Buckeye Hills Celebrates Region’s Partnerships and Accomplishments at Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting of the Buckeye Hills General Policy Council on April 7 in Marietta allowed Southeast Ohio leaders the opportunity to recognize the work of Buckeye Hills Regional Council’s members and partners and celebrate the historic levels of investment made in Southeast Ohio Communities in the past year. Buckeye Hills presented awards to several honorees during the annual meeting, including Peter Voderberg, Chief of BroadbandOhio; Mark Weinberg, Founding Dean of the Ohio University Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service; and City of Athens Mayor Steve Patterson. Ohio EPA Assistant Director Mark Johnson provided the meeting’s keynote, outlining the ways in which his agency is helping champion access to clean drinking water and helping the state harness the momentum of recent economic development opportunities and historic levels of federal infrastructure investment.

BroadbandOhio Chief Peter Voderberg received the 2023 Partnership Award for his efforts in helping close the broadband gap in Southeast Ohio and across the state. Over the past three years, Peter and his office have been incredibly accessible, open, and receptive to input from Buckeye Hills Regional Council and the communities of Southeast Ohio regarding the region’s broadband needs. Over the past year alone, through the Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grant, Broadband Ohio has overseen some of the most significant investments in Southeast Ohio’s broadband infrastructure of the last 20 years, totaling more than $81 million. This investment is on track to bring reliable high-speed broadband service to 6,700 households across our region. Voderberg has also been instrumental in helping critical broadband projects in Noble and Meigs counties get off the ground in recent months. Most recently, we were honored to be named one of Broadband Ohio’s five Regional Digital Inclusion Alliance Partners. In this role, we will be working closely with Peter and his office to champion digital opportunities at the grassroots level.

Dr. Weinberg, BHRC’s 2023 Legacy Partnership honoree, was named Founding Dean of the Voinovich School in May 2014. The School, which was originally created in 1981 as the Institute for Local Government Administration and Rural Development, was founded by Dr. Weinberg, who initially served as director at the inception of the program. Under Dr. Weinberg’s leadership, the Voinovich School secured its position as a national frontrunner in leadership and public affairs education through its strong public service mission and commitment to working with Southeast Ohio communities to implement solutions that make meaningful, lasting impacts on Ohioans’ health, livelihoods, and well-being. Dr. Weinberg’s retirement this June caps a distinguished career of 40 years and invaluable partnership with Buckeye Hills Regional Council and the communities of Southeast Ohio.

The Simcox Leadership Award recognizes a current or past Buckeye Hills Regional Council Board member, business, community or county leader who exemplifies principles of vision, leadership and commitment to the success of the eight-county region. The award was introduced in 2008 to honor the leadership of C. Boyer Simcox who served as Executive Director of Buckeye Hills and an advocate for the region. The 2023 Simcox Leadership Award was presented to City of Athens Mayor Steve Patterson, who has served on the Buckeye Hills Executive Committee since 2016. Mayor Patterson serves on the Executive Boards of the International Town-Gown Association (President-elect), the Athens County Economic Development Council, the Athens County Foundation, the Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council (SOPEC), the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC), the American Red Cross Ohio South Central Chapter and a member of the Ohio Mayors Alliance. Mayor Patterson also serves as the President for the Mayors’ Partnership for Progress, Co-Vice Chair for the National League of Cities Race, Equity and Leadership Council, Athens County Transportation Improvement District, the Athens County Regional Planning Commission, and the Athens City Planning Commission. Moreover, Mayor Patterson is a fierce advocate for the rural communities of Southeast Ohio and their priorities, as demonstrated by his engagement with our legislators by meeting with them and their staff locally, in Washington DC, and Columbus on a regular basis.

“I spent many years managing projects in a member county, working alongside the team here at Buckeye Hills Regional Council,” said BHRC Executive Director Chasity Schmelzenbach. “In August of 2022, I was pleased to be selected to lead them. I’m incredibly proud of our partners, our staff, and what we accomplished together in 2022.”