Alliance for Regional Development Wisconsin Operational Chair Carmel Ruffolo and President & CEO Kelly O’Brien traveled to Washington in June to meet with senior leaders from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (E.D.A.) to discuss the recently awarded “Tri-State Regional Development Case Study” grant. Ruffolo and O’Brien updated the E.D.A. leaders on the activies of the Alliance Working Teams, including the March kickoff and June quarterly meeting.
In addition, Thomas Guevara, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regional Affairs, offered to continue to meet with Alliance stakeholders and working team members. E.D.A. investment policy is designed to establish a foundation for sustainable job growth and the building of durable regional economies based upon two key economic drivers: innovation; and regional collaboration. “Regions that work together can leverage resources and strengths to fare better than those that do not,” said Guevara.
O’Brien also met with Assistant Secretary for Economic Development Jay Williams, newly sworn-in on May 20, to discuss the Second Annual Summit on Regional Competitiveness. Assistant Secretary Williams was very impressed with how far the Alliance has come in convening leaders to work on implementing the recommendations of the OECD territorial review, an EDA-funded endeavor.