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Hofstetter Receives 2005 Ehrnfelt Award for Outstanding Regional Contribution
The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) is pleased to announce that the 2005 winner of the Walter F. Ehrnfelt, Jr. Award for Outstanding Regional Contribution is former Geauga County Commissioner and NOACA Governing Board president Neil C. Hofstetter. Hofstetter received the award this afternoon at the 6th Annual NOACA Summit.
Participants in the Walter F. Ehrnfelt, Jr. award ceremony,
(left - right):
Mrs. Walter F. Ehrnfelt, Jr., Award recipient Neil C. Hofstetter,
NOACA Executive Director Howard R. Maier, and
NOACA Board President Robert C. Klaiber, Jr., P.E., P.S.
“As a NOACA Board member, Neil earned the respect of his colleagues, advocating cooperative decision-making and regional consensus,” said NOACA Executive Director Howard R. Maier. “He ably served as president of the NOACA Governing Board for two terms (1997 and 2002) and also as Chair of the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) in 2000. Neil also promoted the work of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) at the national level while serving as a member of the National Association of Regional Councils.”
The Ehrnfelt Award recognizes an individual who has significantly contributed to the betterment of the region. Qualifications for the award include leadership, regional impact, cooperative attitude, and dedication. In addition to a lifelong career of public service, Hofstetter’s accomplishments include guiding the development of Northeast Ohio’s 25-year Transportation Plan and the Annual NOACA Summit. The Transportation Plan, produced in 1999, was recognized as a major achievement on the national level – AMPO awarded NOACA its Outstanding Achievement Award for large MPOs based on the innovative, goal-oriented Plan.
Hofstetter was selected by a six-member committee of former Governing Board members from all five counties in the NOACA region. The selection committee included:
- John T. Kocevar, former Mayor of South Euclid
- Daniel McDermott, former Newbury Township Trustee
- David E. Anderson, Mayor of Willoughby
- Don Simmons, former Medina County Commissioner
- Jeffry J. Armbruster, Ohio State Senator, 13th District
- Betty C. Blair, Lorain County Commissioner and 2004 Ehrnfelt Award recipient
“NOACA received several outstanding nominations,” noted Blair, who participated on the selection committee for the first time this year. “Narrowing the nominees down to one winner proved to be extremely difficult. Northeast Ohio is fortunate to have many accomplished and dedicated leaders serving the region.”
View the biography of Neil C. Hofstetter.
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