State Of The Region

MORPC’s 2024 State of the Region was held on Friday, March 15, 2024, at the Hilton Columbus Downtown.

This year’s theme was Connecting Communities: Building the Future of Housing and Transportation.

The State of the Region is one of Central Ohio’s most significant events of the year. During the State of the Region, we highlight community accomplishments and showcase upcoming plans for leading our region into the future. It is attended by the region’s top political, business, and civic leaders as the year’s premier event.

Agenda

11:00 a.m. – Registration & Networking

11:30 a.m. – Program Begins

Welcome – William Murdock, Executive Director, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission

Leaders Listen: Transportation & Housing

Keynote – Majora Carter, Real estate developer, urban revitalization strategy
consultant, MacArthur Fellow, and Peabody Award winning broadcaster

Fireside Chat

- Moderator:
  - William Murdock, Executive Director, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission
- Panelists:
  - Shannon Hardin, Council President, City of Columbus
  - Monica Tellez-Fowler, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, COTA
  - Luke Messinger, CEO, RAPID5
  - Jack Marchbanks, Director, ODOT

Award Ceremony

- William H. Anderson Excellence in Public Service Award
- Regional Leadership Award
- William C. Habig Collaborative Achievement Award

1:00 p.m. – Closing Remarks

Our Sponsors

Mark your calendar for the 2025 State of the Region on March 21, 2025! To secure your table for the next year’s event or to learn about MORPC’s other sponsorship opportunities, contact Amanda McEldowney at amceldowney@morpc.org

State Of The Region Awards

During the State of the Region, we highlight community accomplishments with the State of the Region Awards.

William H. Anderson Award

The William H. Anderson Award recognizes a current or past board member who exemplifies outstanding leadership, a vision for the community and the region, and commitment to MORPC. William H. Anderson, a longtime MORPC board member, was the epitome of a civic volunteer who is remembered for his zeal with which he championed MORPC’S mission and goals.

Past award winners include:

Regional Leadership Award

First introduced in 1997, the Regional Leadership Award recognizes individuals in a 15-county region (Franklin, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Hocking, Knox, Licking, Logan, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Perry, Pickaway, Ross and Union counties) who make extraordinary efforts to ensure the future viability of the region’s communities. The Regional Leadership Award is derived from MORPC’s continuing dedication to addressing issues that transcend community boundaries and to stimulating visionary thinking.

Past award winners include:

William C. Habig Collaborative Achievement Award

The William C. Habig Collaborative Achievement Award was created in 2006 in honor of William C. Habig, who served MORPC for 39 years, 34 years as executive director. The William C. Habig Collaborative Achievement award is annually presented to an individual and/or organizations who have achieved an effective effort or innovative collaborative in central Ohio. The honoree(s) will have demonstrated success in developing a specific initiative or entity that supports broad inclusion, diverse thoughts in the process and delivers tangible results addressing key challenges facing the region.

Past award winners include: