Center for Rural Revitalization

Connecting, Growing and Investing in Iowa's Rural Communities

The Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa (ERI) initiative was formed by Governor Kim Reynolds by executive order in 2018. ERI is a partnership with the Iowa Rural Development Council (IRDC) and is co-chaired by Lt. Governor Chris Cournoyer and IRDC representative Carla Eysink. The executive order created three task forces (Investing, Growing and Connecting). The task forces addressed topics such as rural housing shortage, business transition planning and entrepreneurship, leadership development, creating welcoming communities, attracting and retaining residents and workers, financing broadband connectivity and leveraging connectivity.

In 2023, a new executive order updated the ERI initiative with a refined focus on functioning as a start-up incubator for innovative rural policy. This model allows ERI to engage multiple stakeholders across the state to launch an innovative concept, learn from participants, initiate scaling efforts and, if successful, pass to another agency or organization to continue forward. Organizational changes included reducing membership from 66 appointees to 25 and going from three task forces to one committee.

The Center for Rural Revitalization, housed within the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA), is responsible for the day-to-day operations of ERI, implementing ERI task force recommendations, acting as a liaison to rural communities and helping small communities access programs that support rural areas.