Southwest Indiana Regional Development Authority
ABOUT THE RDA
Demonstrating once again that the Evansville Region knows about collaboration, the Southwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) was formed by a joint four-county ordinance in 2015 to apply for and then distribute the $42 million of Regional Cities Initiative funding. The RDA is a quasi-unit of government and comprised of a five-member board representing Posey, Gibson, Warrick and Vanderburgh Counties along with the City of Evansville. The Evansville Regional Economic Partnership (E-REP) was engaged to administer the regional work on behalf of the RDA.
Indiana Code 36-7.6 defines the process of establishing an RDA and sets forth the duties and powers of the development authority, primarily focused on assisting in the coordination of local efforts concerning projects of regional importance.
From 2015 to 2020, the RDA awarded funding to 19 projects representing nearly $1 billion of public, private and philanthropic investment. The Regional Cities projects transformed the physical landscape through quality of place enhancements like trails, the Evansville Airport terminal renovation, the new Ascension St. Vincent YMCA and the Post House mixed-use development to name a few successes.
The achievement of Regional Cities Initiative was a catalyst for the $50 million Regional Economic + Acceleration Development Initiative (READI) award secured in December 2021 and $45 million from READI 2.0 secured in 2024. For READI, the RDA is the applicant, fiscal agent and has the overall responsibility for implementing the Regional Development Plan (RDP) found here.
E-REP continues to serve as the management arm for the RDA.
READI updates can be found here.
Meeting Schedule
The RDA meets monthly and information can be found here.
RDA Board Members
- Posey County: Beth McFadin Higgins, Chair
- Gibson County: Tim Hollander, Vice Chair
- City of Evansville: Jenna Richardt
- Vanderburgh County: Jim Ryan, Member
- Warrick County: Evan Beck, Member