National Rural Development Partnership

In recognition of their excellence in service to rural America, Cheryl Hinckley of Texas and Mayor Bill Graham of Indiana were honored with one of the National Rural Development Partnership's most prestigious marks of distinction, the Ron Schaffer Award. The award was given on August 27 at the NRDP National Leadership Conference in French Lick, where Ms. Hinckley and Mayor Graham were the second group of recipients to ever have received the award.

The Ron Schaffer Award was established in 2000 to honor Professor Ron Schaffer, a founding member and advocate of the National Rural Development Partnership. It is given to individuals who embody “the values necessary to build a national and state rural development partnership that meets the diverse needs of rural America.” Nominations are made based on three categories: 1). Efforts to overcome barriers; 2) Collaborations and partnerships facilitated by the applicant; and 3) Positive impacts the recipients have made on their community, region or state.

Cheryl Hinckley has served rural America as the Executive Director of the Texas Rural Development Council (TRDC) for over a decade. In that capacity, she has served, in the words of one recommender, as an “undisputed ambassador for rural America.” Ms. Hinckley's exemplary service record with the NRDP reaches not only to the Texas Rural Development Partnership, but also to the entire National Rural Development Partnership through the Resource Team Community Assessment Process, just one of the many successful endeavors performed by the TRDC under the direction of Ms. Hinckley. This effort is a community-driven, collaborative process that empowers local level decision makers to achieve real improvements in their community. This process has not only achieved substantial progress for Texas communities, but it has also provided a model for other states to follow, including Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington. Ms. Hinckley has achieved much success as a result of her long-devoted efforts to collaboration and cooperation with several partners.

William H. Graham is the Mayor of Scottsburg, Indiana. Mayor Graham is a founding member of the Indiana Rural Development Council as well as serving as the chairman of the Council for over seven years. His “selfless service” to the Executive Committee of the Indiana Rural Development Council has resulted in developing a Partnership that “meets the diverse needs of rural America.” His effectiveness in his role as Chair of the Indiana Rural Development Council is evident in the substantial progress of Scottsburg, Indiana. Mayor Graham has placed heavy emphasis on improving downtown Scottsburg and revitalizing the town's economy. As a result of his efforts, Scottsburg developed from a town with one of the highest rates of unemployment to one of the lowest. . Mayor Graham's vision of community-led collaborations and partnerships led to the Scott County Partnership formed in 1995 to bring together like-minded partners to work together and maximize resources to address the common challenges facing the county.

The 2002 Ron Shaffer Award recipients, Scottsburg, Indiana Mayor Bill Graham and Texas Executive Director Cheryl Hinckley, embody the true spirit of the Ron Shaffer Award, and moreover, successfully get to the very heart of what the National Rural Development Partnership works to achieve.

Here are some photos from the 2002 NRDP Leadership Conference in French Lick, Indiana. There were several interesting events and activities for participants. The gallery below is just a sampling of the numerous happenings from the Conference. Select a thumbnail to see the large version of the photo.