(Photo Credit: Madisonville-Hopkins County Economic Development Corporation/Facebook)
Kelly Forbes, the Executive Director of Communications and Operations at the Madisonville-Hopkins County Economic Development Corporation was awarded the Robert M. Ady Professional Development Scholarship at the Site Selectors Guild Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, last week.
According to officials from the Site Selectors Guild, the conference is the world’s largest gathering of professional site selection consultants. It serves as a premier professional development and networking opportunity for over 400 economic development professionals in attendance.
Officials stated that scholarship applications are assessed by a committee of Guild members, focusing on financial need, achievements in economic development, and a clear interest in engaging with site selection professionals. They said priority is given to candidates from communities that are typically underrepresented in economic development.
The scholarship program is named in honor of Robert M. Ady, the founder of the Site Selectors Guild. Officials said Ady advanced through the ranks at Fantus Consulting, the pioneering site selection firm, before establishing his own companies and becoming a lifelong advocate for the economic and site selection industries. Following Ady’s passing in 2012, officials said the Guild created the scholarship program to recognize his impact on the industry and the professional opportunities he helped create for future economic development practitioners.
