October 5, 2021
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the New York State Department of State today announced that three New Yorkers were selected as fellows for the ARC as part of the Appalachian Leadership Institute’s class of 2021-2022. The selected fellows will now work closely with the ARC leadership to identify and implement strategies that will inspire and create positive change in their communities.
“This program attracts the best and brightest who are committed to serving their communities and leading the path to the region’s progress,” said Secretary of State Rossana Rosado. “Through the Appalachian Regional Commission, New York has forged a positive pathway forward and these fellows will contribute to the ongoing work that has served millions in the Appalachian region. Congratulations and welcome to the Appalachian Leadership Institute’s class of 2021-2022.”
New York’s selectees for the upcoming cohort are: Tyré Bush, Director of Academic Pathways, SUNY Corning Community College - Academic and Workforce Development Center in Elmira; Ashleigh Madison, Program Director, IncubatorWorks of Corning; and Tess McKinley, Executive Director, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Steuben County in Bath.
As Appalachian Leadership Institute Fellows, the selected students will participate in an extensive nine-month program of skill-building seminars, best practice reviews, field visits, mentoring, and networking. Fellows will work directly with public policy, community development, education, investment, and other professionals who live and/or work in the Region to:
- Build a robust network of leaders across the region;
- Integrate community assets into long-last economic development strategies; and
- Appreciate the diversity and commonalties of the 13 states in the Appalachian Region.
“I am honored to congratulate the 2021-2022 class of Appalachian Leadership Institute fellows. These phenomenal Appalachians are the driving force of change in their communities,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “The work of this new class of fellows—and the ones who came before — gives me hope to the future of our region and is a testament to all that can be accomplished when Appalachians work together.”
This year is the first that ARC accepted three NYS applicants for the Appalachian Leadership Institute. In the ALI’s inaugural year (2019-2020) Beau Harbin (County Legislator representing Cortland Co.’s 2nd District) and Bill Caudill (Director of Steuben Co.’s Youth Bureau) were New York’s ALI’s selectees. In the ALI’s 2nd year, New York’s selectees were Hal McCabe (Mayor of the Village of Homer, NY (Cortland Co.) and Matthew Bull (Chief Operations Officer, ProAction of Steuben and Yates, Inc. in Hammondsport and former Town Supervisor of Machias, NY (Cattaraugus Co.) We welcome our new three selectees to the ranks of distinguished ALI Fellows from New York to this prestigious, multi-state, regional, leadership program.
Upon completion of the program, fellows automatically become part of the Appalachian Leadership Institute Network, a peer-to-peer working group committed to Appalachia’s future.
ARC received more than 115 qualified applications for the 2021-2022 Appalachian Leadership Institute class.
The Appalachian Leadership Institute is a comprehensive regional leadership training program developed by the Appalachian Regional Commission in partnership with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; The Howard H. Baker Center for Public Policy; Tuskegee University; and Collective Impact. More information about the Appalachian Leadership Institute is available at https://www.arc.gov/leadership/.
New York’s 14 county ARC Program is administered within the DOS Division of Local Government Services. For more information on programs administered by the Department of State’s Division of Local Government Services, go to https://www.dos.ny.gov/lg/. Follow DOS on Twitter at @NYSDOS or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NewYorkDepartmentOfState/.
About the Appalachian Regional Commission
The Appalachian Regional Commission (www.arc.gov) is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the Region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.
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