Stephanie Gilbert was recently named the Executive Director of the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission.
News Release
On June 27, at the regular meeting of the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission (OVRDC) Executive Committee, members named Stephanie Gilbert to lead the organization. Effective August 1st, Stephanie Gilbert will take over as Executive Director of the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission and John Hemmings will officially step down after 33 years with the organization.
Established in 1967, OVRDC has a 50-year history of fostering economic development and job creation in the region. John Hemmings served OVRDC as the Executive Director from August 2008 to July 31, 2024.
“The executive search was a deliberate process that took a while, but the dominos fell in such a way that we have the best result for our organization. Stephanie Gilbert has come up through the ranks and she’s been there 11 years, so she knows the programs of the organization inside and out. She’s what we needed to bring the agency forward and has the full support of the board and commission members,” said Barry Woodruff, OVRDC Chairman of the Board and Brown County Commissioner.
“I am truly honored to have been chosen to lead OVRDC into the future. I appreciate all the support of the staff and the Executive Committee, and especially John Hemmings for investing his time in helping me prepare to take on this role. My priorities will include keeping us in a financially sound position, pursuing growth opportunities and preparing for the agency’s future. With my background, I look forward to continuing to grow the Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO) program. We will continue to partner with our members on infrastructure projects for regional economic development and increase face to face communication with community leaders. All these things tie back to bringing more money into our region to help grow our communities,” said Stephanie Gilbert, new OVRDC Executive Director.
“The executive committee selected the right candidate to take the reins of this organization and lead us into the future. I’m excited for Stephanie and with my upcoming departure, I know I’m leaving the organization in good hands under her leadership,” said John Hemmings.
Stephanie Gilbert is a resident of Pike County and has been with OVRDC since 2013. She has moved up in the organization, steadily taking on more responsibilities from first working as the secretary and bookkeeper, then as a part of the planning department where she managed small business program support, and finally, as coordinator of transportation funding projects.
As an owner and operator of several small businesses, Stephanie was a good fit to direct the OVRDC Revolving Loan gap financing program for businesses. The impact of the program since 1985, includes over $7.8 million in loans dispersed leveraging a total investment of $61 million in business investment in the OVRDC region.
Prior to the promotion to executive director, Ms. Gilbert was responsible for heading up the Ohio Department of Transportation designated Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO) program at OVRDC. The RTPO program was developed with support from state legislators, to coordinate transportation funding in the southern Ohio region. The RTPO program, under Stephanie’s leadership, has grown to an annual budget of $1.2 million dollars available for planning and projects.
Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission (OVRDC) is a regional planning commission and Local Development District (LDD) dedicated to the development of Southern Ohio, providing multi-jurisdictional planning and economic development, administration, professional and technical assistance to local governments, nonprofits, communities, and citizens in a twelve-county region. More information at www.OVRDC.org.
