The 7th Annual Iowa Rural Summit this week included a special recognition of seven rural leaders  and Knoxville City Manager Heather Ussery was among those honored at a special reception at Iowa State University. 

The Iowa Rural Summit brings together leaders from small towns across Iowa each year, and this year’s event included a special tribute to a group of individuals who have made a difference in their rural community or region. The Rand Fisher Rural Leadership Award, sponsored by the IADG Community Foundation, recognizes individuals in rural economic and community development, philanthropy, the arts and utilities. 

“Heather was selected for her visionary work on the VA campus and the redevelopment of that site for housing,” said Mark Reinig, board chairman of the Iowa Rural Development Council (IRDC) which hosts the annual Rural Summit. “In addition, Heather has also helped lead projects to rebuild the Grand Theater as well as the library addition. She is passionate about her community and was recently honored as one of the 2022 Top 10 Under 40 in Marion County.” 

With a crowd of more than 360 individuals from 70 different small towns the Iowa Rural Summit addressed issues ranging from child care to health care to recruiting rural dentists. 

Photo of Ussery with Bruce Hansen, VP of Iowa Area Development Group on the left. Rand Fisher, IRDC Vice-Chair on the right.