Reist represents state on federal economic board

By Paul Huggins, Staff Writer, The Decatur Daily

Tami Reist has been named to represent Alabama on the Appalachian Regional Commission, a federal agency responsible for spending millions to improve economic conditions in the 13-state region.

Reist, president of the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau, will be one of 14 commissioners who serve with governors of the 13 states and a federal co-chairman appointed by the president.

Each year, ARC provides funding for hundreds of projects in the Appalachian Region, in areas such as business development, education and job training, telecommunications, infrastructure, community development, housing and transportation.

The commission allocated more than $5 million in economic development projects through the Appa­lachian region of Alabama in 2009. It provided $54,000 to the North-central Alabama Regional Council of Governments for planning and administration, $200,000 for the Athens Industrial Rail Spur and $100,000 for the Limestone County Voice Over Internet Protocol Network.

Reist said it is an honor to be asked to serve on the commission, which usually meets twice a year in Washington, D.C.

She said one advantage of serving on the commission is having more opportunities to meet with senators and representatives to promote local and regional projects.

Reist replaces Dana Lee Jennings, executive director of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Association. She served on the commission for seven years and recommended Reist as her replacement.

Jennings said ARC is fully on board with tour­ism as an economic development engine, so Reist should find opportunities to share her experience.

“She has one of the brightest tourism minds around,” Jennings said. “She’s one of the hardest-working CVB directors that we have.”

The Appalachian region extends more than 1,000 miles, from southern New York to northeastern Mississippi, and is home to 24.8 million people. In 1965, one in three Appalachians lived in poverty. In 2000, the region’s po­verty rate was 13.6 percent.