Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and Denny Spinner, executive director of the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, recently appointed Rochester's Mayor Ted Denton to serve on the newly formed Rural Affairs Working Group.  

The governor has tasked this group with investigating avenues to set the course for Regional Recovery through new OCRA programs or the use of existing OCRA programs, such as the Stellar Communities program. The Rural Affairs Working Group will be using resources from the Purdue Center for Rural Development. Purdue will facilitate conversations on how Hoosiers can partner together to help lead rural communities to the Next Level recovery. 

The OCRA Rural Affairs Working Group is made up of 12 members and includes the representation of elected officials, economic development professionals and those inthe field of higher education.

Spinner said the state appreciates the willingness of those selected to be part of the process that will enable the Office of Community and Rural Affairs to launch new programs in the coming years.

Mayor Denton said:

“We are fortunate to have so many strong, dedicated leaders from around the state in this new working group, I am honored to be a part of it.”

The Rural Affairs Working Group’sfirst meeting recently took place on May 24.