Kentucky Governor Steven Beshear is Selected to Serve as 2015 ARC States' Co-Chair January 2015

WASHINGTON, January 21, 2015—Kentucky Governor Steven Beshear has been selected to serve as 2015 states' co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) by the governors of the 13 states in the Appalachian Region. He succeeds 2014 states' co-chair Robert Bentley, governor of Alabama.

Beshear previously served as ARC states' co-chair in 2011. He expressed his appreciation at being selected to serve a second time: "I am honored to have been selected by my fellow governors in Appalachia to serve in this position once again and look forward to being a partner with ARC Federal Co-Chair Earl Gohl in promoting the economic opportunities that are emerging in the Appalachian Region," he said. "These are challenging but exciting economic times, and it is a privilege for me to work with Appalachia's communities in building the economic growth and creating the jobs that our people deserve."

ARC Federal Co-Chair Earl F. Gohl congratulated Beshear on his selection: "Governor Beshear has a proven track record of leadership, in his role partnering with Congressman Rogers to create the SOAR initiative, and in bringing health insurance to over 300,000 Kentuckians with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. This is the kind of leadership that is needed to strengthen the economic future of Appalachia, and I look forward to working with him once again."

A regional economic development agency that represents a partnership of federal, state, and local government, ARC provides funding each year for several hundred projects in the Appalachian Region in areas such as business development, education and job training, telecommunications, infrastructure, community development, housing, and transportation. These projects create thousands of new jobs.