Local officials meet with D.C. ‘decision-makers’
A group that included business leaders, elected officials and heads of agencies such as the Owensboro Riverport, Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport and Owensboro Health traveled to Washington, D.C. last week, for two days of meetings with national leaders, including members of the Biden Administration.
The trip was organized by the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber has sponsored the trip annually since 2016, as a way to both acquaint national leaders with community initiative and goals, and to establish contacts between local and federal officials.
“The Chamber is honored every year to put together a group of business leaders to go to our nation’s capital,” Chamber president and CEO Candance Castlen Brake said. “Our trips are an opportunity to highlight some of the amazing things going on in Owensboro, and also to connect with legislators and staff members, to be contacts for our members and community projects.”
The group included city Mayor Tom Watson, County Commissioner Chris Castlen and chamber board members representing organizations such as German American Bank, Catholic Charities, UniFirst, Southern Star and the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corp.
Officials also gave presentations to White House officials about the Western Academy at the Neblett, which works with young Black males and teens to become future community leaders, and HealthForce Kentucky, the region education initiative that works with students to instruct future medical professionals.
Olga McKissic, the Chamber board’s chairwoman-elect and director of Western Academy, said she presented to officials from the White House Department of Public Engagement.
McKissic said Chamber leadership asked, “’do you mind talking about Western Academy?’ and I said, ‘I will talk about Western Academy anywhere.’ ”
“I was able to talk to them about why Western Academy was established, and it was because of the gun violence in our community in 2018,” McKissic said. “We are raising positive Black men who will be leaders in the community and will stay in the community.”
“It was definitely eye-opening to be part of the D.C. fly-in, and I appreciate so much that I was able to go,” McKissic said. When talking with White House officials, “they were taking notes and giving recommendations” on how federal agencies such as the Department of Education could help Western Academy in the future, McKissic said.
“I felt they were impressed with what Owensboro is doing,” McKissic said.
Bart Darrell, a board member and chancellor of HealthForce Kentucky, said the annual trips keep federal officials informed about local initiatives.
“Generally speaking, we go every year to make sure Owensboro is known by our national legislators,” Darrell said, and that part of the trip is to introduce “if not emphasize our community economic priorities.”
“It’s a chance to go a little bit of a deep-dive on issues,” Darrell said.
One of the meetings was with officials from the Department of Transportation, to discuss community infrastructure such as highways and the riverport, Darrell said.
Susan Montalvo-Gesser, director of Catholic Charities and Chamber board member, said the meeting was an opportunity to talk directly to officials like Sen. Mitch McConnell.
“The Chamber staff is really organized, and they do a great job of getting us in front of the right people and making sure Owensboro is on the map” in Washington, Montalvo-Gesser said.
Watson said federal officials also met with Rep. Brett Guthrie and members of Sen. Rand Paul’s staff to discuss local infrastructure, and issues such as economic development and immigration.
The group also met with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
“I really want people to know we have access” in Washington, Watson said. “I have been on a bunch of these, and I think this might have been our best effort at getting our story told. The people at these meetings were the decision-makers.”
By James Mayse Messenger-Inquirer