FEBRUARY 2026
COVER STORY
The Long Middle: Leadership When No One Is Clapping, pg. 7 GetRuralLeaderMag.com | FEBRUARY 2026 1
Contents
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Kuanita E. Murphy, PhD Rural Leader Magazine, LLC is a digital publication that highlights every day people doing extraordinary things nationally and abroad. www.RuralLeaderMag.com www.GetRuralLeaderMag.com
About Us
Launched in March 2014, Rural Leader Magazine, LLC is a digital publication with a mission to highlight every day people doing extraordinary things in business, education, music, community, art, sports, and leadership nationally and abroad. Rural Leader Magazine honors exemplary individuals on a variety of levels, such as the 20 under 20 Honors, 40 under 40 Honors, Best Small Town Restaurant, Small Town America’s 100 Most Influential People, the Scholars of Collegiate Distinction, Fifty under Fifty, and the Eagle Elite Club.— Reproduction in any manner, in whole or in part, in English, or other languages, is prohibited without written consent. Send editorial ideas to Kuanita Murphy, PhD, Editor-in-Chief
3 Editor's Note: Betweem the Vision and the Win
COVER STORY 7 The Long Middle: Leadership When No One Is Clapping
16 Five Things Rural Leaders Must Do in the “In-Between” Season 17 Quiet Impact: The Leaders You Don’t See—but Should
9 Move It Monday Returns with 2026 Spring One-Mile Walk Kickoff
19 Still Standing: Faith, Wellness, and the Sustainability of Leadership
11 Small Town Strategy Book Release Marks a Defining Moment for Rural Leadership
20 When access to care matters most: How CRNAs keep rural America safe and healthy
12 Making the Connection Between the Vision and the Win
23 Suffering in Silence: Older Adults Need to Speak Up About Their Mental Health
12 Still Standing Honoring Steady Rural Leaders: A New Community Spotlight Series in Rural Leader Magazine 14 Monthly Cardiovascular Health Meeting Focuses on Prevention and Community Action
25 Barbershop Talks Returns: Creating Space for Real Conversation in Cuthbert 26 How AI agents help the ‘Fortune 5 million’ thrive 29 What Comes After the Middle
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RuralLeaderMag.com | FEBRUARY 2026
Editor’s Note
Between the Vision and the Win By Dr. Kuanita E. Murphy, Publisher Rural Leader Magazine
Across these pages, you will find stories and initiatives that reflect what real leadership looks like in small towns. You will read about conversations happening in trusted community spaces, efforts to improve health and wellness through steady collaboration, and moments of gathering that remind us why connection still matters. You will also see preparation underway—quiet, deliberate steps toward milestones that will soon come into focus. February reminds us that progress does not always announce itself. Much of the work that sustains communities happens when no one is watching, guided by leaders who understand that impact is built slowly, through trust, presence, and follow-through. As you read this issue, my hope is that you recognize yourself in these stories—not just in the outcomes, but in the effort. If you are carrying a vision that feels heavy right now, know that the middle is not a sign that you are behind. It is often a sign that you are doing the work exactly as it needs to be done. Stay steady. Stay connected. The win will come— but the middle is where leadership is proven.— Sincerely, February is not a loud month. There are no ribbon cuttings. No end-of-year reports. No celebratory headlines announcing that the work is finished. Instead, February sits quietly between intention and outcome—between what we set out to do and what we hope will one day stand as proof that it mattered. For rural leaders, this “middle season” is familiar territory. It is where plans are tested, partnerships are stretched, and momentum must be sustained without applause. It is where leaders show up to meetings even when progress feels incremental, where programs continue long after the excitement of the launch has faded, and where commitment is measured not by visibility, but by consistency. This issue of Rural Leader Magazine is dedicated to that space—the space between the vision and the win.
Kuanita E. Murphy, PhD. Editor-In-Chief
What you do matters. @RuralLeaderMag GetRuralLeaderMag.com | FEBRUARY 2026 3