With a decades-long history of working to improve and expand infrastructure in southeast Ohio, Buckeye Hills Regional Council is welcoming two new staff members whose focus will be on helping the region bridge the digital divide.
This August, Ryan Collins has joined the Community Development staff of BHRC as Broadband Coordinator, while Carly Fitz has begun a two-year term with BHRC as an American Connection Corps Broadband Fellow.
“Appalachian Ohio’s economic, educational, and cultural well-being depends on everyone having access to affordable high-speed internet,” said Sam Miller, Development Director at Buckeye Hills Regional Council. “Thanks to our partnership with the American Connection Project and Lead for America, as well as support from the Ohio Department of Development and Governor’s Office of Appalachia, Buckeye Hills Regional Council is excited to have Carly and Ryan join our team to work with our local communities to bridge the digital divide in southeast Ohio.”
In the newly created Broadband Coordinator role, Collins will assist local communities in identifying and assessing their broadband needs, as well as planning, preparing, and implementing projects aimed and addressing broadband connectivity across the eight counties BHRC serves.
“In order for the region to remain competitive good reliable broadband is no longer a luxury but a necessity,” said Collins. “I am very grateful for the opportunity to come home to southeast Ohio and to work with our communities to ensure our citizens are not only connected to broadband but also to the equitable opportunities it provides.”
Working alongside Collins, Fitz will focus on increasing broadband access and digital literacy and contribute to critical community development initiatives in Perry County.
The American Connection Corps is a new, innovative fellowship program focused on bridging the digital divide, led by Land O’Lakes, Inc. and Lead for America with funding and support from Heartland Forward and AmeriCorps. Additional support for the program in Ohio is being provided by the Farm Bureau and CHS Inc.
“Broadband connectivity is essential in furthering the progress of Perry County and all of Appalachian Ohio,” said Fitz. “It is so rewarding to come home to work in the community where I was raised and help build the infrastructure that will allow residents to access new opportunities for telehealth, work or schooling from home, and so much more.”
“For over 50 years, Buckeye Hills Regional Council has helped connect communities in Appalachian Ohio with essential infrastructure like water and wastewater,” said Misty Crosby, Executive Director at Buckeye Hills Regional Council. “As with traditional infrastructure, access to broadband is an equity issue for southeast Ohio,”
“The pandemic revealed how important broadband access is for education, health care, economic opportunity, and social connection,” Crosby added. “I’m excited to have Carly and Ryan joining our Development team to help our communities do the boots-on-the-ground work to match potential projects and public-private partnerships with state and federal initiatives that will expand broadband access and target these investments where they are needed most.”
Collins and Fitz will also work with the regional partners of Connecting Appalachia (connectingappalachia.org), which has worked to improve broadband mapping in Appalachian Ohio and create county profiles illustrating broadband availability, performance, and potential in the region.