The Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission (OVRDC) full commission meeting and election of officers was held in Vinton County on March 23 at the beautiful Lake Hope Lodge in McArthur, Ohio with nearly 70 members and guests attending.

The keynote speaker for the event was Roger Mace from the iBelieve Foundation. Founded in 2011, the iBelieve Foundation advocates on behalf of Appalachian youth and works to close the college access gap that inherently affects the young population of the region. With a mission to provide development opportunities for 21st-century skills such as leadership, communication and problem-solving, the foundation has been successful in increasing collegiate attendance among its participants throughout the previous seven years.

Over 2,000 students from rural and urban schools have been sponsored to attend summer leadership workshops that familiarize disadvantaged high school students with skills needed to positively impact their local communities and ultimately thrive as individuals in the workforce.

The officers elected for OVRDC for 2018-2019 were Shane Wilkin, Highland County Commissioner as chairman; Jack DeWeese, Fayette County Commissioner as vice-chairman; and Blaine Beekman, Pike County Commissioner as treasurer.

John Hemmings, OVRDC executive director, said, “I want to congratulate Shane, Jack and Blaine on their re-election as officers of OVRDC. I appreciate their excellent leadership of our organization and I look forward to their continued leadership over the next year.”

Hemmings presented the 2017 OVRDC Annual Report to those in attendance as well as a report on the Ohio Local Development Districts.

The next OVRDC full commission meeting will be held in September 2018 in Brown County.