RPO America is a program affiliate of NADO that serves as the national professional network for regional, rural, and small metro transportation professionals. It was established in 2006 by the NADO Board of Directors.
RPO America is both a resource for regional transportation practitioners in rural and small metro places, and it’s also an opportunity for these practitioners to have a say in the shaping of national transportation priorities.
RPO America’s core activity areas are to:
All NADO members are also members of NADO’s program affiliate RPO America. This includes NADO Standard Members, which are multijurisdictional regional planning and economic development organizations, and NADO Affiliate Members, representing any other type of entity such as a Tribal government, local government, state agency, standalone RTPO or MPO (not housed within a larger multipurpose organization), nonprofit, private sector firm, or any other entity with an interest in regional and rural development issues.
Any of these types of NADO members can designate contacts to receive RPO America information and periodic members-only communications from NADO.
If your organization is not a member of NADO, you can still sign up to receive some information through our free Rural Transportation Newsletter by selecting the option for transportation communications in our newsletter signup form.
There are no additional member dues required to participate in RPO America, beyond the dues an organization already pays to be a member of NADO. However, many organizations also support NADO’s work in transportation through a paid RPO America subscription.
These special contributions from RDOs and their partners help support the efforts of NADO, the NADO Research Foundation, and RPO America to provide research and capacity-building efforts to support the national network of RTPOs and their partners and to track federal policy and funding.
RPO America subscriptions are available at three levels: Bronze ($500), Silver ($1,000), and Gold ($1,500). Interested in learning more or adding a subscription? Complete the interest form below.
Although each organization that chooses to support RPO America typically pays just a few hundred or a thousand dollars, these contributions add up. The most significant benefit for organizations that contribute to RPO America is the additional capacity at NADO that they are supporting, so that federal policy and national issues continue to be tracked and shared with NADO’s network.
RPO America members have the opportunity to discuss transportation issues, policies, and priorities with NADO staff and consultant support. This helps NADO to set an agenda related to transportation policy that is grounded in the experience of rural and small metro transportation professionals and stakeholders. It is also an opportunity for practitioners to gain insights into federal transportation and infrastructure laws, funding programs, agencies, and processes.
Supporters who contribute financially to RPO America receive a discounted registration price to NADO’s National Regional Transportation Conference, typically held annually. This support also allows NADO staff and partners to provide periodic virtual peer exchanges that are open to all NADO members.
During 2023-2024, members of the National RPO Council of Peers and other NADO member participants in RPO America met with NADO staff, consultants, and leadership to develop a set of national transportation priorities. These priorities focus on improvements to Regional Planning funding and processes, the Federal Aid process, Rural Safety, and Rural Transit.
These priorities will be updated over time as policy and funding changes and as the rural and small metropolitan transportation context changes. Learn more about the priorities here.
NADO typically holds the National Regional Transportation Conference each year during the summer. In 2024, the conference is occurring July 29-August 1 in Greenville, South Carolina. Learn more here. The conference will include the business meeting of RPO America and its leadership, the National RPO Council of Peers, along with presentations and workshops led by regional planning peers and other subject matter experts.
The RPO America membership meets in-person once a year during the National Regional Transportation Conference. The organization also holds periodic virtual peer exchanges to allow for additional engagement among practitioners between in-person meetings.
The National RPO Council of Peers also meets at the National Regional Transportation Conference. The RPO Council also typically meets online approximately three more times per year. Other events, such as working groups or focus groups, allow for RPO Council members and other RPO America members to engage between these periodic meetings.
RPO America’s officers typically meet monthly to discuss current issues in transportation.
The National RPO Council of Peers, also called the RPO Council, is the peer leadership group of RPO America. It has broad-based representation from around the United States, similar to the NADO Board of Directors. However, the RPO Council is an advisory body that provides information and assistance to the NADO Board and NADO staff, while the NADO Board of Directors is a decision-making body that oversees NADO and its member services.
Most participants of the RPO Council are staff working on transportation and related issues at regional development organizations (RDOs), as the core NADO audience. However, other types of stakeholders sometimes also serve on the council, including state department of transportation staff (particularly transportation planning or transit staff) or representatives of agencies that provide or are engaged in transportation.
RPO Council members are nominated by the NADO Board of Directors and appointed by the NADO President for two-year terms. During their term, RPO Council members typically engage with NADO leadership and staff around priority transportation issues.
Members of NADO’s Board of Directors nominate practitioners, typically from their own state or a neighboring state, for the National RPO Council of Peers. Then, the NADO President appoints nominees to serve on the council. The two-year terms begin and end in conjunction with the National Regional Transportation Conference in even-numbered years. Up to two representatives per state can be nominated to participate in the National RPO Council of Peers.
If you would like to be considered for a future nomination, please contact a member of the NADO Board of Directors that represents your state or a neighboring state, or email the NADO team at [email protected].
NADO welcomes all of our members to participate in RPO America! Please fill out this contact information form to receive members-only communications and invitations to provide input on transportation issues and priorities. In the form, you can let NADO know if there are ways you’d like to engage with peers and with staff, such as serving as a future conference or webinar speaker or assisting with other efforts. In addition, NADO periodically holds virtual peer exchanges and meetings where you can share your experiences in a peer learning environment or provide input on federal, state, local, or Tribal transportation programs and issues.
Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPOs) generally operate in non-metropolitan areas to conduct outreach to the public and local officials and provide transportation planning support under contract to state departments of transportation (DOTs). Sometimes, they are also called Rural Planning Organizations (RPOs), and some states may refer to them as Regional Planning Affiliations, Regional Transportation Planning Agencies, or simply as general purpose Councils of Governments or Regional Planning Commissions who have a rural transportation planning program. They generally exist to assist state DOTs with completing their requirements for statewide planning in rural areas and to enhance the outreach conducted to local officials and the public. Learn more about RTPOs here.