Cuyahoga Valley Regional Council of Governments - Executive Director

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: March 1, 2007

 

Cuyahoga Valley Regional COG Hires Executive Director

The Cuyahoga Valley Regional Council of Governments (COG) has hired Patricia Carey as its new executive director. Carey was preceded as executive by Peter Henderson, who retired after 28 years at the Council, which was originally organized as a non-profit to serve the municipalities, school districts, and park districts in and around the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Celebrating its 30^th anniversary in 2007, Cuyahoga Valley Regional COG was previously known as the Cuyahoga Valley Communities Council. On February 23rd, representatives to Cuyahoga Valley Regional COG ratified the agreement for the organization to become a “council of governments” under Ohio Revised Code.

The mission of Cuyahoga Valley Regional COG is to provide a forum whereby the organization can promote, assist and support the work of member governments in utilizing and protecting the resources of the Cuyahoga Valley from Akron to Cleveland.  The Cuyahoga Valley Regional COG views these resources as including not only natural resources, but the history and culture of the communities, as well as recreational and economic opportunities.

Carey currently serves as Northeast Ohio director for Greater Ohio, a statewide nonprofit advocacy campaign that supports state policy to “grow our economy and improve our quality of life through intelligent land use.”  “The Cuyahoga Valley Regional COG will work to achieve many of the same ends as Greater Ohio,” said Carey, “but Cuyahoga Valley Regional COG will be able to mobilize local leaders from neighboring communities and schools to put those objectives into practice on the ground.”

Before working with Greater Ohio, Carey was Executive Director of the Northeast Ohio Regional Alliance, where she facilitated meetings of county commissioners from six counties on land-use issues.  Having worked in various capacities with local governments across the region for the last 20 years, Carey will bring to the organization many professional contacts as well as skills in advocacy, public policy, community and public relations. In addition, Carey says that she is proud to have been among the first in Northeast Ohio to advocate for regional planning and sustainable land-use in the early 1990s while serving as director of government affairs for the Cleveland Area Board of Realtors.

"Working together as a Council of Governments will strengthen the long-standing collaboration among our communities, school districts and parks,” Carey said. “This kind of an organization allows us to share our creativity and resources in addressing both opportunities and challenges.”

“The resources and quality of life in the Cuyahoga Valley are so incredibly rich.  I am thrilled by this opportunity to protect and enhance them.”

In her “off” hours, Carey serves as a supervisor and officer of the Cuyahoga County Soil and Water Conservation District. She also sits on the executive committee of the nine-county Western Reserve Resource Conservation and Development Council.  Both organizations work with conservation and development of land, water and other natural resources.