2024 Impact Award Recipients

Congratulations to the 2024 Aliceann Wohlbruck NADO Impact Award recipients! The annual Impact Awards program celebrates NADO members’ efforts in advancing regional planning, economic development, resilience, and more. These projects have made significant impacts on their regions and demonstrate the diversity of services and program delivery provided by regional development organizations across the country.

The Impact Awards are named in honor of Aliceann Wohlbruck, NADO’s first executive director. For 24 years, she was a tireless champion for regional approaches to economic development in rural communities and small towns.

The 2024 class of awardees consists of 98 projects from 64 organizations spanning 21 states. These projects will be recognized at NADO’s Annual Training Conference in New Orleans, LA in October. Contact Brett Schwartz at bschwartz@nado.org with any questions or to learn more.

Scroll through the StoryMap above to learn more about the award-winning projects. Click here to view the StoryMap in its own tab.

Arkansas

Central Arkansas Planning and Development District, Saline County Old River Bridge Revitalization Project
Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District, Northwest Arkansas Wellness IRT Mission

Florida

Apalachee Regional Planning Council, Emergency Planning Platform for Healthcare Facilities
Apalachee Regional Planning Council, Franklin County Zoning Map Lookup App
Central Florida Regional Planning Council, 2024 DeSoto County Economic Development Strategy
Central Florida Regional Planning Council, Lake Wales 2024 Economic Development Strategy
East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, Regional Risk & Vulnerability Assessment
East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, The East Central Florida Regional Resilience Collaborative (R2C): Risk, Vulnerability and Insurance
East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, Voting Power: Regional Cyber-Security Tabletop Exercise
North Central Florida Regional Planning Council, Annual Transit Ridership Monitoring Report
Northeast Florida Regional Council, Northeast Florida Regional Resiliency Action Plan
Northeast Florida Regional Council, Special Committee Report to Review JSO Primary Facilities
South Florida Regional Planning Council, Clean Cities and Communities
South Florida Regional Planning Council, Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund
South Florida Regional Planning Council, South Florida Military Installation Resilience Review

Georgia

Georgia Mountains Regional Commission, One-Stop Youth GED Program
Georgia Mountains Regional Commission, Georgia Mountain Food Bank Expansion Project
Georgia Mountains Regional Commission, Brighter Futures: Welding Bootcamp
Middle Georgia Regional Commission, Middle Georgia—Robins Air Force Base Sustainability Plan
Northeast Georgia Regional Commission, NEGA Connects Educator Externships
Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, South Hamilton Residential Infill Project, City of Dalton
Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, Cedartown North Business Park Expansion
Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, 2024 Regional Resource Plan for Northwest Georgia
River Valley Regional Commission, GIS Location Analysis for Rural Fire Station Siting in Taylor County, Georgia
Southern Georgia Regional Commission, 2050 VLMPO Metropolitan Transportation Plan Historical Equity Action Lens
Southern Georgia Regional Commission, Pre-Hazard Mitigation Community Engagement Brochure
Southern Georgia Regional Commission, Lowndes County Tornado Damage Drone Surveying

Idaho

Region IV Development Association; Southeast Idaho Council of Governments; Clearwater Economic Development Association, Idaho Small Business Revolving Loan Fund Program

Illinois

Bi-State Regional Commission, Rock Island Regional Port District

Iowa

Chariton Valley Planning & Development Council, Iowa Impact Map
East Central Iowa Council of Governments, Linn County Housing Needs Assessment and Equity Analysis
Southwest Iowa Planning Council, Southwest Iowa Families Inc. New Facility
Southwest Iowa Planning Council, Stanton Downtown Revitalization Project

Kentucky

Green River Area Development District, Green River Wellness Mission Innovative Readiness Training
Green River Area Development District, Aging and Disability Vaccination Collaborative
Green River Area Development District, Skills to Succeed
Lake Cumberland Area Development District, Lake Cumberland Older Adults Home Modification Program
Lincoln Trail Area Development District, Local Government Revolving Loan Fund
Pennyrile Area Development District, Muhlenberg County Opportunity Center Expansion Project
Purchase Area Development District, Fulton County Rural Partners Network

Maine

Northern Maine Development Commission, Aroostook County Affordable Housing Toolkit

Minnesota

Mid-Minnesota Development Commission, Fraud Awareness & Prevention Project
Mid-Minnesota Development Commission, Fare-Free Transit Pilot
Region Nine Development Commission, American Scandinavian Foundation/RNDC Partnership for Regional Progress

Mississippi

Central Mississippi Planning and Development District, Town of D’Lo Water Tower Rehabilitation
Central Mississippi Planning and Development District, Piney Woods School Infrastructure Improvements
East Central Planning and Development District, Congress of Country Music- Phase I- Ellis Theater Renovation
Northeast Mississippi Planning & Development District, Defining Possible in Iuka, Mississippi
Northeast Mississippi Planning & Development District, Corinth/Burnsville Surface Water Improvements
Northeast Mississippi Planning & Development District, Alcorn County Project Bulldog Infrastructure
Three Rivers Planning & Development District, AAA 911 Help Now Devices
Three Rivers Planning & Development District, Three Rivers Solid Waste Management Authority Renewable Natural Gas Project

Missouri

Meramec Regional Planning Commission, MRPC’s Roadway Safety Efforts
Southwest Missouri Council of Governments, Planning For Innovation: Southern Missouri Tech Entrepreneur Planning Study

North Carolina

Central Pines Regional Council, Managers Support Group
Eastern Carolina Council of Governments, ARPA Grocery Reimbursement Program
Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments, M.M.E.A.T Mentoring Program (Ministry, Management, Entrepreneurship, Accountability, and Training)
Land of Sky Regional Council, GO PLACES: Growth Opportunities – Peer Leaders Activating the Community for Employment Success
Land of Sky Regional Council, Healthy Opportunities Pilot Project
Land of Sky Regional Council, WISH Collaborative – WNC Initiative for Supportive Housing
Lumber River Council of Governments, Lumber River Supplemental Services Subscription Program
Lumber River Council of Governments, Lumber River Wetlands Restoration Study
Lumber River Council of Governments, Lumber River Resilient Roads Study
Mid-Carolina Regional Council, “My Future’s So Bright” Summer Work Program
Mid-Carolina Regional Council, Resiliency & Recovery Training & Assistance
Mid-Carolina Regional Council, Chore Services Program
Mid-East Commission, Washington-Greenville Greenway Feasibility Study
Mid-East Commission, Model Ordinance Initiative
Mid-East Commission, Rivers East Academy
Piedmont Triad Regional Council, Enhancing Connectivity and Inclusion through Broadband Mapping and Digital Champions
Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments, Regional Disaster Resiliency Planning and Training
Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments, Tri-COG Food Ecosystem Economic Development Strategy (FEEDS)
Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments, Purrfect Connections: Enhancing the Lives of Exceptional Children through Innovative Caregiver Support
Western Piedmont Council of Governments, Homelessness Outreach Program
Western Piedmont Council of Governments, Community Health and Disaster Mitigation Explorer (CHADME)
Western Piedmont Council of Governments, Catawba County Schools-Early Head Start Community Assessment

Nebraska

Southeast Nebraska Development District, SENDD Contracting
West Central Nebraska Development District, Investment into Intermodal Mobility and Community Connectivity

New Mexico

Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments, NM Coal Avenue Commons

Ohio

Buckeye Hills Regional Council, Appalachia Digital Accelerator
Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, Ohio University, Resilience Initiative for Southeastern and Eastern (RISE) Ohio
Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, Ohio University, Climate Resilience and Public Health in Central Appalachia

Oklahoma

South Western Oklahoma Development Authority, Regional Transportation Planning Community Engagement Strategy

South Carolina

Catawba Regional Council of Governments, South Carolina Brownfields Environmental Site Testing (SC BEST) Program
Lowcountry Council of Governments, Lowcountry Community Indicators Website
Upper Savannah Council of Governments, Revolutionary War Interpretive Marker Installation

Texas

Heart of Texas Council of Governments, Law Enforcement Training Program
Houston-Galveston Area Council, H-GAC Pop-Ups
Panhandle Regional Planning Commission, Panhandle Regional Planning Commission’s Contract City Management Services
South Plains Association of Governments, Enhancing Public Transportation Awareness Across the South Plains of Texas

Utah

South East Regional Development Agency, Carbon County Airport Project

Virginia

Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission, Cumberland Plateau Entrepreneurship and Small Business Innovation Strategy
New River Valley Regional Commission, New River Water Trail Expansion
PlanRVA, WORTH (Wealth Opportunities Realized through Homeownership)
PlanRVA, Evaluation and Impact Assessment of Virginia’s REVIVE! First Responder Training Program
PlanRVA, Solar Suitability Tool
Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, The Lansdowne Walkability Project