Many years ago, we led the feasibility study and conceptual development for a Center for Human-Wildlife Conflicts. With this foundation of vision and strategy, Mississippi State University launched the Center, which now flourishes and serves wildlife professionals nationwide. 

In 2009, the University of Tennessee closed and sold the derelict Buford Ellington 4-H Center in West Tennessee, but promised stakeholders to replace it with a modern, top-notch facility. We helped develop the vision, define the program, and recruit partners to secure and develop Lone Oaks Farm. In six short years, Lone Oaks Farm has become one of the premier education centers in the US focused on agriculture, conservation, and outdoor recreation. To date, we have raised nearly $100 million to support the Farm, including dozens of partners in the public, corporate, and nonprofit sectors.

In 2022, the United Soybean Board, National Corn Growers Association, and National Pork Board – three of the most influential commodity organizations in the country – founded Farmers for Soil Health, a collaboration to drive adoption of sustainable farming practices nationwide. Along with many other partners, we secured a $95 million USDA Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodity grants. Risora leads the coordinating and delivery of this initiative, working with all of our national and state-level collaborators.

Working with Agricenter International, Risora led the conception and development of a partnership between Agricenter, Tennessee Wildlife Federation, and University of Tennessee Extension to launch a regional conservation initiative in agriculture and forestry. Under our leadership, we developed a winning $16 million funding proposal to the US Department of Agriculture.

Risora led the 8-month strategic planning process for Together We Grow, an organization dedicated to building a more diverse and capable workforce in food and agriculture. Through a series of confidential interviews, focus groups, and facilitated group settings, we helped this upstart organization chart a path for future growth and success.

Risora led multiple strategic planning sessions to help AFS revamp their publications program to ensure future success and relevancy to the professional fisheries community. Our facilitation led to major reorganization of their journal programs, which has resulted in more effective and sustainable publications.

 We led the conception, fundraising, and construction of The Clays at Lone Oaks Farm, a premier clay target and hunter education facility in the mid-south.

We led a multi-year project to restore about 20,000 feet of stream in West Tennessee to satisfy Ford’s environmental regulatory requirements to construct BlueOval City in Haywood County, Tennessee. This project involved strategy, partnership development, communication, and deep negotiations with public and private organizations. As a result of our work, Ford received the permits required to construct BlueOval City, and provided $16.5 million to our partners to fund the stream restoration work, as well as long-term education and conservation programs.

We know that soft skills often make the difference between failure and success, both for individuals and organizations. We offer training and professional development in a variety of topics, including writing, speaking, conflict management, negotiation, and leadership. We offer training options in these areas ranging from 1-hour webinars to week-long in-person workshops.