CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Well-known actress and organic farm ambassador, Jennifer Garner will headline the Education Alliance’s 2025 West Virginia Education Summit and speak on behalf of the power of partnerships.
The annual summit will take place at the Clay Center in Charleston on Thursday from noon to 1:30 p.m.
Garner is a co-founder and Chief Brand Officer of Once Upon a Farm, an organic agricultural business that produces a variety of organic and refrigerated baby food and kids snacks.
Amelia Courts
Education Alliance President and CEO Amelia Courts said Garner is passionate about forming partnerships as a means to foster better industry practices and create a brighter future for all.
“What we’re really excited about is showcasing for West Virginia educators, business leaders, policy makers that are going to join us at the summit the power of these kinds of partnerships,” Courts said.
During the event, Garner will share insights on the impact forming partnerships make in shaping brighter futures for students and communities.
Courts said they know how hard schools work across the state to support the students and prepare them for a variety of future careers, but they need industry partners to come alongside them and provide them with additional support and resources, and the goal of this summit is to guide them in that endeavor.
Jennifer Garner (Photo from Once Upon a Farm)
She said Garner models these kinds of partnerships with her own business at Once Upon a Farm.
“Through her own business, she also models this idea of partnerships with Save the Children, which is her philanthropy that her company partners with,” she said.
The Hope for the Future: WV School-Business Partnership of the Year Award will also be announced during the Education Summit.
In addition, the event will host an industry panel exploring cutting-edge careers in agriculture and technology, and a Student Expo that will highlight real-world success stories in careers, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Courts said the student expo will specifically feature a focus on four West Virginia schools that have innovative agricultural programs, which will showcase the importance of partnerships through a school’s perspective.
She said the industry panel will include the West Virginia Agriculture Commissioner, Kent Leonhardt, Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby, Brad Gritt, the general manager of Gritt’s Farm, and a spokesperson from Coalfield Development.
Courts said they will further provide insight into how partnerships make a strong impact.
“Each of them are really going to share insight on how we can better partner with our schools to support innovative career opportunities specifically focusing in on agriculture,” Courts said.
Garner joined Once Upon a Farm in 2017, partnering with co-founder and CEO John Forake.
Together, through their brand, they have pushed for stricter regulations and higher standards in the baby food industry.