Rural Maryland Council to hold 2017 summit in Annapolis

November 22, 2017

Read the original article published on November 22, 2017 in The Garrett County Republican here.

ANNAPOLIS — The Rural Maryland Council will hold its 2017 summit Dec. 1 at the DoubleTree Hotel, 210 Holiday Court, Annapolis. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is open to the public. This year’s theme is “Bridging the Divide: Strengthening Rural and Urban Communities.”

Gov. Larry Hogan will open the one-day conference with welcoming remarks. In addition to the governor, featured guest speakers will include William E. “Brit” Kirwan, chancellor emeritus of the University System of Maryland, and Amy Goldstein, staff writer for the Washington Post and author of “Janesville: An American Story.”

The summit breakout sessions will include updates from Maryland state secretaries, as well as a panel of state legislators. Sessions on agriculture, community development, economic development and health care will also be available. Topics include a feature on a new ag GIS dashboard, affordable housing, rural broadband, new tools for eliminating blighted, vacant properties, and the updated Maryland Rural Health Plan.

In addition, a new AgPitch session will be presented this year. Five finalists will be selected to present their ideas/business plans to compete for cash and related business services. The day will close with a networking reception beginning at 3:30 p.m.

“The content of this year’s summit sets the tone for a conversation about strengthening our communities and making come-backs regardless of whether you are talking about a rural or urban community,” says Charlotte Davis, executive director, Rural Maryland Council. “We share so many common challenges that need to be solved. Switching the focus to what we share and bringing all the stakeholders together to create the solutions is what will make the difference.”

Advance registration for the summit is $50 per person. Registration at the door will be $60. Meals are included. The deadline to pre-register online is Tuesday, by 5 p.m

To register for the conference, persons are asked to visit rural.maryland.gov, call 410-841-5774, or email rmc.mda@maryland.gov. Updates on all RMC events and activities can be found atfacebook.com/RuralMaryland or on Twitter @RuralMaryland.

Founded in 1994, the Rural Maryland Council operates under the direction of a 40-member executive board in a nonpartisan and nondiscriminatory manner. It serves as the state’s federally designated rural development council and functions as a voice for rural Maryland, advocating for and helping rural communities and businesses across the state to flourish and to gain equity to its suburban and urban counterparts.

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