PODCASTS
More Than Buildings: The Human Side of Resilience
In this final dispatch from the 2025 Rural Renaissance Roadshow in Opelika, Alabama, The Groundswell Way closes out its on-the-ground series with a powerful conversation between host Matthew Wesley Williams and Andrew Freear, Director of Auburn University’s Rural Studio.
The Groundswell Way: Episode 4, Part Two: Moving at the Speed of Trust — An Indian Country Roundtable
Part Two expands the conversation with a dynamic Indian Country roundtable featuring leaders from the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy, the Native American Agriculture Fund, and Groundswell. Together, the panel explores what it actually takes to build trust, move beyond transactional partnerships, and support Indigenous-led solutions in energy, food systems, and community resilience.
The Groundswell Way: Episode 4, Part One – Moving at the Speed of Trust, with Special Guest Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, Gila River Indian Community
What does it really mean to build resilience in the face of climate change, water scarcity, and centuries of under-investment? In this powerful episode of The Groundswell Way, host Matthew Wesley Williams sits down with Governor Stephen Roe Lewis of the Gila River Indian Community—a visionary leader stewarding bold solutions rooted in ancestral wisdom and sovereign innovation.
The Groundswell Way: Episode 3 – Resilience by Design: Investing to Rebuild Rural America
Are you passionate about rural innovation and community impact? The latest episode of The Groundswell Way podcast is a must-listen! In this episode, Tony Pipa of the Brookings Institution leads a dynamic conversation with Al Puchala (CapZone), Kyle Bridgeforth (Bridgeforth Farms), and Chéri Smith (Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy).
The Groundswell Way: Episode 2 – The Westside Resilience Corridor: A Two-Part Episode
Westside Atlanta churches are carrying forward their civil rights legacy together, building local resilience with Groundswell and key partners.
The Groundswell Way: Episode 1 — Spinning Plates in a Hurricane with Special Guest Michelle Moore
We’re excited to announce the launch of The Groundswell Way podcast, a new series that explores what resilience means for communities across the country, and how neighbors are coming together to co-create solutions that work.
The Groundswell Way Series Trailer
The Groundswell Way is a podcast about building community power through community development for wholistic resilience. Hosted by Matthew Wesley Williams, Senior Vice President of Community Development at Groundswell, this series dives into what resilience means, and what it really takes to build the everyday conditions that are built under blue skies and proven in storms.
BLOG POSTS & NEWSLETTER
ICYMI: We’re Expanding Energy Affordability in LaGrange, GA, and West Memphis, AR
Groundswell is bringing energy savings and critical home repairs to families in LaGrange, Georgia, and West Memphis, Arkansas—with support from Google—connecting community investment to real, household-level impact.
Call for Presenters: At the Data Center Crossroads
Today, I’m writing to invite you to submit your ideas and recommendations for presenters and sessions for this year’s Rural Renaissance Roadshow. Local control requires local leadership, and it’s a critical time for us to work together as neighbors and colleagues to pick our paths well at the data center crossroads.
Spring Into Savings with SharePower
As winter fades and the first signs of spring appear across the region, we’re reminded that brighter days are ahead, in more ways than one. Spring is the season of renewal. Trees begin to bloom, daylight stretches longer into the evening, and communities come back to life after the cold of winter. Here in the DC area, the arrival of the cherry blossoms later this month is one of the most beautiful reminders that a new season has begun.
Decatur, Alabama – “The River City” – to Host the 2026 Rural Renaissance Roadshow: At the Data Center Crossroads
Last time I wrote to you all, I shared that this year’s Roadshow topic is “At the Data Center Crossroads.” AI data centers have become a kitchen table issue – especially in the small towns and rural counties where data center developers are locking up hundreds of acres of potential data center sites.
At the Data Center Crossroads
AI data centers have become a kitchen table issue, especially in the small towns and rural counties where data center developers are locking up hundreds of acres of potential data center sites.
Joy in Community + A Gift for You
As our team at Groundswell closes out this year, we’ve been taking time in community with one another to celebrate all the ways we’ve been able to keep serving our neighbors.
Wishing You a Season of Light With SharePower
As we wrap up this year, we want to pause and celebrate you. Your SharePower subscription didn’t just support clean energy this year; it helped brighten everyday life for households across our community. Because of your commitment, more families experienced relief on their electric bills, more clean energy reached the grid, and more of our neighbors felt supported during a time when affordability matters more than ever. Your participation truly creates a ripple of impact that extends far beyond your own meter.
A Letter of Thanksgiving
Every other Thursday, our team here at Groundswell gathers for Thankful Thursdays. We all join in and share one thing we’re each grateful for that week. Sometimes people give thanks for each other or for our partners or for provision, and sometimes it’s for health and family. One of the things that has struck me about our Thankful Thursdays this year is that, even in the midst of the hardest weeks, we have been overflowing with gratitude.
Opening Celebration of Local Leadership, Rural Power, and Tribal Sovereignty
Two weeks ago, Groundswell hosted our third annual Rural Renaissance Roadshow in Auburn and Opelika, Alabama. Themed “Resilience by Design," The Roadshow brought together 200+ people involved in resilience projects across East Alabama, West Georgia, the greater Southeast, and communities nationwide.
VIDEOS
2025 Rural Renaissance Roadshow: Closing Remarks
Experience the inspiring conclusion to the 2025 Rural Renaissance Roadshow. Join Groundswell CEO Michelle Moore as she reveals the story and vision behind one of the event’s primary graphics—a symbol of hope, community, and progress for rural America. Hear directly from attendees as they share reflections about how the Roadshow impacted them and their communities, fostered new connections, and sparked innovative ideas for rural revitalization. Don’t miss this powerful closing moment that celebrates the spirit and achievements of the Roadshow!
2025 Rural Renaisssance Roadshow: Welcome to Opelika
Groundswell’s annual Rural Renaissance Roadshow brings together rural leaders from across the U.S. to share knowledge, forge partnerships, and bring resources back to hard-working communities. The Roadshow equips attendees to build strong, locally led futures through inspiration, education, and hands-on sessions, including opportunities to learn more about funding and technical support. This year, we’re heading to Opelika, Alabama, where attendees will spend two and a half days connecting and seeing the work in action.
2025 Rural Renaissance Roadshow: Rural Resilience & Renewal
Join us for a keynote panel by speakers who have a resolute commitment to rebuild Rural America, which they explored together as the lunchtime keynote panel at the 2025 Rural Renaissance Roadshow. Tony Pipa (Brookings Institution) will lead Al Puchala (CapZone), Kyle Bridgeforth (Bridgeforth Farms), and Chéri Smith (Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy) spoke in this discussion titled Rural Resilience & Renewal: Maximizing the Opportunities amid Turbulence & Uncertainty.
EVENTS
2026 Rural Renaissance Roadshow
Mark your calendars for November 4-6, 2026, and join us in Decatur, Alabama, “at the Data Center Crossroads”. AI data centers have become a kitchen table issue, especially in small towns and rural counties. Their impact on energy infrastructure and affordability is one part of a broader picture that encompasses land use, energy, water, and economic development in ways that will help – or hurt – our quality of life for generations to come. This November, come together as community, tech, energy, and policy leaders to talk about the hard questions and explore the future of rural power.
PRESS RELEASES
Mayor Andre Dickens Keynotes Graduation of Inaugural Westside Resilience Corridor CPET Workforce Cohort
The Westside Resilience Corridor today announced the graduation of the inaugural cohort of its Career Pre-Employment Training (CPET) workforce development program, held on May 11 at 6:00 p.m. at Community Church Atlanta, 850 Cascade Avenue SW, Atlanta, GA 30311. Mayor Andre Dickens served as the keynote speaker for the ceremony, underscoring the City of Atlanta’s commitment to investing in the strength and resilience of Atlanta’s neighborhoods.
ICYMI: Groundswell to Deliver Energy Savings and Home Repairs for LaGrange Families with Support from Google
Groundswell is expanding access to energy affordability in LaGrange, Georgia, with support from Google, as part of a broader announcement tied to Google’s new data center investment in the community.
ICYMI: Groundswell Expands Energy Affordability Work in West Memphis Through Google Energy Impact Fund
Groundswell is expanding its work to deliver energy affordability and home improvements in West Memphis as part of Google’s West Memphis Energy Impact Fund.
Westside Resilience Corridor’s CPET Program Launch Draws Strong Community Response and High Demand for Energy Career Pathways
ATLANTA, GA — March 13, 2026 — The Westside Resilience Corridor celebrated the successful launch of its Career Pre-Employment Training (CPET) Program this month, welcoming nearly 100 attendees to the orientation and kickoff session hosted at the Vicars Community Center at Community Church Atlanta. Nearly five times more Atlanta residents applied than there were available slots in this inaugural cohort, underscoring the community’s strong interest in high-paying, sustainable careers in Georgia’s growing energy sector.