WVFF Hosts Expert Panel Convening Focused on Collaboration and Community Impact

WEST VIRGINIA (May 22, 2026) – The West Virginia First Foundation (WVFF) hosted an Expert Panel Convening on Thursday, bringing together Regional and Statewide Expert Panelists, WVFF Board members, and staff from across the state for a day focused on collaboration, strategy, and engagement.

The convening was designed to strengthen alignment across WVFF’s Expert Panel structure, share statewide insights, and equip panelists with guidance and tools to support their ongoing work in addressing substance use disorder throughout West Virginia. The day’s sessions focused on WVFF priorities, the statewide needs assessment known as West Virginia Wayfinder, the upcoming Community Catalyst Grant program, and the important role Expert Panelists play in helping identify community needs and funding priorities.

“Expert Panelists bring critical regional knowledge, professional expertise, and for some, lived experience to this work,” said Jonathan Board. “This convening was an opportunity to strengthen collaboration, share ideas, and continue building a thoughtful, transparent, community-informed approach to opioid abatement efforts across West Virginia.”

WVFF’s Expert Panelists serve in volunteer advisory roles and represent a wide range of professional backgrounds and areas of expertise, including: prevention, treatment, recovery and lived experience, systems of care, law enforcement and judicial systems, first responders, and corrections and reentry. Regional and Statewide Expert Panels play an important role in helping inform priorities, elevate community perspectives, and provide guidance that supports WVFF’s mission and long-term impact across the state.

For more information on WVFF and its Expert Panels, visit https://wvfirst.org/expert-panels/.