(Left to right) Gene Merrell, UEDA Board of Directors and Associate Vice President for Economic Development, University of Idaho; Christi Bell, UEDA Past President, Summit Presenting Sponsor and Executive Director, University of Alaska Anchorage Business Enterprise Institute; Eduardo Gonzalez, Project Manager, SJVRDC; Ismael Herrera, Director, SJVRDC; Mike Dozier, UEDA President and Executive Director, Office of Community and Economic Development, Fresno State.
On September 28, SJVRDC staff attended the University Economic Development Association (UEDA) Annual Summit and was awarded the Excellence in Community-Connected Campus Award.
In August, SJVRDC was selected as an Awards of Excellence finalist and invited to present at the 2015 UEDA Annual Summit in Anchorage, Alaska. SJVRDC presented along with two additional category finalists-Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis and University of Alaska Anchorage-before a voting body of its peers.
The UEDA Awards of Excellence recognizes the top university-based economic development initiatives in the country. The Community-Connected award highlights the initiative’s “innovated approaches to campus and community planning that make the campus a magnet or ‘hot spot’ for the regional economy.” (universityeda.org)