The Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado was recently recognized with a 2025 Aliceann Wohlbruck Impact Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) for the Southwest Opioid Response District (SWORD) opioid settlement collaboration.
The award recognizes the trust government partners put in Region 9 to coordinate what will be an 18-year process to identify and implement the highest and best use for opioid dollars in the region could be used for.
Work is underway to explore a regional recovery campus, and SWORD is also providing community grants to help fund more immediate needs for intervention, and programs supporting people in treatment and recovery.
“The impact of substance abuse poses a very real economic development challenge impacting existing workforce shortages and housing,” said Laura Lewis Marchino, Region 9 executive director. “All five our counties identified substance misuse and mental health as a top community concern impacting our jails, court systems, communities and families across the region.”
Presented annually, the NADO Impact Awards honor regional development organizations and their partners for strengthening communities, building regional resilience and enhancing local economies through innovative approaches to economic and community development.
This year’s cohort included 90 impactful projects led by 79 organizations across 24 states, with three in Colorado.
These award-winning efforts will be recognized during NADO’s 2025 Annual Training Conference, held this October in Salt Lake City, Utah.
All selected projects are featured in an interactive story map that showcases summaries, images and key partners. The map is available at www.nado.org/2025impactawards/.
“The Impact Awards recognize the creativity and commitment that regional development organizations bring to their communities,” said 2024-2025 NADO president Rick Hunsaker, executive director of the Region XII Council of Governments in Iowa. “This year’s awardees show how local and regional partnerships, driven by vision and collaboration, can lead to lasting positive change across our country.”
NADO is a Washington, D.C.-based membership association of regional development organizations that promotes programs and policies that strengthen local governments, communities and economies. The Impact Awards are in memory of Aliceann Wohlbruck, NADO’s first executive director, who was a lifelong advocate for regional solutions and rural economic development.
For more information, contact Lewis Marchino at (970) 247-9621 or laura@region9edd.org.
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