NADO

Join regional economic development and transportation leaders, planners, and practitioners from across the country and southeast at NADO’s 2026 National Regional Transportation Conference (NRTC) and the 2026 Economic Development Conference for the EDA Atlanta Region, this July in Atlanta, Georgia.

These collocated events will offer learning opportunities beyond the conference room through a variety of mobile workshops throughout the week. Learn more about each mobile workshop, register for the conferences, and add the mobile workshops to your registrations using the links below!

NRTC: https://www.nado.org/nado-events/2026-national-regional-transportation-conference/

🚗 Glance® National Operations Center and the Infrastructure Automotive Technology Laboratory (iATL)
🚶‍♂️Path400 Walking Tour

Economic Development Conference for the EDA Atlanta Region: https://www.nado.org/nado-events/2026-economic-development-conference-for-the-eda-atlanta-region/

💻 QTS Atlanta 1 data center facility
🚲 Atlanta Beltline and Ponce City Market
🏭 Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute

Attendees wishing to participate in both events should register for the National Regional Transportation Conference and select the option to add a discounted Economic Development Conference registration, rather than registering separately for the two events.

The NADO Research Foundation applies annually for federal funding to provide transportation technical assistance to rural communities, Tribes, regional development organizations, transit agencies, or other partners in communities under 50,000 population. Most of this work is focused on passenger mobility, and it can include planning assistance, training, or other types of support.

➡️ If your organization is in need of assistance, please share the rural and Tribal transportation-related needs in this short request form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NADOrequest

The NADO team will reach out to learn more, determine eligibility, and assess whether NADO staff could assist in the short-term or need to apply for funding. This information may also help NADO to plan topics for future conferences, webinars, and peer exchanges.

➡️ View some of NADO and our partners’ past technical assistance work on our ruraltransportation.org website: https://ruraltransportation.org/rural-transportation-technical-assistance-reports/

We are pleased to officially welcome London Weier as NADO’s newest Program Manager! 🎉 London joined the team in December as a Fellow and has made valuable contributions through her writing and research on Economic Development Districts, conference session planning, and member engagement. In her new role, London will primarily support the Economic Development District Community of Practice (EDD CoP), with a focus on disaster preparedness and recovery, EDD-tribal engagement, and other economic resilience initiatives.

We have two new NADO opportunities available! Check them out:

Request for Proposals: Cluster Development Training for EDDs: https://www.nado.org/job/98/

Graduate Research and Writing Fellow: https://www.nado.org/job/88/

Earlier this month, Graduate Fellow turned Program Manager, Dion Thompson-Davoli departed NADO to join the Patterson Family Foundation in Kansas City where he resides. We wished him farewell with a map of all our favorite places to remember us by. 🗺️ We are grateful for Dion’s many contributions to NADO (minus the conflicted copies) and wish him all the best in his new role!

Join economic development and transportation leaders, planners, and practitioners from across the country and southeast at our 2026 National Regional Transportation Conference (NRTC) and the 2026 Economic Development Conference for the U.S. Economic Development Administration Atlanta Region, this July in Atlanta, Georgia. Read more about these two events on our website and register by June 17 to secure early bird registration rates! We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta!

🔗 NRTC: https://www.nado.org/nado-events/2026-national-regional-transportation-conference/

🔗 EDA Atlanta: https://www.nado.org/nado-events/2026-economic-development-conference-for-the-eda-atlanta-region/

This week, NADO’s Executive Committee is in Washington, D.C. for our annual advocacy fly-in. Throughout the week, the Committee is meeting with a wide range of federal partners including The White House; the U.S. Department of Commerce's U.S. Economic Development Administration; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the U.S. Department of Labor; the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; the National Science Foundation (NSF); the U.S. Department of Agriculture; the Office of Senator Mark Kelly; and more. Together, we are advocating on behalf of NADO’s members for policies and programs that strengthen community and economic development, transportation planning, workforce training, economic mobility, affordable housing, rural development, support for older Americans, and coordinated urban and rural planning across the country.

From L to R: Charlie Baker, NADO First Vice President, Executive Director, Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission; Robert Venables, NADO Second Vice President, Executive Director, Southeast Conference; Matthew Dolge, NADO President, Executive Director, Piedmont Triad Regional Council; Russell Devorsky, NADO Treasurer, Executive Director, Heart of Texas Council of Governments; Melissa Kraemer Badtke, NADO Secretary, Executive Director, East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission; and Rick Hunsaker, NADO Immediate Past President, Executive Director, Region XII Council of Governments.

🌲🌳🌱 Explore our latest case study, "Building Connection and Economic Opportunity Through Community Forestry," highlighting Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments' Community Forestry Program on our website now:

Building Connection and Economic Opportunity Through Community Forestry - NADO In 2023, Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments (UCPCOG) in eastern North Carolina received funding to hire a dedicated staff member to establish a Community Forestry Program. The new position allowed UCPCOG to expand its regional service offerings and respond to growing member interest in urban...

NADO is pleased to share that the application for the inaugural cohort of the Training Program for Emerging Leaders for the U.S. Economic Development Administration Atlanta region is now available on our website! The Emerging Leaders program provides EDD staff members a unique opportunity to learn about successful community and economic development approaches of other EDDs in the Atlanta region and beyond through on-site trainings. Applicants for the cohort should be an Economic Development District (EDD) staff member from the eight-state Atlanta region (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, and TN).

🔗 Learn more and apply by June 5, 2026:

EDA Atlanta Emerging Leaders - NADO 2026 Training Program for the Emerging Leaders Atlanta Cohort Information With support from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, Atlanta Regional Office, the NADO Research Foundation is pleased to announce that the application process for the inaugural cohort of the Training Program for Eme...

In the latest installment of the EDDs in Action video series, NADO President & Piedmont Triad Regional Council Executive Director Matthew Dolge discusses the growing impact of artificial intelligence and data centers on local communities and regions. He highlights EDD efforts to guide responsible AI use and safeguard private information, help communities understand benefits and tradeoffs to better plan for the future, and prepare workers for AI-driven changes.

NADO 1 like. "EDDs in Action - Preparing Regions for an AI Future"