Contact: Ashley Huibregtse, 608-224-5002, ashley.huibregtse@wisconsin.gov
Jim Dick, Communications Director, 608-224-5020, jim.dick@wisconsin.gov
MADISON – This is your chance to expand Wisconsin’s rural voice in the effectiveness of rural networks to improve communities and create policy. The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and Wisconsin Rural Partners invite you to attend the Wisconsin Rural Summit on December 2, 2011 at the Stoney Creek Inn in Wausau.
Results collected from the regional forums held in October and current demographic data will be used at the Summit to frame the conversation. Speakers, participants, and discussion time will help generate solutions to strengthen our rural communities. At lunch, there will be a celebration of the current Top Rural Development Initiatives Award winners.
The featured speaker for the event will be Dr. Ed Morrison, an Economic Policy Advisory at the Purdue University Center for Regional Development. Dr. Morrison, who has been active in economic and workforce development for over twenty years, has been developing a new discipline called Strategic Doing, which is a planning process that is more active and responsive than the traditional strategic planning process. Using Strategic Doing, attendees will work towards setting an “Action Agenda” to create positive change to assist our rural communities to thrive.
Citizens, community leaders, local school and government officials, private industry, and community organization members are encouraged to attend. The Summit will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Cost to attend is $65, which includes the Summit, breakfast, lunch, and a complimentary one-year membership in Wisconsin Rural Partners. To register and participate in an on-line survey of rural issues, visit http://www.wirural.org/RuralSummit2011. Registration closes November 21.
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Stoney Creek Inn for $70 per night. For hotel reservations, call 715-355-6858 by November 15.
For more information, contact Kathy Schmitt, Committee Chair and a DATCP Community Services Specialist, at 608-224-5048 or kathy.schmitt@wisconsin.gov.
