Meet The Team

Brittney Barlett

Try This WV Executive Director

Brittney has directed Try This since September 2020. She lives in Weston with her husband and 3 dogs, where she is active with community organizations like Lewis First. A former high-school teacher, she is passionate about healthy-community activities and oversees the Jane Lew community garden.

Deanna Palmer

Director of The Lewis County FRN, Try This fiscal sponsor

Deanna signed up to coordinate the fiscal management of Try This funding, but she has been much more, a source of constant encouragement. A Weston resident and mother of two boys, she also directs the statewide alliance of FRNs and oversees 52 other programs for Lewis County that benefit low-income people.

Melissa Young

Try This

Administrative Coordinator

Mel lives in South Charleston WV. She loves her kids, video games, and all things science fiction. She is passionate about what Try This WV does and discovering new ways to create a healthy WV.

Laura Anderson

Try This WV Organizer

Laura is an active mother of 4 from Lewis County, WV and a collector of stories. She joined Try This in 2020 as an AmeriCorps serving in Central WV Region. As the Try This WV Organizer she is looking forward to connecting folk, sharing the stories of projects and growing new partnerships throughout the state.

Tracey Galloway

AmeriCorps

serving

Northern Panhandle

Tracey Galloway joined Try This WV in 2021 as an AmeriCorps volunteer. Galloway is a life-long community servant and graduate of West Virginia Northern Community College, who’s passionate about the betterment of lives, creativity and learning. She is eager to fuse her background and passions in her new role to build a better future for West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle.

Kate Belt

AmeriCorps

serving

Central WV

A recent graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College, Kate is an Americorps member living in Buckhannon WV. Having been a member of the community her whole life, she is committed to working with others and being a positive voice to bring more opportunity and access to all West Virginians. Kate is excited to serve central West Virginia’s Try This region, and looks forward to making new connections in the community.

Cassie Wiley

AmeriCorps

serving

Southern WV

Huntington resident, Cassandra Wiley, started with Try This in 2021 and serves Southern WV as an AmeriCorps Volunteer. Avid garden fan, even though she doesn’t have the greenest thumb, is determined to apply herself in bringing people together for a healthier, happier West Virginia.

2021-2022 AmeriCorps

Kate Belt

Region:

Central, WV

A recent graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College, Kate is an Americorps member living in Buckhannon WV. Having been a member of the community her whole life, she is committed to working with others and being a positive voice to bring more opportunity and access to all West Virginians. Kate is excited to serve central West Virginia’s Try This region, and looks forward to making new connections in the community.

Tracey Galloway

Region:

Northern Panhandle

Cassie Wiley

Region:

Southern WV

Huntington resident, Cassandra Wiley, started with Try This in 2021 and serves Southern WV as an AmeriCorps Volunteer. Avid garden fan, even though she doesn’t have the greenest thumb, is determined to apply herself in bringing people together for a healthier, happier West Virginia.

Sarah Hott

Region:

Eastern WV

Sarah Hott lives in Augusta, in Hampshire County. She has a background in education and library services. Sarah has been a dedicated school and community volunteer for many years. She is excited to collaborate with others in the Eastern Panhandle on creative projects to promote wellness in West Virginia.

A letter from the Try This WV Director

Dear Try This network,

I can't say enough how proud and humbled I am to be leading Try This West Virginia. Try This has meant

so much to so many West Virginians, myself included. I've been graciously mentored into this new role, and

I'm thrilled to be steering this amazing ship onward,.with the support of generous funders, partners and staff.

And I mainly can't wait till I can start meeting many of you in person!

I can report that, despite the pandemic, the Try This network has grown this year.

Thirty-one local teams won minigrants and have already started work. See the descriptions here.
Try This has started down the path of setting up four regional networks. (The northern panhandle regional group has already won a four-county gardening grant!)
Four AmeriCorps workers have done wonderful work with minigrants and partners. All are inventorying physical activity opportunities in their counties.
Fourteen schools - 347 teachers - won grants to train their entire staffs in mindful stress reduction, thanks to a Try This/Mindful WV collaboration. (Mindful WV has grown into a statewide network. It began with a Try This minigrant in 2017!)
Collaborations are under way with several partners.
10 funders, state and national, have put Try This on good footing to go forward.
The new Try This Web site (under construction) will officially launch as www.trythiswv.org in June.
Try This media is expanding. The Try This Connections sessions have drawn more than 6,000 views, averaging more than 500 apiece so far. We can't have a conference yet, but we can certainly get online and enjoy each other! Former director Kate Long has gone back to being a journalist, this time for Try This, as media director.
Will we have a conference this year? We don't know yet. If we can't get together in person, we'll think of Plan B!

Yes, it's been challenging to take on the executive director role of a statewide organization in the middle of a global pandemic and all its uncertainty. But that's counter-balanced by the team of compassionate, energetic, smart West Virginians Try This has brought together. That includes those I've met online or haven't met yet - so I haven't regretted my choice to take this job for a moment.

I can't wait for the day when I can travel the state and actually meet you face to face!

Meanwhile, stay safe,

Brittney Barlett