By Anya Petrone Slepyan
On Dec. 18, 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration honored 14 Rural Innovators during an event at the White House. The attendees had been nominated by the public for their service to their rural communities in a variety of areas including education, economic development, broadband infrastructure, and health services.
The event was headlined by three White House officials: Neera Tanden, a domestic policy advisor, Stephen Benjamin, the director of public engagement, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is investing in rural America to create opportunity for farmers, small business owners, families, and communities,” according to a press release from the White House.
The diverse interests and achievements of the Rural Innovators honored at the event reflected some of the many challenges facing rural communities and showcased local solutions.
Rural communities are less likely to have access to high-speed internet. The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided a $65 billion investment in broadband infrastructure, but funding is not the only …