Tara St. Clair presents, "Igniting our future, from sparks to flames, ideas that burn bright in West Virginia". In her talk, she aims to show us how we can ignite our own curiosity for entrepreneurship here in West Virginia. A Parkersburg native, Tara St. Clair has a passion for igniting curiosity across the state of West Virginia. Working to amplify Appalachia through problem solving, Tara serves as the Program Director for the Encova Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In her role, she provides critical direction for the development and implementation of programs in the center. Her expertise lies in developing strategies to implement new programs and expand existing programs. She has a strong commitment to building innovative initiatives that create synergistic relationships between the academic world and the community. She has developed and implemented a number of initiatives across the state. She is also an adjunct instructor for the WVU Chambers College of Marketing Department.A connector by nature, Tara has been working in the space of "ecosystem building" since she co-founded the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in 2019 and has since helped grow the network to engage thousands of stakeholders annually in one of the country's most rural, distressed regions. She brings a unique rural perspective, lived experience, and vibrant energy to her work in ecosystem building. She currently serves as the Co-Chair for the ecosystem and Bridging Innovation Week. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx