Fairmont State professor served as keynote at agriculture conference

Fairmont State University’s Mary Elizabeth “M.E.” Yancosek Gamble, chair of the Department of Performing Arts and associate professor for the School of Business, was the keynote speaker at the 2019 West Virginia Women in Agriculture Conference.

Gamble’s keynote titled “Farming in the Digital Age” was about how women can use social media to form a movement to dispel negative stereotypes in West Virginia.

“West Virginia women have been on the front lines of holding farm, family, and faith all together. We hear about ageism and sexism, this is Appalachianism, the prejudice of those against Appalachia,” she said. “I’m working with the women of West Virginia and asking them to remember there is strength in being together, to form a movement to use digital media organically to dispel negative stereotypes.”

This was the sixth annual conference that enables women in agriculture to come together to learn about how they can improve and share their ideas. For Gamble, she was attending the conference for the third year and said each year it gets bigger and better.

“It is such an honor to speak to a group of women about what they can to share with others globally about their farms, their agricultural life styles and help Appalachia that we all love so dearly at the same time. These women are truly the beginning of #WorthWILD movement for all of us,” she said. “I wanted to use some hashtag to begin a collective movement, something to unify all of the positive posts in Appalachia.”

Gamble created #WorthWILD to give the women a place to start when it comes to sharing their stories and letting people know about their lives in Appalachia.

The presentation, part motivation, part positive West Virginian news, part keynote, was well received.  These women are so powerful.  They realized as they heard the words, that they could indeed change the external perception of West Virginians.  

Since November, the hashtag has been used over 500 times and creates a quilt of good things in West Virginia.

Working with the West Virginia media outlets, Gamble will continue the efforts after the pandemic.  We all are trying to showcase the good things about West Virginia. Getting one hashtag to catch on it an integrated marketing effort.   Gamble has, with the help of the Fairmont State community, silk screened t-shirts with the "worthWILD" logo.  

M.E. Gamblechair of the Department of Performing Arts#worthWILDWomen in Agriculture Conference