Heartland Forward Announces Strategic Leadership Changes and $500 Million Economic Impact Goal by 2030

 Angie Cooper to serve as president, Ross DeVol as chairman of the board as Heartland Forward announces new $500M goal

BENTONVILLE, Ark., Dec. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, leading think-and-do tank, Heartland Forward announced Executive Vice President Angie Cooper has been named president and chief operating officer, and Ross DeVol, who has led Heartland Forward as president and CEO since its inception, will assume the role of chairman of the board while remaining CEO.

These leadership changes come as Heartland Forward pursues a new goal of generating a $500 million economic impact by 2030. Driven by innovative policy proposals, impactful programs and cutting-edge research across the 20 states comprising the heartland, this goal will focus on four key economic drivers: innovation and entrepreneurship, human capital and workforce development, health and wellness and regional competitiveness. As part of this goal, Heartland Forward is launching a new initiative, Pulse of the Heartland to track, communicate and lead, on-the-ground economic data, insights and research in the middle of the country.

"The heartland is home to tremendous untapped potential, but many communities still face systematic challenges," said DeVol. "Our leadership changes signal a bold new era for Heartland Forward as we continue driving innovation and economic growth across the heartland. I'm deeply proud of the team's accomplishments thus far, which have laid the groundwork for such strategic moves. I know these new positions will allow us to pursue even bolder, high-impact initiatives including Pulse of the Heartland and generating $500 million in economic impact by 2030."

Angie Cooper will begin her role as president and chief operating officer on January 1, 2025. Cooper will lead strategy, programs, public policy and the Heartland Summit, the flagship event of Heartland Forward.

"Heartland Forward's work to accelerate economic growth in the middle of the country - the third largest economy in the world, continues to demand bold action," said Cooper. "As a team, we are committed to bridging gaps and building strong public-private partnerships to ensure the heartland leads the way as we grow the talent pipeline with a focus on workforce, education and entrepreneurship. We must harness the power of artificial intelligence to be prepared for the future while expanding access to affordable high-speed internet. None of this can be done without ensuring we are creating healthy communities - all which will transform lives. We look forward to working alongside our many partners to achieve $500 million in economic impact in the heartland by 2030. It's both an honor and great privilege to step into my new role as president and chief operating officer, and I am deeply grateful for the trust placed in me to help lead this important work."

Strengthening Research and Expanding Programs

Heartland Forward is also enhancing its research capabilities with two additional strategic appointments:

• Cass Crews, currently research director of entrepreneurship and innovation, will step into a new role as research director of talent pipeline, where he will focus on addressing workforce challenges across the region, in addition to his current responsibilities. Additionally, Chris West will support this work providing data and research support.
• Ken Imanak joins as the new research director for health and wellness, further enhancing the organization's focus on addressing critical issues such as maternal health and health care access.

Dave Shideler, chief research officer of Heartland Forward, expressed enthusiasm for the organization's evolving research priorities. "Cass has been a driving force in entrepreneurship and innovation, and I'm excited to see him bring that same passion to our talent pipeline efforts. Ken's expertise in health and wellness also will be invaluable as we expand our focus on improving livelihoods in the heartland. They will both be vital to the success of our new Pulse of the Heartland initiative and help us track our $500 million economic impact by adding new evaluation metrics to such products as our Most Dynamic Metropolitans and Micropolitans."

Celebrating its fifth anniversary as a nonpartisan, nonprofit, Heartland Forward recently launched a number of new program initiatives this fall:

• Telehealth training in Oklahoma and Arkansas: a program to empower librarians to help residents access and prepare for telehealth services, improving health care access in rural areas.
• STEM education report: research from Heartland Forward and the University of Arkansas College of Engineering shows doubling STEM graduates and increasing research productivity could add an estimated $3.9 billion to the state's economy and create 19,000 new jobs by 2038.
• rootEd Arkansas: a public-private partnership aimed at ensuring rural students in Arkansas graduate high school prepared for successful careers and economic stability.
• Connecting the Heartland Broadband Jobs Board: an online resource which helps job seekers discover local employers and access information on benefits, resources and training opportunities to build a resilient broadband workforce.
• Builder and Backers in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Alabama: an idea accelerator program that encourages regional entrepreneurship by awarding up to $5,000 to help residents turn ideas into potential businesses or ventures.

To meet our goal, Heartland Forward is seeking strategic donors and partners who are committed to investing in the heartland. To learn more about Heartland Forward and its work to build thriving, resilient communities across the American heartland, please visit heartlandforward.org.

About Heartland Forward
Heartland Forward is a policy think-and-do tank dedicated to being a resource for states and local communities in the middle of the country. We do this by studying broad economic trends and building data-driven and community-tested partnerships, programs and policies to address the needs of the heartland – all while helping to change the narrative about the middle of the country and kick-starting economic growth.

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SOURCE Heartland Forward