The seed that was to become the Governor’s Office of
Appalachia was planted in the mid-1960s when Congress established the
Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). The goal was to provide economic
development in the Appalachian region, ensuring an active federal and state
partnership. To accomplish that goal, each of the region’s 13 governors
was charged with developing state programs that were compatible with the values
and traditions of the ARC.
The idea to designate a specific office in Ohio stemmed from a
brainstorming session in the mid-1980s between Bob Garbo, director of the
Tri-County (Hocking, Athens and Perry) Community Action Agency, and Roger
McCauley, director of the Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development (COAD).
Their idea continued to gain merit during the 1985 “Appalachian Ohio: 20
Years Later” conference that was held to commemorate the ARC’s 20th
anniversary.
In 1986, the state passed House Bill 891 to officially
establish the Ohio Office of Appalachia. Funding was allocated in the 1987
state budget and, in 1988, the governor appointed the first director, Randy
Runyon of Pike County.
At that time, the Ohio Office of Appalachia was located in a
small, back office within the Ohio Department of Development’s Division
of Energy. Eventually, the Division of Energy was dissolved, so the Ohio Office
of Appalachia moved to the Office of Local Government Services (now known as
the Office of Housing and Community Partnerships).
Eventually, the Governor’s Office of Appalachia (GOA) was
created and the functions of the Ohio Office of Appalachia were incorporated
into the GOA to form the current structure. However, the functions of the
offices were being completed in multiple locations by a number of staff
members.
It wasn’t until 1991, with the appointment of Nancy
Hollister as director, that all of the functions of the GOA were consolidated
into one office and office space was dedicated to the GOA to make it a
self-sufficient unit within the Ohio Department of Development. The seeds
planted roughly 25 years prior with the inception of the ARC had come to full
maturity in Ohio as the Governor’s Office of Appalachia.
Today, the GOA operates from the 24th floor of the Vern Riffe
Building, across the street from the Statehouse in Columbus. Its staff includes
a director, assistant director and community development analyst. The agency
supports several internship programs and works with consultants to complete
many special projects. The GOA’s programming interfaces with the
ARC’s four established goal areas and four-year development plans, which
are necessary to build economic parity. The agency’s ongoing mission is
to complement the efforts of federal, state and local organizations to achieve
the greatest good for the residents and businesses of Ohio’s Appalachian
region.
GOA Directors
Randy Runyon
Pike County
1988-1991
Major Accomplishments:
First director of
the Governor’s Office of
Appalachia. Worked
to establish the
office and to begin
to make the connections necessary to involve the agency in the
work of the region.
Nancy Hollister
Washington County
1991 – 1994
Major Accomplishments:
Worked to consolidate
all functions of
the office into one location. Obtained dedicated office space
and continued to build the
programming of the
office. Developed
rural signage program
and unified tourism bureaus to better market the region. Left
to become Ohio’s first female
lieutenant governor.
Hollister now serves as state representative for Ohio’s
93rd District (which includes part or all of Guernsey, Noble,
Monroe, Washington and Muskingum counties).
Daniel Neff
1994 – 1998
Neff, formerly a
GOA assistant director
under Hollister,
was instrumental in developing the Foundation for Appalachian
Ohio, the Ohio Appalachian
Center for
Higher Education,
the Appalachian Leadership
Academy and the federal
prison project in Columbiana County. Worked with local development
districts
to form
new ARC initiatives
and to strengthen
the GOA’s relationship with Ohio
University. Neff
left the GOA to become
executive director of the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association
and now works at the ARC offices in
Washington, D.C.
Randy Hunt
1998-1999
Serving in an interim
capacity, Hunt had
been assistant director
under Neff. He continued
to strengthen existing partnerships and collaborations. He assisted
in bringing the Junior
Achievement programs
into the area and worked
with educators to foster
an entrepreneurial
spirit within the schools.
He now serves as state
director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Rural Development office.
Joy Padgett
1999-2003
Formerly state representative of Ohio’s 95th District (which at that time, included parts or all of Holmes, Coshocton and Muskingum counties), Padgett brings an infectious appreciation for the diversity of culture that exists within the region. Her leadership has brought a strong marketing influence through such programs as the All Transportation Counts economic development conferences and the Access Appalachia study and rollout. Through associations with other state agencies, the GOA has managed grants for the Appalachian Technology & Workforce Development Initiative (ATWDI) and the Appalachian Workforce Marketing Initiative (AWMI). The agency maintains a large number of additional initiatives, which can be viewed from this website.
Jennifer Simon
2003-2004
Serving in an interim capacity, Simon was assistant director for four years under Padgett. During that time, she provided the groundwork for the Access Appalachia telecommunications studies. Results from that initiative included the development of the Rural Ohio Technology Infrastructure Group, the HighTechOhio.com directory and the Appalachian Ohio Broadband Planning Program. She was integral in the formation of the AppalachianOhio.com web portal project and supported a growing field of partnerships. Simon is now CEO/President of the Athens County Chamber of Commerce and president of the Athens County Economic Development Council.
T.J. Justice
2004-2007
Prior to his appointment, Justice served nine years as economic development representative in Governor Taft’s Region 7 office in Chillicothe. Among his accomplishments there, he was project manager for the governor’s USEC advanced gas centrifuge technology project. This project led to locating a $50 million test plant in Piketon in 2002, followed by a $1.5 billion commercial facility. The result will bring 500 jobs with salaries exceeding $50,000 to the region. Justice’s focus as GOA director will be jobs initiatives that are tied to entrepreneurship and which accentuate the best assets of the region.
He is currently serving as Exec. Director of the Coshocton Port Authority.
Fred Deel
2007-present
Prior to his appointment, Deel was elected to the Gallia County Board of Commissioners in 2004 and was serving as the Board President. He is also a retiree from The Ohio State University after a 31-year career as an Associate Professor and County Extension Agent for 4-H Youth and Community Development.
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