The first lecture in Virginia Tech’s  Community Voices series will be given by organic farmer Anthony Flaccavento, who received an award from the Ford Foundation for his work in sustainable development. Here is a press release from Virginia Tech:

Anthony Flaccavento will kick off the Spring 2011 Community Voices series with “Economies, Community and Love: Renewing the American Dream from the Ground Up” on Feb. 24 from 4 to 5 p.m at The Lyric Theater.

The hour-long talk with Flaccavento will focus on his work in sustainable agriculture and development in rural communities. An Abingdon organic farmer and recipient of the Ford Foundation Leadership for a Changing World Award, Flaccavento created Appalachian Sustainable Development and was recognized as a Fellow on National Food and Society Policy by the Kellogg Foundation.

The Community Voices series will focus on Creative Leadership for Community Resilience and Innovation by inviting leaders from all sectors to discuss their approaches to leadership and problem solving.  Each talk will be recorded and available to the public through the Institute for Policy and Governance website.

Future Community Voices talks will be held at The Lyric Theatre, at 135 College Ave. in Blacksburg on

*   Thursday, March 30, 4 to 5 p.m.; and
*   Thursday, April 21, 4 to 5 p.m.

The events are free and open to the public.