Appalachian Leaders Receive Awards at 2016 DDAA Conference

April 2016

 
Photo of 2016 Congressional Award recipient Senator Roger Wicker with ARC Federal Co-Chair Earl Gohl and Golden Triangle Planning and Development District Executive Director Rudy Johnson.
U.S. Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi (right) received the DDAA's 2016 Congressional Award on April 4. Shown with Wicker are ARC Federal Co-Chair Earl Gohl (left) and Golden Triangle Planning and Development District Executive Director Rudy Johnson.
Photo of 2016 John D. Whisman Vision Award recipient Dennis Robinson with ARC Federal Co-Chair Earl Gohl and Pennsylvania ARC program manager Neil Fowler.
SEDA-Council of Governments Executive Director Dennis Robinson (center) received the DDAA's 2016 John D. Whisman Vision Award. With Robinson are ARC Federal Co-Chair Earl Gohl (left) and Pennsylvania ARC program manager Neil Fowler.
The Development District Association of Appalachia (DDAA) presented awards at the 2016 DDAA annual conference April 4 to local and congressional leaders from Appalachia for their work on behalf of the Region.

U.S. Senator Roger Wicker and U.S. Congressman Matt Cartwright each received a 2016 Congressional Award from the DDAA for their ongoing support for economic development efforts in Appalachia. The Congressional Award is presented by the DDAA each year to members of Congress for outstanding service to the people of Appalachia and support for the work of the Region's local development districts and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).

A senator since 2007, Wicker had previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives since January 1995, representing Mississippi's First Congressional District. Cartwright has represented Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District since 2013.

Dennis Robinson, executive director of the SEDA-Council of Governments in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, received the 2016 John D. Whisman Vision Award for his leadership in efforts to strengthen the Region's economy. The DDAA presents the Whisman Award each year to an individual who has provided exemplary service and leadership in Appalachia and demonstrated a commitment to the ideals of state and federal cooperation.

The DDAA is a public, nonprofit organization made up of Appalachia's 73 multicounty economic 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.

More than 200 local development officials representing Appalachia's planning and development districts attended the 2016 DDAA conference, held April 3–5 in Arlington, Virginia. The conference theme was "Appalachia: America’s Next Great Investment Opportunity."