ASHLAND, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear visited Ashland with Appalachian Regional Commission co-chair Gayle Manchin on Tuesday to announce that this year’s ARC conference will be held in that city.

The conference will be held Sept. 11 and 12 under the theme, “Appalachia Rises: Resilience, Strength and Transformation.”

The conference is expected to be a windfall for Ashland and the surrounding region, as local, state and federal officials from the 13 Appalachian states gather to discuss collaborating to strengthen their communities.

“It’s fitting that the conference theme this year focuses on resilience,” Gov. Beshear said. “Last year, Eastern Kentucky was hit by the worst flooding in our state’s history. As we recover together, the strength and spirit of our people have been amazing. We’re excited to welcome hundreds to Ashland for this great event, and we’re ready to continue our work with the ARC as we rebuild and transform our Appalachian region.”

“Collaboration has always been the key to growth in the Appalachian Region,” Manchin said. “As such, ARC looks forward to the opportunity to gather in Ashland with our partners from across all of our region’s 13 states for our annual conference. This convening will allow ARC’s local, state and federal partners to come together to share ideas, foster support and create forward-thinking plans for Appalachia’s bright future, all while enjoying the natural beauty of Eastern Kentucky.”

ARC also announced it is accepting submissions for programming ideas for this year’s conference.
Submissions can be made through the ARC website at arc.gov until April 21.

More details about the conference will be released this summer.