Jennie Harpold, Director of Lees-McRae College’s New Opportunity School for Women: Helping Women of Appalachia Achieve Success

By Meg Hale Brunton

Jennie Harpold has been the director of Lee-McRae College’s New Opportunity School for Women (NOSW) for over ten years, yet she has been helping women achieve their professional goals for her entire career. Originally from a small town in East Virginia, Jennie grew up in a family of teachers. “I thought I would always be teaching or doing something in education,” she says. 

She received her degree in Social Psychology and worked as a student teacher with plans to teach middle or high school. She quickly realized she preferred working with a different type of student. “I found a real love for working with adults,” she explains. “They are motivated and unfortunately, a lot of them have been failed early on by the education system.” Jennie feels that, if the education system were better, there would be no need for programs like the New Opportunity School for Women (NOSW). 

NOSW was founded in 1987 at Berea College in Kentucky with the goal of helping low-income Appalachian women who found themselves without skills and having to enter the workplace. In 2005, Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, NC became the first school to expand the program. The program’s founder Jane Stephenson was a native of Banner Elk and a Lees-McRae alum. Jennie was hired as an instructor to teach a course on resumes and employee abilities. In 2012, she became the school’s director.

As the director, Jennie says that her job is part program manager, part grant writer, part administrator, and part recruiter, depending on the day. Recruitment is definitely her favorite part, though. “I think it’s important to go out and meet these women and know their purpose,” Jennie says. “It energizes you – seeing them excited about college. They begin to believe that college could be for them.” Jennie also says she loves watching the women have that ‘Aha moment,’ in which they can see a path towards success. 

In her early forties, Jennie worked with a domestic violence crisis line, an experience she feels now helps her in her current role at NOSW. Having been a victim of domestic violence herself, she was eager to receive the training to help women escape the situation they were in. “Every time the phone rang, you wouldn’t know what you would be dealing with,” she recalls. “Would it be a bad call?” She became the volunteer coordinator, and eventually went on to become the director of the program.

Jennie feels that her current role at the NOSW combines the two aspects of her expertise from previous career experience to some extent, since many of the women who attend the program are victims of domestic violence. “I think having that diverse background makes me better able to serve them,” she explains.

Photo Courtesy of Lees-McRae College

While Jennie says she does miss the teaching aspect of her role at the NOSW, she is still able to stay involved with her employee ability course. “I think if you begin as a teacher, you always miss that interaction,” she shares. “I think it’s so important for our women to know all the resources they have available to them.”

The three-week program is run out of a restored Appalachian house on the Lees-McRae campus. Students live and attend classes on the premises, all at no expense to them. “It’s unique in that it is residential,” Jennie says. “By bringing the women to the campus, they have the opportunity to thrive.” Jennie feels that this sort of structured and scheduled learning environment gives the students the opportunity to gain some clarity while they plan for their future. “Until you know where you’re going and how you’re going to get there, it’s hard to know what your next week, month, or year is going to look like,” she says.

The NOSW curriculum is designed to foster skills that will help its students approach life and work from diverse perspectives. The courses cover everything from financial literacy, to computer skills, job-seeking skills, leadership development, and even Appalachian literature. Jennie explains that the program puts a lot of emphasis on Appalachian heritage. “Too often, women are running from their roots,” she says of the students, “and we want to help them to embrace that culture.” 

The school also takes the students on field trips to great Appalachian sites, such as Grandfather Mountain. Working with their many partners, like NC Works and the local government, the NOSW hosts a range of speakers on topics such as “You are the CEO of Your Life,” and “Everyone’s Government.” They even have Mary Kay representatives come in to do makeovers for the women to go along with the internal makeover that is happening in the classrooms. At the end of the term, each woman gets to create a quilt square that is sewn into one big quilt by one of their former graduates.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the school learned that many aspects of the program could be done remotely. While students couldn’t attend classes on the premises, Jennie feels that the NOSW’s scaled-back version of its program continued to achieve the school’s core goal: to improve the educational, personal and financial standings of the women of Appalachia. Jennie credits the positive energy of the school’s faculty with their success. “We have a great staff,” she says. “We build on their enthusiasm.” 

The school’s term runs from early June to July 1st, and is funded primarily by grants and donations. Jennie recommends that anyone who is interested in the program come visit the campus to see what it’s all about, and if it is a good fit for them.  

Whether teaching classes, or working one-on-one, Jennie has been working with women on their career or personal development for over thirty years. She says that she loves getting to watch the women that attend the NOSW experience their success, and knowing that they leave the program better equipped to go out into the world.

For more information on the New Opportunity School for Women at Lees-McRae College, visit their website: www.lmc.edu/academics/nosw/index.html