FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Honors Rural Innovators

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration will honor 14 Rural Innovators from across America who making a positive impact in their rural communities.

Earlier this year, the Biden-Harris Administration invited the public to nominate individuals who are taking action and ensuring their communities thrive for generations to come. White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden, White House Office of Public Engagement Director Stephen Benjamin, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack headlined an event at the White House today to celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments of Rural Innovators and highlight the Biden-Harris Administration's investments in rural communities. To learn more about the Rural Innovators, please visit Rural.gov.

The individuals being recognized as Rural Innovators include:

• Sylandi Brown, Board Member, Pulaski County Board of Education (Georgia)
• Kristina Cannon, President & CEO, Main Street Skowhegan (Maine)
• Jeremiah Clever, President, CWA Broadband Apprenticeship Lead-Idaho (FITECH) (Idaho)
• Jill Dunham, Broadband Project Manager, Allegan County Government (Michigan)
• Rick Erickson, Retired Teacher, Bayfield High School (Wisconsin)
• Luis Omar Garcia, Community Leader, Unidos por Arenas (Puerto Rico)
• Jennifer Gauthier, Director, College of Menominee Nation Sustainable Development Institute (Menominee Nation)
• Nick Hernandez, CEO & Founder, Makoce Agriculture Development (Pine Ridge Indian Reservation)
• Michael Jefferson, President & Founder, Cut One School One Youth Crime Intervention, Inc. (Mississippi)
• Erin Martin, Farmer & Owner, Footprints in the Garden (North Carolina)
• Ted Matthews, Administrator & CEO, Anson General Hospital (Texas)
• Sarah Meitner, Executive Director, Heartland Community Foundation (Kansas)
• Alexis Racelis, Houston Endowed Chair for Science and Technology and Professor in the School for Earth, Environmental and Marine Sciences, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (Texas)
• Nancy X. Valentine, Artist and Executive Director of Kaddatz Galleries (Minnesota)