When counties are united at the national level, we are an immense force for the public good. Throughout the past year, NACo multiplied that force alongside our members.

We achieved significant victories on some of the most important issues counties, parishes and boroughs face. These included disaster preparedness and recovery; the opioid epidemic and other substance abuse; mental illness in jails; affordable housing; infrastructure; federal public lands and active forest management, to name a few.

Through the “Connecting the Unconnected” initiative, we highlighted how counties connect residents to society. Focusing on technology, data and financing, we showcased how counties deliver people-centered services that help our residents live well and thrive. This initiative also supported several new programs:

The 2018-19 Annual Report provides a snapshot of NACo’s accomplishments on behalf of the nation’s 3,069 counties.

We thank our members and partners. We look forward to continuing to work with you, as we strengthen our force for the public good.

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MISSION Strengthen America’s counties.

VISION Healthy, safe and vibrant counties across America.

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Member Engagement

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1,470 county officials on NACo committees

4,028 county officials participated in at least one NACo event

82 The number of state association meetings NACo participated in

In partnership with the Professional Development Academy, including Gen. Colin Powell, NACo launched the High Performance Leadership Academy and Enterprise Cybersecurity Leadership Academy – world-class online professional development designed for county employee

20 county leaders participated in the County Leadership Institute

Since its inception 15 years ago, 243 total counties, parishes and boroughs in 44 states and 18 state associations of counties have been represented in the program

 22 states plus the District of Columbia have 100% NACo membership

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Policy Advancement

Significant Accomplishments

Secured increased federal investments in programs important to counties:

Payments in Lieu of Taxes: fully funded at $515 million

Secure Rural Schools: $261 million

2020 Census: $3.8 billion, a $1-billion increase

Opioids & Substance Abuse: $1.4-billion increase to fight the opioid epidemic

Farm Bill: Five-year, $867-billion reauthorization to support rural and underserved communities

USDA Rural Development:  $3 billion, including $550 million for rural broadband

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Focusing on major opportunities and threats, including:

Transportation and infrastructure⎪ FCC regulations that impact local zoning authority⎪ Long-term PILT/SRS funding certainty and active forest management⎪ National Flood Insurance Program⎪ Entitlement program reform⎪ “Waters of the U.S.” rule finalization⎪ Online sales tax Supreme Court ruling impacts⎪ Election security⎪ Opioid epidemic and other substance abuse

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Thought Leadership

Stepping Up: A National Initiative to Reduce the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jails

NACo, The Council of State Governments Justice Center, the American Psychiatric Association Foundation and other partners continued efforts to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jails

Nearly 500 counties passed resolutions to join the initiative

2020 Census

With the support of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the New Venture Fund, NACo is providing counties with resources and tools on important information related to Census 2020 to ensure fair and accurate counts

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Counties Advancing Economic Mobility and Opportunity

Launched a partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to assess the barriers to economic mobility and share scalable, transferable programs across the country

Connecting the Unconnected: Counties Addressing Poverty

Under the leadership of NACo President Greg Cox, NACo embarked on an initiative focused on the critical role counties play in delivering people-centered services to vulnerable populations through effective use of technology, data and financing

 Counties Matter Campaign

Refreshed the Counties Matter campaign with updated data and graphics featured in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and The Hill

https://www.youtube.com/embed/qJofdMI0D-E

 

616 Achievement Awards were given to counties and state associations in 32 states

  

My County Works – an activity book for elementary students – distributed more than 4,300 copies, and thousands more through 970 online downloads

Produced 24 issues of County News, along with special editions on rural broadband, human trafficking and disaster mitigation.

Counties Work educational game – more than 2 million game plays since its 2017 launch

County Solutions middle and high school curriculum13,000 downloads since 2017

https://www.youtube.com/embed/kFEWlHLH6jA

Additional signature projects include:

MacArthur Foundation Safety & Justice Challenge⎪ Pritzker Children’s Impact Network⎪ County Health Rankings and Roadmaps⎪ Data-Driven Justice Initiative⎪ Healthiest Cities and Counties Challenge⎪ Healthy Counties Initiative⎪ Resilient Counties Initiative⎪ Creative Counties Placemaking Program⎪ Strengthening Economies in the West: An Economic Diversification Initiative for Coal-Reliant Communities⎪ USDA Rural Economic Development Challenge⎪ SolSmart Initiative⎪

Livestreaming & Webinars

Delivered 162 webinars, conference workshop recordings and livestreamed events – including the PILT/SRS Capitol Hill press conference and topics like ethics and leadership, affordable housing, early childhood development, immigration reform, county resiliency and infrastructure – with over 12,000 attendees and viewers

 

NACo.org and County Explorer

Nearly 3.2 million page views and over 1.3 million sessions, an increase of nearly 20,000 page views

31 interactive toolkits and reports, utilizing infographics, interactive charts and maps, photos, videos and more

Updated County Explorer includes the latest data for the nation’s 3,069 counties and has more than 800 indicators, each telling a unique county story

View County Explorer

Video

More than 100 new videos, with more than 89,900 views and 90 days of watch time – a watch time increase of over 50%

Social

Reached over 3 million user impressions, an increase of 7%

Cost Saving Solutions

Nationwide Retirement Solutions

NACo’s Defined Contribution and Retirement Services Program offers county employees a voluntary, tax-deferred savings opportunity to supplement employer-sponsored retirement plans. It also offers a 401(a) match and stand-alone defined contribution plans.

More than 410,500 county employees participated in the program with over $21.4 billion in assets

Since the partnership began, we’ve served more than 1.6 million county employees and retirees

3,068 counties and county jurisdictions participate

41 state associations of counties endorse the program

Live Healthy U.S. Counties

1,301 counties participate in the Prescription Discount Program

32 state associations endorse Rx; 22 endorse Rx, Health and Dental

NACo FSC Revenue Recovery

NACo FSC’s new local government debt offset service helps counties collect outstanding debt in a timely, cost-effective manner. The service allows counties to compile and submit delinquencies for offset against pending state personal income tax refunds and lottery winnings.

In 2019, $9.5 million has been returned to local governments in Indiana and California


Financial Health

NACo Leadership

Executive Committee

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Standing Committee Chairs

Caucus Chairs

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Policy Steering Committee Chairs

Board of Directors

  • Hon. Ikaika Anderson
    Council Member
    Honolulu City and County, Hawaii
  • Hon. Allan F. Angel
    Commissioner
    Kent County, Del.
  • Hon. Jhonathan Aragon
    Commissioner
    Valencia County, N.M.
  • Hon. Elizabeth Archuleta
    Supervisor
    Coconino County, Ariz.
  • Col. John E. Aubrey
    County Sheriff
    Louisville Jefferson County, Ky.
  • Mr. Orrin Bailey
    Michigan Works!
    Berrien County, Mich.
  • Hon. Rushern L. Baker
    County Executive
    Prince George’s County, Md.
  • Hon. Peter Baldacci
    Commissioner
    Penobscot County, Maine
  • Hon. Kathryn Barger
    Supervisor
    Los Angeles County, Calif.
  • Ms. Amy Bason
    Deputy Director and General Counsel
    North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, N.C.
  • Hon. John M. Becker
    Chairman
    Madison County, N.Y.
  • Hon. Ron Berry
    Commissioner
    Roane County, Tenn.
  • Mr. Walter R. Beyer IV
    Chief Engineer and Operations Officer
    Elmore County, Ala.
  • Hon. Matthew Bierlein
    Commissioner
    Tuscola County, Mich.
  • Hon. Cindy Bobbitt
    Commissioner
    Grant County, Okla.
  • Mr. Tim Boncoskey
    Chief Deputy Assessor
    Maricopa County, Ariz.
  • Hon. Ken Borton
    Commissioner
    Otsego County, Mich.
  • Hon. Mary Ann Borgeson
    Commissioner
    Douglas County, Neb.
  • Hon. Joel Bousman
    Commissioner
    Sublette County, Wyo.
  • Hon. Ruby A. Brabo
    Supervisor
    King George County, Va.
  • Hon. Joe Briggs
    Commissioner
    Cascade County, Mont.
  • Hon. Roy Charles Brooks
    Commissioner
    Tarrant County, Texas
  • Hon. Cindy Bulloch
    County Assessor
    Iron County, Utah
  • Mr. Randall Burkhardt
    Assistant Director, Parks, Trails and Building Grounds
    Douglas County, Colo.
  • Hon. Jon H. Burrows
    County Judge
    Bell County, Texas
  • Hon. Irwin Burton
    Councilman
    Sussex County, Del.
  • Hon. Bradley Carlyon
    County Attorney
    Navajo County, Ariz.
  • Hon. Keith Carson
    Supervisor
    Alameda County, Calif.
  • Hon. Toni Carter
    Commissioner
    Ramsey County, Minn.
  • Hon. George B. Cole
    Councilman
    Sussex County, Del.
  • Hon. Stacy Corless
    Supervisor
    Mono County, Calif.
  • Hon. Greg Cox
    Supervisor
    San Diego County, Calif.
  • Mr. Nicholas Crossley
    Director, Emergency Management and Homeland Security
    Hamilton County, Ohio
  • Hon. Gordon Cruickshank
    Commissioner
    Valley County, Idaho
  • Hon. Kenneth A. Dahlstedt
    Commissioner
    Skagit County, Wash.
  • Hon. Bryan Desloge   
    Commissioner
    Leon County, Fla.
  • Hon. Cheryl Dinolfo
    County Executive
    Monroe County, N.Y.
  • Hon. Michael Diskin
    County Treasurer
    Essex County, N.Y.
  • Hon. Kathryn E. Dodge
    Assembly Member
    North Star Borough, Alaska
  • Hon. Jerry Doucette
    Commissioner
    Alger County, Mich.
  • Hon. Daryl Dukart
    Commissioner
    Dunn County, N.D.
  • Hon. George Dunlap
    Commissioner
    Mecklenburg County, N.C.
  • Hon. Julie Ehemann
    Commissioner
    Shelby County, Ohio
  • Hon. Lenny Eliason   
    Commissioner
    Athens County, Ohio
  • Hon. Rodney Ellis
    Commissioner
    Harris County, Texas
  • Hon. Brandon Ellison
    County Judge
    Polk County, Ark.
  • Ms. Joy Esparsen
    Government Affairs Director
    New Mexico Association of Counties, N.M.
  • Hon. Bernard Fazzini
    Commissioner
    Harrison County, W.Va.
  • Hon. Richard M. Forster
    Supervisor
    Amador County, Calif.
  • Hon. Bob Fox
    Commissioner
    Renville County, Minn.
  • Hon. Kurt A. Gibbs
    Board Chair
    Marathon County, Wis.
  • Hon. Gregg Goslin
    Commissioner
    Cook County, Ill.
  • Hon. Sharon Green Middleton
    Council Vice-President
    Baltimore City, Md.
  • Hon. Loren Grosskopf
    Commissioner
    Park County, Wyo.
  • Hon. Ricky Harcrow
    Commission President
    DeKalb County, Ala.
  • H. Scott Harnsberger III
    Treasurer
    Fremont County, Wyo.
  • Hon. Viola Harris
    Commissioner
    Edgecombe County, N.C.
  • Hon. George P. Hartwick
    Commissioner
    Dauphin County, Pa.
  • Hon. Sally A. Heyman
    Commissioner
    Miami-Dade County, Fla.
  • Hon. Connie Hickman
    Justice of the Peace
    Navarro County, Texas
  • Hon. Varlin Higbee
    Commissioner
    Lincoln County, Nev.
  • Mr. Robert W. Hill
    Development Director/Emergency Manager
    Brookings County, S.D.
  • Hon. G. Riki Hokama   
    Council Member
    Maui County, Hawaii
  • Hon. Stephen H. Holt
    County Collector
    Jasper County, Mo.
  • Hon. Melvyn Houser
    County Supervisor
    Pottawattamie County, Iowa
  • Hon. Victor Iverson
    Commissioner
    Washington County, Utah
  • Hon. B. Ray Jeffers
    Commissioner
    Person County, N.C.
  • Hon. Larry L. Johnson
    Commissioner
    DeKalb County, Ga.
  • Hon. Tracey A. Johnson
    Commission Chair
    Washington County, N.C.
  • Hon. Arryl Kaneshiro
    Council Chair
    Kauai County, Hawaii
  • Hon. John W. King
    Freeholder
    Hunterdon County, N.J.
  • Mr. Eugene Kinlow
    Director, Mayor’s Office of Federal & Regional Affairs
    District of Columbia
  • Hon. Marilyn Kirkpatrick
    Commissioner
    Clark County, Nev.
  • Hon. Angelo D. Kyle   
    Board Member
    Lake County, Ill.
  • Hon. Chip LaMarca
    Commissioner
    Broward County, Fla.
  • Hon. Marcia Lamb
    Treasurer/Auditor/Superintendent of Schools Designee
    Billings County, N.D.
  • Hon. David Landis
    Mayor
    Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska
  • Hon. Colleen Landkamer   
    Commissioner
    Blue Earth County, Minn.
  • Hon. Christian Y. Leinbach
    Commission Chair
    Berks County, Pa.
  • Ms. Lori Letzring
    Community Services and Outreach Manager
    Hillsborough County, Fla.
  • Hon. Deborah A. Lieberman
    Commissioner
    Montgomery County, Ohio
  • Hon. Michael Logsdon
    Magistrate
    Oldham County, Ky.
  • Hon. Ray Long
    Chairman
    Morgan County, Ala.
  • Hon. Merceria L. Ludgood
    Commissioner
    Mobile County, Ala.
  • Hon. Mark H. Luttrell
    County Mayor
    Shelby County, Tenn.
  • Hon. Warren Mackey
    Commissioner
    Hamilton County, Tenn.
  • Hon. Richard Malm
    Commissioner
    Jefferson County, Kan.
  • Hon. Tommie Cline Martin
    Supervisor
    Gila County, Ariz.
  • Hon. Tyler Massey
    Treasurer
    Hidalgo County, N.M.
  • Hon. Timothy P. McCormick
    Commissioner
    Ohio County, W.Va.
  • Hon. Jim McDonough
    Commissioner
    Ramsey County, Minn.
  • Hon. Michael McGinley
    Commissioner
    Beaverhead County, Mont.
  • Hon. Debbi McGinnis
    Collector of Revenue
    Polk County, Mo.
  • Hon. Melissa J. McKinlay
    Commissioner
    Palm Beach County, Fla.
  • Hon. David Meyer
    County Board Chair
    Washington County, Ill.
  • Hon. Amy Hale Milliken
    County Attorney
    Warren County, Ky.
  • Ms. Carol Moehrle
    Public Health Director - Idaho North Central District
    Nez Perce County, Idaho
  • Hon. Harrison A. Moody
    Supervisor
    Dinwiddie County, Va.
  • Hon. Gary W. Moore
    County Judge/Executive
    Boone County, Ky.
  • Hon. Waymon Mumford
    Council Member
    Florence County, S.C.
  • Mr. Marvin E. Myers
    Surveyor
    Roscommon County, Mich.
  • Hon. David L. Nicholson
    Circuit Court Clerk
    Louisville Jefferson County, Ky.
  • Hon. Jimmy Odom
    Associate Commissioner
    Cass County, Mo.
  • Mr. J. Glenn Osborne Jr.
    Social Services Director
    Wilson County, N.C.
  • Ms. Vivian G. Parsons
    Executive Director
    County Commissioners’ Association of West Virginia, W.Va.
  • Ms. Beverly Perry
    Senior Advisor Executive Office of the Mayor
    District of Columbia
  • Hon. Donna D. Peterson
    Treasurer
    Payette County, Idaho
  • Mr. Chester E. Pintarelli
    Administrator, Medical Care
    Iron County, Mich.
  • Hon. Craig Pope
    Commissioner
    Polk County, Ore.
  • Hon. Robert Post
    Commissioner
    Banner County, Neb.
  • Hon. Toni Preckwinkle
    Board President
    Cook County, Ill.
  • Hon. David A. Rabbitt
    Supervisor
    Sonoma County, Calif.
  • Hon. Jeff Rader
    Commissioner
    DeKalb County, Ga.
  • Hon. Craig Rice
    Council Member
    Montgomery County, Md.
  • Hon. Herbert “Tim” M. Richards III
    Council Member
    Hawaii County, Hawaii
  • Hon. Connie Rockco
    Supervisor
    Harrison County, Miss.
  • Hon. Christopher T. Rodgers
    Commissioner
    Douglas County, Neb.
  • Hon. Manuel Ruiz
    Supervisor
    Santa Cruz County, Ariz.
  • Hon. Harvey Ruvin   
    Clerk of Courts/Ex-Officio Clerk of the Board
    Miami-Dade County, Fla.
  • Hon. Charlotte Sandvik
    Treasurer
    Cass County, N.D.
  • Hon. James Schmidt
    Commissioner
    Lincoln County, S.D.
  • Hon. Martha Schrader
    Commissioner
    Clackamas County, Ore.
  • Mr. Robert Sheehan
    Chief Executive Officer
    Community Mental Health Association of Michigan
  • Hon. Christopher Shoff
    Chairman
    Freeborn County, Minn.
  • Ms. Amy Shrago
    Health and Legislative Policy Analyst
    Alameda County, Calif.
  • Mr. Steven Singer
    Fire and Rescue Chief
    Powhatan County, Va.
  • Mr. Gene Smith
    County Administrator
    Iron County, Mich.
  • Hon. James J. Snyder   
    County Legislator
    Cattaraugus County, N.Y.
  • Hon. Eric Soileau
    Police Juror
    Evangeline Parish, La.
  • Hon. Nancy Thrash
    Commissioner
    Lamar County, Ga.
  • Hon. Jerrie Tipton
    Commissioner
    Mineral County, Nev.
  • Hon. Thomas Tombarello
    Chair, Commissioner
    Rockingham County, N.H.
  • Hon. Daniel P. Troy
    Commissioner
    Lake County, Ohio
  • Hon. Grant Veeder
    Auditor/Commissioner of Elections
    Black Hawk County, Iowa
  • Mr. Chris Villines
    Executive Director
    Association of Arkansas Counties, Ark.
  • Hon. Kenton C. Ward
    Surveyor
    Hamilton County, Ind.
  • Ms. Patricia Ward
    Community Development/Housing Director
    Tarrant County, Texas
  • Hon. Charles Weed
    Commissioner
    Cheshire County, N.H.
  • Hon. Gloria D. Whisenhunt
    Commissioner
    Forsyth County, N.C.
  • Hon. Larry W. White
    Commissioner
    Escambia County, Ala.
  • Hon. Glen Whitley   
    County Judge
    Tarrant County, Texas
  • Hon. Debbie Wise
    County Circuit Clerk
    Randolph County, Ark.
  • Hon. Terry D. Wolf
    Commissioner
    Washakie County, Wyo.
  • Hon. Jack Woodrum
    Commissioner
    Summers County, W.Va.
  • Mr. Edward Zackery
    Veterans Service Office Director
    Medina County, Ohio
  • Hon. James P. Zwetzig
    Commissioner
    Morgan County, Colo.

NACo Officials on Federal/External Boards and Committees

  • Bureau of Land Management National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board
  • Dept. of Commerce FirstNet PSAC
  • Dept. of Health and Human Services Rural Assistance Center Advisory Board
  • Dept. of Homeland Security and Center for Rural Development Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium
  • Dept. of Homeland Security Project SAFECOM
  • Dept. of Transportation Task Force on Tourism and Infrastructure
  • Dept. of Justice Global Advisory Committee
  • Dept. of Justice Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative Advisory Committee
  • Dept. of Justice Right to Counsel National Consortium
  • Election Assistance Commission Board of Advisors
  • Emergency Management Accreditation Program Commission
  • EPA Governance Coordinating Committee
  • EPA Local Government Advisory Committee
  • EPA Local Government Advisory Committee – Small Community Advisory Committee
  • FAA Drone Advisory Committee
  • FCC Intergovernmental Advisory Committee
  • Federal Highway Administration – Automated Cars
  • FEMA Mitigation Framework Working Group
  • FEMA National Advisory Council
  • FEMA R III Regional Advisory Committee
  • FEMA Technical Mapping Advisory Council
  • Generations United
  • Governmental Accounting Standards Advisory Council
  • Institute for Building Technology and Safety, Board of Directors
  • Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee on Trade
  • My Brother’s Keeper National Coordinating Council
  • National Association of Regional Councils Board
  • National Civic League
  • National Conference on Correctional Health Care
  • National Drought Resiliency Partnership
  • National Geospatial Advisory Committee
  • National Homeland Security Consortium
  • National Ocean Council, Governance Coordinating Committee
  • NOAA National Integrated Drought Information System Executive Council
  • RWJF Shared Services Learning Committee Technical Advisors Team
  • Southern Rural Development Center Technical & Operational Advisory Committee
  • State and Local Advisory Council – Streamline Sales and Use Tax Governing Board
  • Urban Institute Pay For Success Advisory Committee
  • Wildland Fire Executive Council
  • Wildland Fire Leadership Council

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Strategic Partners

  • Nationwide
  • Live Healthy U.S. Counties
  • NACo Financial Services
  • Public Finance Authority

Federal Funders

  • Appalachian Regional Commission
  • Bureau of Justice Assistance
  • Federal Highway Administration
  • National Endowment for the Arts
  • National Oceanic Atmospheric Association
  • The Solar Foundation
  • USDA Forest Service
  • USDA

Foundations and Non-Profits

  • AEAETNA Foundation
  • Americans for the Arts
  • American Psychiatric Association Foundation
  • Annie E. Casey Foundation
  • Association of State Floodplain Managers
  • Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Bipartisan Policy Center
  • Centene Foundation
  • Center for Court Innovation
  • Coastal States Association
  • Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
  • John D. and Catherine T. Mac Arthur Foundation
  • NADO Research Foundation
  • National Criminal Justice Association
  • National Veterans Intermediary
  • New Venture Fund
  • NORC at the University of Chicago
  • Policy Research Associates
  • Public Welfare Foundation
  • Public Financial Management
  • Texas A&M Agri-Life Extension Service
  • Council of State Governments Justice Center
  • The Kresge Foundation
  • The Laura and John Arnold Foundation
  • The Pritzker Children’s Initiative Foundation
  • The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  • Walmart, Inc.
  • Wounded Warriors Project

Premier Members

  • Aetna
  • Altria
  • Association of American Railroads
  • AT&T
  • BNSF
  • Capital Group
  • Carton Council/Resource Recycling
  • Centene
  • CGI Communications
  • Comcast
  • Crown Castle
  • Ernst & Young
  • ESRI
  • GovQuote
  • IBM Americas
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • KPMG
  • Laserfiche
  • LexisNexis
  • Linebarger
  • Maycomb Capital
  • Municipal Finance & Services Corporation
  • NAHB
  • Netsmart
  • Paypal
  • PepsiCo
  • Pew
  • Ricoh
  • Thomson Reuters
  • Tyler Technologies
  • UnitedHealthcare/Optum
  • Verizon
  • VISA

Large Urban County Caucus

  • Aetna
  • American Beverage Association
  • Carton Council/Resource Recycling
  • Comcast
  • Ernst & Young
  • Everbridge
  • KPMG
  • Nationwide
  • PepsiCo
  • RenaissanceRe
  • UnitedHealthcare/Optum
  • Verizon
  • VISA
  • Win Fertility

Healthy Counties

  • Aetna
  • American Beverage Association
  • ESRI
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • PepsiCo
  • UnitedHealthcare/Optum

Next Gen

  • Capital Group
  • Nationwide

Resilient Counties and Community and Economic Development

  • Carton Council/Resource Recycling
  • Centene
  • CGI Communications
  • Ernst & Young
  • ESRI
  • Linebarger
  • NAHB

Rural Action Caucus

  • Aetna
  • Carton Council/Resource Recycling
  • Farm Credit
  • NADO
  • Nationwide
  • RCAP
  • Rural LISC
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