DES MOINES — Bill Menner, USDA Rural Development State Director in Iowa announced Jodi Martin, of Osceola is this month’s Vilsack-Wallace Award recipient for exceptional contributions to USDA Rural Development in Iowa.
The Vilsack-Wallace Award is given each month to a USDA Rural Development employee in Iowa who goes above and beyond their normal work duties to assist rural Iowans and USDA staff.
Martin, who is a rural housing specialist in USDA Rural Development’s Indianola office, is being recognized for consistently displaying a high level of professionalism to everyone she works with, and for taking on an expanded workload and program servicing.
“Jodi has a remarkable record of service to rural Iowans, and the commitment to the people she serves is a standard by which all public servants should strive to achieve,” Menner said.
Martin’s primary duty is to assist rural Iowans using USDA Rural Development’s direct home-loan program. Recently, she has become involved in the agency’s multi-family housing program, as well.
“Jodi’s organization skills and dedication to this agency is unparalleled,” Menner said. “She is always eager to help whenever and wherever she can, and her first thought is always ‘how can I offer a helping hand?’”
The Vilsack-Wallace Award is named for the two most recent Iowans to serve as U.S. Agriculture Secretary. Tom Vilsack served as Iowa’s governor from 1999 to 2007. Henry A. Wallace was the first Ag Secretary and later Vice President under Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He also perfected the first corn hybrid and founded Hi-Bred Corn, which later became Pioneer Hi-Bred.
USDA Rural Development has 11 offices across the state to serve the 1.7 million Iowans living in rural communities and areas. Office locations include a state office in Des Moines, along with area offices in Albia, Atlantic, Humboldt, Indianola, Iowa Falls, Le Mars, Mount Pleasant, Storm Lake, Tipton and Waverly.
Further information on programs available through USDA Rural Development is available by calling the Indianola office at 515-961-5365 Ext. 4 or by visiting the agency's web site at www.rurdev.usda.gov/ia. This office serves communities, businesses and residents in Adair, Clarke, Dallas, Decatur, Guthrie, Madison, Polk, Ringgold, Union and Warren counties.
USDA Rural Development is an equal opportunity lender with a variety of grant and direct and guaranteed loan programs for single and multi-family housing, community facilities, water and sewer development and business and industry programs.
This past year, USDA Rural Development’s investment in Iowa helped create or retain more than 1,600 jobs, aided 2,400 families in buying their own homes and assisted more than 60 communities as they made improvements to their facilities, services and infrastructure.