Indiana Uplands Named 21st Century Talent Region

Monday, November 18, 2019 04:15 PM EDT Updated: Tuesday, November 19, 2019 09:36 AM EDT
Indiana Uplands Named 21st Century Talent Region Photo courtesy of Indiana Uplands

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana’s third 21st Century Talent Region has officially been named. The Indiana Uplands in the southern part of the state has received the designation, which the state says is reserved for Hoosier communities focused on working collaboratively to attract, develop and connect talent.

Indiana Secretary of Career Connections and Talent Blair Milo and Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the newly-established Indiana Destination Development Corp. Elaine Bedel joined Indiana officials this week at Cook Medical to award Tina Peterson, president and CEO of Regional Opportunity Initiatives Inc. and its regional partners with the official 21st Century Talent Region designation.

The Indiana Uplands is an 11-county area that includes Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen and Washington counties.

Lead by ROI, the region cited key priorities through the 21st Century Talent Region initiative, including:

  • establish and maintain a regional dashboard to create consistent regional collaboration through shared goals and operating practices
  • establish and advance short and long-term goals for achieving a 10 percent increase in the number of citizens with a post-secondary credential by 2025
  • adopt an equity focus to narrow the achievement gap for disadvantaged and/or minority populations that are underserved across the region

"The Indiana Uplands is a region of hardworking makers, entrepreneurs, artisans, students, scientists and engineers, growing world-shaping ideas into remarkable products and thriving businesses," said Peterson. "Over the past four years, we have cultivated meaningful partnerships and collaborated thoughtfully to align our communities, our key industry sectors and our educational assets. Being recognized as a 21st Century Talent Region is acknowledgement of the shared commitment we’ve made to regionalism and advancing economic and community prosperity in the Indiana Uplands. Like our hills and forests that reach to the heights, the Indiana Uplands is a region on the rise, and we are excited to continue this momentum to make it an even better place to learn, live, work and play.”

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