Dr. Glenda Bumgarner Named as New President & CEO of Appalachian Partnership, Inc.

Aug 31, 2020 | News, Newsletter

The Appalachian Partnership, Inc. (API) today announced Dr. Glenda Bumgarner as its new President and CEO. Bumgarner currently serves as JobsOhio’s Senior Director of Engagement and joins the API team effective Aug. 31. She replaces John Molinaro, who is retiring and has served as API’s president and CEO since 2012.

API Board Chair MarJean Kennedy shared that “Glenda’s energy, experiences, and commitment to advance the businesses of Appalachia presented the Board with a strong candidate capable of increasing the prosperity of API’s 32-county region.”

At JobsOhio, Bumgarner launched the first statewide engagement team to reach thousands of stakeholders and partners. Prior to joining JobsOhio, she served 10-years in the public sector as the Deputy Director of Jobs & Commerce at the ODOT, and as the Governor’s Workforce Policy Board executive director. Glenda also worked in the private sector to lead Columbia Gas of Ohio’s legislative and economic development teams, at IBM Corporation, and the Springfield-Clark County Chamber of Commerce and Community Improvement Corporation.

The full article can be found HERE.

Much more than just “drug houses”; State grants to fund commercial building demolition would propel county land banks as key drivers of Ohio’s economic development

May 11, 2021

In late April 2021, a legislative committee in the Ohio House held its second hearing to consider creating a $100 million grant program, exclusively for county land banks, to fund commercial building demolition. Ohio’s land bank statutes are recognized as a national model, uniquely providing an opt-in for county commissioners to direct tax collections to fund their county land banks’ activities. That revenue model, coupled with allocations from the state’s Hardest Hit Fund (specifically, the sun-setting Neighborhood Initiative Program), allowed land banks to grow in number during the past decade and thrive in addressing so-called nonproductive land in their communities. 

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Partnership Produces Success in Paulding County Through Northwest State Community College

May 11, 2021

Archbold, Ohio – Communication, collaboration, and partnerships are all sometimes a difficult ask. The ultimate goal of all three is to produce action that leads to meeting a goal or need. At Paulding High School, the goal was met as five students completed the Northwest State Community College welding course. The offering, consisting of two college level welding courses, came to fruition alongside the OhioMeansJobs-Defiance and Paulding Counties Office, the Paulding County Economic Development Office, Paulding High School, and Northwest State Community College.

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