Happy Holidays!
On behalf of the NARC staff, thank you for all of your support during the past year. Here is a quick look back at all of our successes in 2019:
Heading to the Hill on Behalf of Regions
NARC worked hard to engage with Congress and federal agencies to increase the profile of regions at the federal level. NARC brought members of key congressional committees to speak before members at the National Conference of Regions. NARC also coordinated a fly-in for the Major Metros Roundtable, bringing 16 regional councils together on Capitol Hill to advocate for regional solutions.
Rural Economic Development Innovation (REDI) Program
We continued our work with National Association of Councils (NACo) and USDA on the Rural Economic Development Innovation (REDI) grant. We had a successful kickoff event in Clark County, Nevada, where we brought the communities of the cohort together to share their regional obstacles and assets. NACo and NARC will work with the communities through summer of 2020 to help each develop their own regional economic development plan.

Conferences
National Conference of Regions held in Washington, DC in February featured a packed schedule of congressional and federal agency speakers, including a keynote by Dr. Ben Carson.
Left: 2018-2019 NARC President Geof Benson shakes hands with Secretary Carson.
Omaha, Nebraska, the home of the College World Series and four Fortune 500 headquarters, was the location of our 53rd Annual Conference and Exhibition in June.
Our Executive Directors Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona in October saw record attendance with several new directors meeting their peers for the first time.
Membership Week
The last week of September was Membership Week at NARC. NARC staff reached out to each and every member to thank them for their continued support and leadership. Additionally, NARC staff used the week to promote the benefits of NARC membership, highlighting NARC’s federal advocacy efforts, program and policy resources, and opportunities for information sharing and networking.
Fiscal Officers Group
A new NARC working group was born in 2019: the Fiscal Officers Group. This group brings together financial professionals from regional councils to talk about fiscal and legal topics that impact all NARC members in their day-to-day activities. Along with holding quarterly calls, the Fiscal Officers Group met face-to-face during the National Conference of Regions and the Executive Directors Conference.
Older Americans Act Advisory Group
NARC initiated a special working group of members and partner organizations to discuss the reauthorization process of the Older Americans Act. The working group was organized in early 2019 to discuss potential changes to OAA and has continued as the reauthorization has progressed. Work within the group will continue as the reauthorization process extends into 2020.
New Association Management Software
Get ready for NARC’s new association management software (AMS) system coming to members in January 2020! This software will streamline NARC’s operations, including simplifying invoice procedures, improving member communications, and creating a new system for resource sharing and interaction among members.