RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE
RUS NEWS RELEASE
Claiborne Crain (202) 720-1255
ccrain@rus.usda.gov
KENTUCKY RURAL LEADER BECOMES 15TH ADMINISTRATOR OF RURAL UTILITIES PROGRAMS
WASHINGTON, October 2, 2001 - Hilda Gay Legg, a leader in Kentucky for
rural development and a native of Adair, County, was sworn in today as
the 15th Administrator of USDA's Rural Utilities Service by Agriculture
Secretary Ann M. Veneman.
"We appreciate the swift confirmation of Hilda Legg by the U.S.
Senate," said Veneman. "She brings a great deal of experience
and expertise to the Rural Utilities Service and I am proud to have her
serving on our team here at USDA."
As the Administrator of RUS, Legg will oversee financing for construction
of rural infrastructure, including rural electrification, telecommunications,
and drinking water programs, and administers the distance learning and
telemedicine loan and grant program. She will also serve as the 8th governor
of the Rural Telephone Bank, a public/private lending institution that
also finances rural telecommunications infrastructure.
Legg brings a diversified background of Kentucky and Washington, D.C.
experience in rural community development. She has directed a rural development
center, served on the Appalachian Regional Commission and represented
Senator McConnell in Kentucky.
Since 1994, Legg served as executive director and CEO of The Center for
Rural Development in Somerset, Kentucky. The Center is a national model
for economic development in rural areas and for related educational, cultural
and recreational purposes. The Center has a national reputation for innovation
and meeting the economic development needs of Eastern Kentucky.
Legg was appointed by the President as alternate federal co-chairman
for the Appalachian Regional Commission in Washington, DC, in 1990 and
served through 1993. She represented and promoted economic policies for
the 13 Appalachian States and assisted in the management of a $190 million
budget for job creation, building infrastructure, education, and work
force training, as well as research programs for economic development.
She assisted in the development and implementation of a telecommunication
program designed to maximize technology hardware in rural communities.
Her biographical information is on the USDA home page at http://www.usda.gov
.
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