman Rogers helped build that table.
In 2013, Rogers and then-Gov. Steve Beshear led the collective effort that resulted in the creation of Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR), bringing together leaders and organizations from across Eastern Kentucky at a critical moment in the region’s history.
More than a decade later, Rogers hasn’t stepped away from that table.
He remains SOAR’s founding Co-Principal Officer, a champion for the organization and its mission, and a powerful advocate for investments capable of creating lasting economic opportunity across Eastern Kentucky.
This October, Rogers will be a featured speaker at the 2026 SOAR Summit, presented by Appalachian Wireless and the Appalachian Regional Commission, October 7–9 in Corbin.
Rogers, Dean of the U.S. House of Representatives, will speak during the Principal Officer Plenary, presented by the University of the Cumberlands, on Friday, October 9, on the KCTCS Stage at the Corbin Arena.
For Rogers, it’s not simply another appearance at the Summit. It’s a continuation of the work he helped start.
From Crisis Came Collaboration
SOAR’s story begins during one of the most consequential economic transitions in modern Eastern Kentucky history.
By 2013, the region was experiencing dramatic losses in the coal industry. Thousands of jobs were eliminated, affecting not only miners and their families but businesses, local governments, and entire communities throughout the region.
The challenges were too significant for any one organization, community, or level of government to solve alone.
Congressman Rogers and Gov. Steve Beshear recognized that.
Rather than prescribing a solution from outside the region, they helped bring Eastern Kentucky together to begin building one.
Local elected officials, educators, employers, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, economic development organizations, state and federal partners, and community leaders were invited to the table.
That collective effort became SOAR.
The premise was straightforward but powerful: bring people together, identify shared priorities, connect organizations capable of addressing them, and build the partnerships and systems necessary to move Eastern Kentucky forward.
That spirit of collaboration remains at the heart of SOAR today.
And Congressman Rogers has remained part of it from the beginning.
From Convening to Impact
Bringing people together matters.
But it’s the work done around the table that matters most.
Over the past decade, SOAR has evolved into an active organization focused on reshaping our future through innovative opportunities, connecting Eastern Kentuckians to good-paying jobs, investing in our students, and building systems that expand economic development.
Since day one, Congressman Rogers has remained a visionary champion for Eastern Kentucky, securing millions in federal funding for projects across the region.
One of the most consequential examples is happening right now.
SOAR and its partners received $40 million through the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Recompete Pilot Program, which created the EKY Runway initiative.
The Eastern Kentucky award was the largest implementation award made through the inaugural national program, and SOAR was one of only six implementation awardees selected nationally from a program that initially attracted hundreds of applications.
Congressman Rogers strongly supported the Eastern Kentucky proposal and has consistently championed federal economic development investments targeted toward rural and coal-impacted communities.
The Recompete investment is now putting resources behind something SOAR has worked toward since its beginning: helping more Eastern Kentuckians connect to meaningful employment and economic opportunity.
It’s a powerful example of what can happen when a region organizes around a shared challenge.
Convene the right people. Build the partnerships. Develop the strategy. Secure the resources. Put those resources to work.
That’s the kind of collaboration SOAR was created to foster.
The Work Continues
Eastern Kentuckians are resilient, relentless, and determined.
Our challenges no longer define us. We are rewriting the stories that Eastern Kentucky deserves with real testimonies, real opportunities, and real results.
- Employers are discovering a workforce with transferable skills built through generations of work in coal, manufacturing, construction, healthcare, energy, and other industries.
- More entrepreneurs are starting and growing businesses across the region.
- Communities are exploring new approaches to housing, childcare, infrastructure, technology, and talent attraction.
- Remote workers are choosing Eastern Kentucky as a place to build their lives.
- New opportunities are emerging in sectors ranging from advanced manufacturing and healthcare to technology and nuclear energy.
There is progress worth celebrating, but there is still work to do.
That’s why SOAR continues to convene.
And it’s why the SOAR Summit continues to matter.
Building Eastern Kentucky. Together.
The theme of this year’s Summit is simple: Building Eastern Kentucky. Together.
It reflects the founding idea behind SOAR while also describing what attendees can expect in Corbin.
The Summit isn’t designed to be a place where people simply sit in a room and listen.
The 2026 experience puts a greater emphasis on Eastern Kentucky voices, practical learning, meaningful participation, and connections that continue after the Summit ends.
We’re creating space for communities to share what’s working.
We’re bringing together leaders who are solving real problems.
We’re creating hands-on opportunities to explore ideas and understand how they can be applied elsewhere.
And we’re building more time into the experience for something that has always been one of SOAR’s greatest strengths: bringing people together.
Three Days. One Region. Countless Connections.
The 2026 SOAR Summit runs October 7–9 in Corbin, with each day intentionally designed to offer a different experience.
And your registration is all-access.
Wednesday, October 7 | Connect + Celebrate
The Summit begins with connections and celebration.
Wednesday gives attendees an opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and partners from across Eastern Kentucky, meet new people, and begin conversations that can continue throughout the Summit.
The evening culminates with the SOAR Inspires Awards, presented by KCTCS, celebrating individuals and organizations making a difference across Eastern Kentucky.
It’s an opportunity to begin Appalachia’s Premier Event by recognizing something we don’t do often enough: the people who are moving our region forward.
Thursday, October 8 | Learn + Experience
Thursday is the Summit’s full programming day.
We’ll begin with the kickoff session on the KCTCS Stage at the Corbin Arena, setting the tone for a day built around Eastern Kentucky stories, ideas, and opportunities.
From there, attendees can participate in FOCUS Breakout Sessions designed around timely issues affecting communities and organizations across the region.
Rather than simply identifying challenges, these conversations will focus on what’s working, what we’re learning, and how successful ideas can be replicated.
TenTalks will provide another platform for regional voices, giving speakers a fast-paced opportunity to share ideas, lessons, and stories worth spreading.
In the afternoon, hands-on workshops will give attendees more time to dig deeper into important topics and move from conversation toward application.
Throughout Thursday, attendees can also experience the EKY Experience, presented by Appalachian Regional Healthcare.
The EKY Experience brings together businesses, organizations, industries, and partners to showcase the innovation, resources, and opportunities that exist throughout Eastern Kentucky.
It’s also one of the Summit’s biggest networking opportunities.
- Meet an employer.
- Discover a resource for your community.
- Connect with a potential partner.
- Learn about an organization you’ve heard about but never had the opportunity to meet.
Sometimes the most valuable Summit experience isn’t a session.
It’s the conversation that happens between them.
Friday, October 9 | Lead + Look Ahead
Friday brings Appalachia’s Premier Event together for its closing major session.
Congressman Rogers will be a featured speaker during the Principal Officer Plenary, presented by the University of the Cumberlands, on the KCTCS Stage at the Corbin Arena.
It’s a fitting way to close the Summit.
A leader who helped bring Eastern Kentucky together in 2013 will once again stand before a region gathered around a shared belief in what’s possible.
But this isn’t about looking backward.
It’s about what we build next.
Your Seat Is at the Table
Congressman Rogers helped bring Eastern Kentucky to the table in 2013 because the challenges facing our region demanded collaboration.
That principle hasn’t changed.
Whether you’re an employer, entrepreneur, educator, elected official, nonprofit leader, student, community advocate, or someone who simply cares about the future of Eastern Kentucky, there is a place for you at this year’s Summit.
Come hear from Congressman Hal Rogers and leaders from across the region.
Discover what’s working, find ideas you can take home, meet people you might not otherwise meet, and be a part of the conversations shaping what’s next.
Join us October 7–9 in Corbin for the 2026 SOAR Summit, presented by Appalachian Wireless and the Appalachian Regional Commission.
This is Appalachia’s Premier Event.