InterMountain Service District (IMESD) Superintendent Dr. Mark Mulvihill recently attended the National Association of Counties (NACo) 82nd annual conference in Columbus, Ohio.
Mulvihill represented Umatilla County and gave a presentation on collaborative efforts in the county, in which he highlighted a variety of partnerships, including early childhood education.
Umatilla County Commissioner George Murdock said that Mulvihill took part of his vacation time to attend the conference and share about joint efforts between Umatilla County, the IMESD, GOBHI, local school districts and other partners.
“While we have been involved with these joint projects under the umbrella of wrap-around and consider them somewhat routine, the people I work with at the national level were anxious to invite someone from our program because there are almost no examples of this type of cooperation anywhere else in the country – actually, even within Oregon,” Murdock said.
Murdock was unable to attend the conference, but said he received much positive feedback about Mulvihill’s presentation.
“Our state gets very limited opportunities to present at the NACO Convention, which is attended by thousands, and I can’t remember the last time anyone from eastern Oregon was on the program. This is pretty big stuff and it is very exciting to know that the work we are doing captured the attention of some of America’s biggest counties,” Murdock said.
He also said that the investment communities make in early childhood education through public health and kindergarten readiness has been shown to make a dramatic return on investment – about $16 for every dollar invested. “So, to have a local leader taking time to speak on the national stage is a credit to Umatilla County,” Murdock said.
About 3,000 people attended the NACo conference.
