We help leaders and organizations create deeper impact in the communities they serve
Through hands-on consulting, we strengthen organizational capacity, sharpen focus, and cultivate effective leadership in Central Appalachia and beyond.
Management • Strategy • Facilitation • Thought Partnership
About
Our Purpose
RSP is a mission-driven management consulting firm dedicated to strengthening the focus, effectiveness, and impact of leaders, organizations, and networks working to expand economic opportunity, build strong rural communities, and improve rural lives. When our clients succeed, rural economies and communities succeed—and our mission to advance thriving rural communities and diverse local economies moves forward.
Our Experience
As seasoned consultants and practitioners, we have led organizations, worked alongside a diverse array of community leaders, served as grantmakers and business owners, and built and managed regional networks driving change across complex systems. As a result, we bring lessons learned through years of work and partnership with thoughtful, committed, and highly impactful clients and partners.
This experience gives us clear insight into what it truly takes to lead an organization and move complex change efforts forward in rural communities. We show up with thoughtful guidance, practical solutions, and a steady, humble confidence grounded in learning alongside those we serve.
Our Clients
We are proud to have partnered with a wide range of organizations dedicated to advancing community and economic development across rural Appalachia and beyond. Our clients include national and regional foundations, federal and state agencies, financial institutions, networks and backbone organizations, and place-based nonprofits and social enterprises. While contexts and challenges vary, our clients share a commitment to rural community and economic development. We are proud to partner with organizations at different stages of growth and across multiple sectors to support clarity, effectiveness, and lasting impact for rural people and rural places. Below is a selection of organizations we have had the privilege to support.
Client List
ACEnet
Alabama Sustainable Ag Network
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Appalachia Funders Network
Appalachia Regional Food Business Center
Appalachian Citizens Law Center
Appalachian Community Capital
Appalachian Food Summit
Appalachian Regional Commission
Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project
Appalachian Sustainable Development
Appalshop
ArtPlace America
Aspen Institute
BALLE
Bristol Public Library
Brushy Fork Institute
Burke Development Inc.
Carolina Small Business Development Fund
Carolina Textile District
Center for Rural Entrepreneurship
Central Appalachian Forestry Alliance
Central Appalachian Network
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Coalfield Development Corporation
Community & Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky, University of Kentucky
Community Farm Alliance
The Educational Foundation of America
Poder Emma 3
Ford Foundation
Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky
The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation
Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation
Heifer International
Highlander Research & Education Center
HOMES Inc
Housing Development Alliance
The Industrial Commons
Invest Appalachia
Just Transition Fund
The Just Trust
Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust
LOCUS Impact Investing
Mountain Association
McIntosh SEED
Mountain BizWorks
New Roots Community Farm
Partner Community Capital
People Inc
Opportunity Appalachia
New Opportunity School For Women
Osteopathic Heritage Foundation
The REACH Initiative
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
RUPRI
Rural Action
Rural Resources
Southern Sustainable Ag Working Group
Sustainable Food Lab
Tennesseans for Fair Taxation
Thompson Charitable Foundation
The Innovate Fund
The One Foundation
Truist Bank CRA / Community Development
West Virginia Community Development Hub
West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition
WNC Communities
WNC Nonprofit Pathways
Woodlands Development & Lending
“Thomas and the team at RSP have deep experience, knowledge, and relationships across Appalachia. They are innovative, informed, and social-minded. RSP gets it. I couldn’t recommend them any more highly!”
Jeannette Butterworth, WNC Nonprofit Pathways
