In support of Stronger Districts, Stronger Regions, a National Economic Development District (EDD) Leadership Capacity Building Initiative, the following materials have been gathered on various subjects to assist current and rising executive directors, RDO Board Members, and RDO staff. The resources are designed to build professional capacities, strengthen RDOs, and assist executive directors when developing leadership skills.

Click the category links below to access pages that include conference presentations, webinars, publications, and more prepared by the NADO Research Foundation, RDOs, partner organizations, and consultants.  

As part of NADO RF’s Stronger Districts, Stronger Regions initiative, present and former EDD executive directors shared valuable insights about their leadership roles.

Thanks to funding from the US Economic Development Administration for the Stronger Districts, Stronger Regions initiative, the NADO RF, RDOs, partner organizations, and consultants were able to develop and curate many of these materials. Resources include conference presentations, webinars, publications, and more.

Have materials or examples you’d like to share? Email Ciara Ristig at [email protected] with any additional resources from your region or state. New resources will be added over time.

Stronger Districts, Stronger Regions, a National Economic Development District (EDD) Leadership Capacity Building Initiative, is prepared by the NADO Research Foundation using Federal funds under award ED20HDQ3030071 from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Below you will find links to resources for maximizing your organization’s potential—operationally and strategically. These resources are designed to assist RDOs by sharing experiences and best practices, learning from others’ challenges and obstacles, and gaining insights into innovative approaches from peers and others across the country.

To view PDFs, use a viewer such as Adobe Reader.

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Applications cannot be saved and returned to at a later time. It is recommended you compile all of your information in advance in a word processor and cut and paste into the application below.

2023 Impact Awards

The primary applicant must be a NADO member. Project partners, both NADO and non-members, can be recognized under "Project Partners" below.

Primary Project Contact:
This person will be the designated point of contact for all future awards-related correspondence.

Organization Address

Project Location (if different from Organization Address)

Executive Director

Additional Organizational Information
Please upload your organization's logo which will be included on the winning project award certificate.

Project Information
This title will be printed on the award certificate for winning projects and in all 2022 NADO Impact Award materials and cannot be changed.

Project Summary & Questions
Please craft clear, thoughtful, and engaging responses to the following questions. Use the following sections to tell us how your project has made an impact, such as its use of creative funding mechanisms, efforts to create efficiencies or reduce costs, unique partnership models, and emphasis on building resilience and/or enhancing your region's quality of life.

For award-winning projects, the information provided below may be used verbatim to inform project descriptions that will be published in the 2023 NADO Impact Awards materials and included on the NADO website.

Please submit at least one photo showing your project in action. Please keep file size to a minimum (<2Mb) and use JPEG format. If uploading multiple files, ZIP files prior to submitting. If you have trouble uploading images they can be directly emailed to Brett Schwartz at [email protected] Include the project title they correspond to in the subject line of your email.

Note: Submitted photos may be used in NADO Impact Awards materials and in other NADO published materials with credit to your organization. Please also consider submitting photos for NADO's 2023 Photo Contest, which will be held this summer.


CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO SUBMIT THE APPLICATION - PLEASE BE PATIENT! IF YOU DO NOT SEE A CONFIRMATION, YOUR APPLICATION WAS NOT RECEIVED.
Your application is not submitted until you are directed to a confirmation page. If you have any questions or are unsure if your application has been submitted, please contact Brett Schwartz at [email protected]

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Joe McKinney serves as Executive Director of the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO). Headquartered in Washington DC, NADO provides advocacy, education, research, and training for the nation’s 500+ regional planning and development organizations.

Joe has thirty-one years of experience having served in city, county, regional, national association, and government management since 1991. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy Analysis from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a candidate for a master’s degree in Public Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill.

McKinney has provided congressional testimony on numerous occasions regarding the importance of regional development organizations in helping shape the nation’s economic growth. He is nationally recognized for promoting innovative solutions in areas such as planning and economic development, workforce development, transportation and transit, and aging services.

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