Event Details
Thursday, June 8, 2023
2:00pm- 3:30pm PT
Online via Zoom
Cost: Free
Along with our usual networking, we are pleased to welcome special guests Helen Price Johnson and Tim O’Connell, Washington State leadership for USDA Rural Development. They will orient us to the Rural Data Gateway, share current funding opportunities available through USDA, and answer questions about securing federal funding to support your community projects.
Cost
Free
Who Should Attend
Those who work, live, and serve in rural communities in Washington state are encouraged to attend
Accessibility
Captioning: We will have automated captioning enabled.
Interpretation: Please indicate during registration if you have an interpretation request. Typically, we need at least two weeks in order to schedule an interpreter.
Visual Descriptions: Presenters will include visual descriptions of themselves and the slides to give a person who is low-vision, blind, or calling in without video a sense of space and place.
If you have additional accessibility requests, please let us know when you register.
About the Speakers
Helen Price Johnson, Washington State Director- USDA Rural Development
A third-generation small business owner, Helen Price Johnson has worked statewide advocating for small towns, small businesses, and rural lands. Joining USDA in January 2022, she previously served three terms as an Island County Commissioner; is a past president of the Washington State Association of Counties, a two-term member of the South Whidbey School Board and a member of the Board of Directors of the Whidbey Community Foundation.She and her husband live on Whidbey Island. They have 4 grown children and 4 adorable grandchildren.
Timothy W. O’Connell, Deputy State Director- USDA Rural Development
Tim became the Deputy State Director for USDA Rural Development (RD)/Washington State in November 2022. His current role is to help rural communities in Washington State access USDA Rural Development and other funding and technical assistance programs in order for them to thrive. Prior to that he was the West Region Coordinator for the Innovation Center at RD from 2016-2022, working from Portland, OR. He helped coordinate and collaborate with other Federal, State and local agencies and stakeholders involved in rural economic development across thirteen Western States. Focus areas included: a) outdoor recreation economy projects; b) rural broadband capacity building; c) rural child-care solutions; d) expanding opportunities for Tribal Nations and other underserved populations.
Prior to his move to Portland, he spent 26 years in Hilo, Hawaii with RD as the Assistant to the State Director–managing the Hawaii/Western Pacific Office for the Agency. Other assignments included Rural Energy Coordinator, Cooperative Development Specialist, Acting Business and Acting Community Programs Director, and Strategic Planning Coordinator. While in Hawaii he graduated from the Agricultural Leadership Foundation training program and served on the board of directors of the organization for over 20 years.
Contact Information
Questions? Contact Nonprofit Association of Washington
Phone: (855) 299-2922Â x104
Email:Â [email protected]