U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York is Honored by Development District Association of Appalachia

WASHINGTON, March 24, 2015—U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand received the Development District Association of Appalachia's (DDAA) 2015 Congressional Award at a ceremony held on Capitol Hill today.

The Congressional Award is presented each year by the DDAA to a member of Congress for outstanding service to the people of Appalachia and support of the work of the Appalachian Region's local development districts and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). Local development districts nominate candidates for the award, and the DDAA board makes the final selection.

Gillibrand is the first New York senator to sit on the Senate agriculture committee in nearly 40 years and has worked diligently to support the development of local food systems and specialty crops, the expansion of rural broadband, and the improvement of natural disaster recovery efforts.

Gillibrand was recognized by the DDAA for her "ongoing commitment to and strong support of the Appalachian Regional Commission and its programs" as well as her "dedicated service to the people of the 13-state Appalachian Region, and especially those citizens residing in the 14 counties of Appalachian New York."

"I am honored to receive this award," Gillibrand said, "and am a proud supporter of the important work our planning and development districts do to invest in our communities and help businesses grow and create jobs throughout upstate New York and the broader Appalachian Region. In partnering with ARC and New York's development districts, we have been successful in improving rural water infrastructure to support business expansion, as well as in providing our companies with the resources they need to compete in the global economy—efforts that I look forward to continuing to work on with our federal, state, and local partners."

The DDAA is a public, nonprofit organization made up of Appalachia's 73 multicounty planning and development districts. Its members work closely with ARC, other federal and state agencies, and local residents to identify and address economic development needs and opportunities in their communities.