Board Set For State’s New RDA

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The board of directors for Indiana’s newest regional development authority is now in place. The boards of commissioners for Clark, Floyd, Jefferson, Scott and Washington counties have chosen five regional leaders to serve on the board for Our Southern Indiana Regional Development Authority.

The RDA is the eighth of its kind in the state and the first to be established since 2015. The new board members were unanimously approved and will be required to meet quarterly and comply with Indiana’s Open Door Law regarding public meetings.

"These five directors possess a regional vision," said Wendy Dant Chesser, chief executive officer of One Southern Indiana. "They understand the interdependence between the communities in Southern Indiana and its impact on economic development, as well as talent attraction and retention."

The new board members include:

• Dana Huber (pictured), vice president of marketing and public relations for Huber’s Orchard, Winery, & Vineyards and the Starlight Distillery (Floyd County)

• John Jones, founder of the John Jones Automotive Group (Washington County)

• Kevin Kellems, businessman and manager of his family’s 5th-generation farm (Jefferson County)

• Steve Meyer, retired, Scottsburg High School (Scott County)

• Kenny Rush, independent consultant in business development, Illini Precast LLC (Clark County)

Chesser says the formation of the RDA was a necessary step in order to gain access to funding through the Regional Cities Initiative program. 1si says the board will need to make adjustments for the use of Regional Cities funding to accommodate Jefferson County, which was not part of the original planning process for the region.

"The initiative is an incredible economic development tool that can be used to strength local businesses through workforce development, attraction and retention," said Chesser. "It is also an incentive for private developers to invest in projects that would benefit the citizens of all five counties."