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Five Nevada Community Leaders Invited to White House Through USDA’s Rural Partners Network

Name
Teja
Email
teja.dusanapudi@usda.gov
Phone
Dusanapudi
City
Washington
Release Date

Community Leaders Represent Pershing County, Mineral County, Nye County, Clark County, and Lyon County

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2024—Today, the Rural Partners Network (RPN) held the White House Rural Communities in Action event, the first in-person convening of all RPN Community Networks across the eleven RPN states. Five rural community leaders from Nevada were invited to attend the event at the White House based on their work with rural communities in Nevada’s RPN community networks. RPN is a USDA-led all-of-government program coming directly from the White House that partners with rural communities to find resources and funding to create jobs, build infrastructure, and support long-term economic stability on their own terms. 

“We are proud to see our partners in Nevada be recognized for their close engagement with the Rural Partners Network,” said USDA Rural Development Nevada State Director Lucas Ingvoldstad. “RPN has been key to fostering and strengthening relationships in rural Nevada and providing rural communities with the resources they need. USDA is committed to ensuring the voices of Nevada’s community leaders and the needs of their communities are heard from the Silver State to the White House. “ 

Nevada attendees at the event represented 4 of Nevada’s 13 community networks: 

  • Heidi Lusby-Angvick, Pershing County Economic Development Authority Executive Director and 95-80 Regional Development Authority Co-Director (Nevada 95-80 Regional Development Community Network: Humboldt County, Pershing County) 
  • Kyle Isom, Mineral County Recreational/Community Development & Tourism Department Director (Sierra Region Community Network: Lyon County, Mineral County) 
  • Tim Sutton, Nye County Manager (Southern Nevada Community Network: Nye County, Esmeralda County) 
  • Peter Stanton, Walker Basin Conservancy CEO (Sierra Region Community Network: Mineral County, Lyon County) 
  • Michael Bauwens, Clark County Community & Economic Development Management Analyst (Southern Clark County Community Network: Southern Clark County) 

For more information on Nevada’s community networks, visit the following page: Nevada | RURAL.gov 

To read success stories from RPN in Nevada, visit the following page: 

In Nevada, RPN has awarded over $33.23 million in funding to 131 projects across 21 participating rural communities. Recent RPN achievements include: 

  • Community Needs Assessment Survey for Tonopah/Central Nevada in partnership with the Southern Nevada Community Network and the State Office of Rural Health, presented at the Tonopah Town Board and Nye County Board of County Commission Meeting, and launched at a public meeting held January 30 in Tonopah. 
  • Nevada's First RPN Federal Partners Forum in the Southern Nevada Community Network, convening federal, state, Tribal and local Nevada leadership as well as Rural Utilities Service Administrator Andy Berke and White House Domestic Policy Council Director Neera Tanden to discuss rural goals, issues, and actionable priorities. 

 

BACKGROUND 

The Rural Partners Network (RPN) is a USDA-led alliance of federal agencies and commissions working directly with rural communities to access government funding resources to create jobs, build infrastructure and support long-term economic growth. RPN does this by employing community liaisons that live and work alongside the people in these communities. 

Since RPN’s launch in April 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration has provided approximately $2.6 billion to carry out a variety of economic development projects in RPN communities across 10 states and Puerto Rico. Federal agencies partnering with USDA have also provided more than $80 million to RPN communities during that same period. 

USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. Visit the Rural Data Gateway to learn how and where these investments are impacting rural America. To subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit the GovDelivery Subscriber Page.