Partners for Rural America, during its 2011 annual meeting in Washington, DC, elected Rick Rolfsmeyer of Wisconsin Rural Partners as Chairperson of the organization. Rolfsmeyer currently serves as Executive Director of Wisconsin Rural Partners (WRP), Wisconsin’s federally-recognized State Rural Development Council. WRP was chartered to pursue an educational mission dedicated to building collaborative partnerships across the public and private sectors for the benefit of rural Wisconsin. The mission of Wisconsin Rural Partners is to build networks, leadership and voice for rural Wisconsin.

Other new officers seated were Vice-Chair Chris Marko of the Rural Community Assistance Corporation in Oregon, Secretary Mike Field of Idaho Rural Partnership, and Treasurer Mary Randolph of the Wyoming Rural Development Council. Partners for Rural America (PRA) serves as the national association of State Rural Development Councils (SRDC’s). SRDC’s are collaborative partnerships comprised of the private and non-profit sectors and government agencies at all levels, and are authorized under the National Rural Development Council Partnership as specified in the USDA farm bill. Their goals are to increase economic and social opportunities for rural citizens and to increase the viability of rural communities. Currently, SRDC’s operate in thirty-seven states and plans are underway for the establishment of councils in all fifty states.

With President Obama’s recent establishment of a Rural Council at the cabinet level, Partners for Rural America and the state rural development councils will be working to ensure reauthorization and inclusion of the rural development councils in the White House effort and in the upcoming farm bill. PRA will also continue working to establish new partnerships and provide professional development opportunities by hosting a national rural conference.

WRP will be hosting a series of Rural Summits across the state in fall 2011 to bring the people of Wisconsin together to discuss rural issues and help develop an action plan for rural Wisconsin.

Rolfsmeyer resides in rural Hollandale, Iowa County, and is President of the Board of Education of Pecatonica Area Schools. He serves on the Department of Public Instruction State Superintendent’s Advisory Council on Rural Schools, Communities and Libraries and the Public Service Commission regional broadband advisory group.

For more information about Wisconsin Rural Partners, please contact Dennis Deery (608-237-6367, dennis@wirural.org) or for information on PRA or state rural development councils contact Rick Rolfsmeyer (608-967-2322, ricky@wirural.org).

The Partners for Rural America web site can be found at http://partnersforruralamerica.org.