Caleb Gore

Caleb joined Appalachian Voices in September 2026 as the Black Lung Coordinator. Caleb was born and raised in Southwest Virginia on the border with Tennessee. He attended Virginia Tech for his BA and received his MA in Political Science from Virginia Tech in 2022. In 2026, he received his PhD in Geography from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where his research focused on community views of fracking and proposals for carbon capture and storage in the Ohio River Valley.

In addition to his academic interests in Appalachia, Caleb discovered a passion for community organizing and social justice work when he interned with AppVoices in 2019. He worked closely with the SWVA Black Lung Association and assisted in coordinating a federal lobbying trip to Washington, D.C., with retired miners and their families, and he credits this experience with developing his passion for organizing work. During his time in Knoxville, Caleb was a rank-and-file member and organizer with the United Campus Workers labor union, where he fought alongside his fellow workers for the dignity of UT’s graduate workers and staff members.

When not working, Caleb spends time with family and friends, as well as his two cats, Mars and Clementine.