September 19, 2024 • 29 mins
What if you started your public service journey at the age of nine? On our latest episode, we sit down with Kenneth Korn, the State Director of USDA Rural Development for Oklahoma, to explore his incredible path from a young public servant to a key figure in rural development. Kenneth shares his unique experience of launching a political campaign from Beijing, China at just 22, and discusses his deep-rooted passion for uplifting rural communities. Learn how USDA Rural Development is transforming rural America under Kenneth's leadership.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
I really enjoy making things happen for people and
making improvements and seeingthe fruit of our labor how it
really affects people and has animpact.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Welcome to Small Talk , the Communities Unlimited
podcast.
Communities Unlimited is a501c3 nonprofit founded in 1976
to connect people to solutionsthrough human connections.
We work in a seven-state regionin the southern US, an area
with many rural communities.
We believe that what you looklike or how much money you have
in the bank should not determineaccess to opportunities.
(00:38):
In this episode we'll talk toKenneth Korn, stake director of
the USDA Rural Development forOklahoma.
Mr Corn has spent his entireadult life serving the people of
Oklahoma, from his election atthe age of 22 to the Oklahoma
House of Representatives, wherehe was one of the youngest
individuals to serve in statehistory, and on into his current
position.
Mr Corn has cultivatedpartnerships with federal, state
(01:00):
, county and tribal governmentsfor many large capital
improvements, and I think you'llfind out his passion for the
people of Oklahoma in thisepisode of Small Talk, the
Communities Unlimited podcast.
Kenneth, thanks for your timecoming on today.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Hey, thanks for having us Always glad to talk
about what we're doing inOklahoma.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Yeah, and I want to talk about you before we get to
the state stuff, because youhave a pretty interesting
background as well.
You've been a busy guy sincepretty early on.
You started in public serviceat the age of 22.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
That's right.
I was elected to the Oklahomalegislature of the statehouse,
in fact, at the age of 22.
Kind of interesting is that Ihad actually interned that year
in the Appropriations and BudgetCommittee Chairman's Office,
which was James Hamilton.
He was my personal staterepresentative and when he
announced that he was going toretire that summer, I was
(01:51):
actually in Beijing, china.
And so I say I'm the onlyperson that has ever been
elected to the Oklahomalegislature who began his
campaign in China, because Istarted calling people
immediately from home, fromBeijing, to see if I could line
up supports.
When I got home I couldannounce for office.
So I've done this for some time.
Public service is a passion ofmine.
(02:12):
I've been in the private sectortoo, but I really enjoy making
things happen for people andmaking improvements and seeing
the fruit of our labor, how itreally affects people and has an
impact.
So that's why I've done thisfor as long as I have.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
And I was going to give you a rundown of all of
your stuff, but I really I don'twant to do that, but I do have
a question for you.
Sure, you started as obviouslya young adult, but you must've
been lazy between 18 and 22,because there's nothing between
18 and 22 for you.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Well, you know, it's really interesting.
I was in high school and stuff.
I was very active.
I was the national president ofFuture Business Leaders of
America and so I was doing stuffall across the country in that
capacity and I served on theNational Board of Directors and
I was also on the youth councilfor the National March of Doms
Foundation.
So I was doing stuff.
I've done public service in someform or fashion since I was
(03:03):
nine years old and it startedwhen a guy by the name of Larry
Dickerson was running for thestate Senate, came by my
parents' house.
I was working or I was actuallyplaying in the yard.
I wasn't working, I was justout playing in the yard and I
stopped and listened to him talkand he kind of kind of got a
fire started in me that hasburned ever since about doing
public service.
And the interesting thing is Igot to serve as his House member
(03:25):
while he was still a member ofthe Senate and he ended up
unfortunately dying of cancertoo young in life and so I
replaced him.
He was one of my mentors, so Ireplaced him in the state Senate
and hopefully carried on someof the things that were
important to him as well for thepeople we served in our area.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Okay, so break down USDA, rd and the relationship to
USDA in general, and then kindof take me into what your role
is in the state.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Sure, Well, USDA Rural Development is just one of
the many agencies that we haveat the United States Department
of Agriculture.
And I tell people all the timewe don't do meat processing, we
don't do meat inspections, wedon't know a whole lot about
cows over here.
We are not that part of theUnited States Department of
Agriculture.
We are the part of the USDepartment of Agriculture that
(04:13):
actually allows ruralcommunities to prosper and allow
farms to be successful, becausewe do the things that are
necessary for quality of life,like the infrastructure, the
roads, the bridges, the watersystems, the schools, the
hospitals, the economic activitythat's generated from things
that happen in rural communities.
So we're all the things thatsupport everything that goes on
(04:34):
in rural communities, and sothat's our primary mission and
we do it in a lot of ways.
One of the nice things about usat Rural Development we're not
a regulatory agency.
When we say we're from thefederal government and we're
here to help you, we really arehere to help you.
We're not here to tell you howto do things, when to do things.
We're just here to be asupporting partner for people
(04:54):
and so, and we can do just aboutanything.
We say we build communities fromthe ground up and we're the
people's department and so wereally kind of look at where our
history has been at ruraldevelopment.
We really kind of startedbecause of Franklin Roosevelt.
It's been several differentnames since that time, but we
were a part of the action wherethe federal government could be
a force for good.
And we've continued thatthrough the decades, just under
(05:17):
a different name and withdifferent opportunities, because
, you know, really ruralelectrification came from what
would have been ruraldevelopment at the time and
we're continuing to do that.
Now our big thing is we'rehelping bring broadband.
You know Franklin Roosevelt hadrural electrification.
Joe Biden has high-speedinternet for all.
So we're doing a lot ofdifferent things, but almost
(05:38):
everything in your community.
If you live in a rural area, wetouch at USDA Rural Development
.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yeah, I love there's so much infrastructure type work
, right Like the foundationalstuff of a community really runs
a lot through RD.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
It sure does.
You know and I hear SecretaryVilsack talk a lot about the
circular economy and aboutsupporting rural communities in
their economy, about taking acommodity out of a community and
making wealth out of it.
Without what we do at RuralDevelopment to provide the
infrastructure portion, thatcommodity that's being created
in a rural community doesn't getout anywhere to create wealth.
So we are vital to, I would say, the linchpin to, making rural
(06:17):
communities prosper because weprovide all the tools necessary
to get them started andsustainable.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
And speaking of the infrastructure work and
everything, we interact with youa lot on water type projects,
water and wastewater projects.
You guys have had some fairlylarge ones recently over there
I'm talking specifically, I canthink of Wright, Oklahoma.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Yeah, wright City, oklahoma, toca Oklahoma, red Oak
, oklahoma.
We've done a lot in the lastyear.
We've been really capturing theNative American set-aside money
that's available and I thinkpeople immediately think, well,
that's going to tribes, it's not, it's going to communities that
have a substantial number ofNative Americans that call them
home, and in rural Oklahomathat's a lot of communities, and
(06:58):
so we've been able to do somepretty significant things.
In communities like in Red Oak,we basically have upgraded
their water plant and replacedalmost essentially every water
line in town through that NativeAmerican set-aside money.
In Atoka, they've upgradedtheir water plant and their
wastewater plant.
That was desperately needed.
They've got about $8 millionout of it.
(07:19):
And then Rock City that youmentioned got about $8 million.
It's also doing the same thingtheir water plan and their water
distribution lines and thethings that are important.
And I don't think people reallythink about infrastructure
investments like water.
I used to be a city manager too, and you can spend millions of
dollars upgrading thisinfrastructure.
People don't think anythingabout it and they think you're
(07:40):
not doing anything.
They do care about it when theygo to the sink and they turn on
the faucet and the water comesout of it, then they're
concerned about it.
But what we've been able to dois to ensure that people have
good, clean, safe, reliabledrinking water because of these
programs and we've done a lot ofthose and there's going to be
another big announcement comingsoon for another community in
(08:01):
southeast Oklahoma, the waterdistrict down there.
That's been a 75% grant.
So we're making some really bigimpacts for communities in the
waterside because of thededicated team we have at Rural
Development and I can't take thecredit for the work that's
being done.
I have a great professionalstaff here who care about these
communities and they'recompetitive.
(08:21):
That's the other thing theywant to beat Texas in who's
getting funding and we want tospend California's money if they
don't spend it.
So we got a great team thatwants to bring home these
federal dollars to Oklahoma andinvest in these communities and
we really try to find a way tosay yes to projects and get them
funded.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
You know, one of the things that I think people don't
really think about and I'mgoing to raise my hand and say
I'm guilty of this is what youmentioned earlier the invisible
infrastructure that you don'tsee.
And again, I had no idea untilabout three years ago when I
started working at CommunitiesUnlimited how expensive those
projects can be and the tax andI don't mean tax money, I mean
(09:04):
the burden it places on ruralcommunities to change water
infrastructure, which in many ofthem has fallen behind over the
years.
I mean it's a quick catch-upnecessary.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
You're absolutely right.
So I tell people all the timemost rural communities in
Oklahoma have infrastructurethat's at least 100 years old
and they've not spent anysubstantial amount of money in
keeping them maintained andupgrades, because they can't
afford to.
The population base has beenshrinking.
Their customer base isn'tkeeping up where they can afford
all those things.
Base isn't keeping up or theycan afford all those things.
(09:40):
So it's crucial for agencieslike USDA, rural Development,
working with CommunitiesUnlimited, to provide access to
these funds so these communitiescan continue to provide good,
clean drinking water.
And one of the things I'mpleased about is that this
administration understands thatthe only way America prospers if
all America prospers and we canonly do that by investing in
rural communities, and sothere's been tons of money that
(10:01):
they've never seen before begoing into this infrastructure
all across rural America, andfor the first time in a long
time, we're actually seeing areverse in trends where people
are moving back to ruralcommunities because of the
investments we're making.
That's a wonderful impact andlegacy, I think.
But for these communities to beable to have partners to bring
it to them like ruraldevelopment, and the thing about
(10:22):
us is we don't have thecapacity to go out and reach
every community.
That's why people likeCommunities Unlimited is
important, because they expandour capacity and they bring
people to the table where theycan get funding.
And it's a hand-in-handpartnership that we can't be
successful without them.
And it's a hand-in-handpartnership that we can't be
successful without them.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Yeah, you know, I've seen a lot of work from our
environmental staff wherethey're really working to do the
necessary preparation toreceive funding, and that's such
a huge part of it that ifyou're not involved in the world
, you don't see it, you know.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Absolutely, and I don't think people really
understand about what all goesinto a project.
And the other thing you got tokeep in mind most of these rural
communities.
They don't have the technicalexperience to do these things.
A lot of them have a part timemayor, part time city clerk.
Their volunteers are not evenbeing paid to do this work, but
what they do is important totheir community.
(11:14):
Important to their communityand so that's why when we have
folks like Communities Unlimited, then our own staff that can
help them be successful ingetting projects underway,
because by the time you do anenvironmental, you've got to
have the engineering, you've gotto have some public hearings,
you've got to do all thesethings in order to meet these
benchmarks, to get this money.
That without partnerships itjust doesn't happen.
(11:36):
And that's one of the thingswe're also blessed with in
Oklahoma is that we have a lotof Native American tribes here.
These tribal nations aretremendous partners and they
help us in many ways get thingsdone that we otherwise couldn't
get, for instance, on thoseNative American set-aside
dollars.
Both Communities Unlimited andus have looked to the Choctaw
Nation because that's wherethose all have been.
The census has been wrong.
(11:57):
The census from 2020 is wrong.
It's undercounted the number ofNative Americans in Oklahoma.
It shows population loss.
That's not really accurate.
And so we've been able to goback to the Choctaw Nation and
they've been able to accuratelytell us how many Native
Americans are in thesecommunities.
That's been able to qualifyAtoka, red Oak and Rock City for
these dollars.
(12:18):
Otherwise they've missed out on.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Yeah, certainly it's not a unique situation, but it
is highly prevalent in Oklahomawith the tribal nations.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
It's great that they're a full partner here, and
I always like to say thatOklahoma will never be a top 10
state until we fully embrace ourtribal nations here as full
partners and recognize theirsovereignty.
They do a lot to increase theeconomic activity and they're
really a part of the enginethat's going to make rural
Oklahoma grow and prosper, andso we try at every opportunity
(12:48):
at Rural Development to workwith them, because they can do
things that sometimes we can'tget other ways.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Yeah, and you know you touched on something there
we're hot on right now weactually talk about in the
hallways is we call itrelocation, Rural?
Is people moving back to ruralcommunities because of things
like broadband access andinfrastructure?
How is broadband there in ruralOklahoma?
Where are you guys at?
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Well, it's improving.
You know, if you look at themap of Oklahoma, you can take a
look at the center whereOklahoma City is at, and the
further you get away fromOklahoma City, the less coverage
it has been.
Because of the investmentthrough USGA, rural Development
and ReConnect and through themoney at Commerce that is now
flowing through the statebroadband office.
The big investment in broadbandis going to be changing lives
and communities because itallows us to do a number of
things that will allow ruralOklahoma to not only just exist
but to prosper is it's going togive people access to health
care that they never had before.
(13:44):
People don't have to drive allthat way to see a doctor or
especially a specialist.
They're going to be able to doeducational opportunities that
they haven't been able to haveavailable in their community.
And then it also allows somereally economic activities to
occur.
One thing we learned from thepandemic was if you didn't have
access to broadband, you wereleft behind.
Your kids were left behind, youdidn't have access to
(14:06):
healthcare, your businessprobably didn't compete very
well and survive.
So that's why this investmentis so important.
That's our number one priority.
It's because the pandemic laidbare all of the gaps that we had
in this country that we didn'trealize we really had until we
were forced to have it rot inour face, and so it is getting
(14:27):
better.
We're making announcementsevery day.
It's just about in Oklahomawhere we've had companies who
are really engaging andproviding more access to almost
everybody in the state, and I'mpretty certain that we're going
to get to universal coverage.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
You know, sometimes I wish there was a different term
for broadband, because whenpeople say broadband, people
think like you know, somethingthat is not essential and
broadband has become anessential part of life, which,
for the reasons you were sayingand you're exactly right, you
know, the pandemic really shineda light on those holes.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
You're exactly right.
You know, the pandemic reallyshined a light on those holes.
Yeah, it's.
It is an essential utility.
I mean, there's no questionanymore.
We cannot exist and operate ina functional society without
access to what I guess we callInternet for all now Fiber,
optic, broadband, high speedInternet, whatever we want to
call it, high-speed internet,whatever we want to call it, it
is now a part of our lives inevery instance and we've got to
(15:20):
have it to be competitive and togrow and to prosper.
It's just a reality.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Yeah, and the rural communities absolutely deserve
it, and it's something, again,foundational.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
Well, you know, and you look at, you know here in
Oklahoma, because of broadbandbeing put in places, we can fund
things through our distancelearning telemedicine program.
That makes a real difference.
We have a doctor now here inOklahoma City who's an
orthopedic surgeon, who seespatients in Guymon, oklahoma.
If you know Oklahoma at all,that is a very long distance
(15:57):
from Oklahoma City.
It's all day and usually onceyou get there you don't want to
turn around and go back the sameday.
These folks are now gettinghealth care without ever leaving
Gauman and the surgeon doesn'tsee them until they're ready for
the actual surgery they'rehaving, and so it's made a real
difference.
It will continue to make adifference.
And even OU Health ScienceCenter they're out of Oklahoma
(16:19):
City got one of our grantsbecause of high-speed internet
being in places across Oklahoma.
Now they are providingtelestroke medicine.
So if you have a stroke in arural part of the state you're
getting the same type oftreatment you would get if you
were our state trauma hospital.
And you know those minutesmatter on how you recover, and
so it really makes thedifference.
(16:42):
And this investment while Ithink sometimes people say it's
a waste of money it really makesa difference in the quality of
life that people will experience.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Well, you know, the problem truly is is that it
wouldn't have had been thefloodgates open with the funding
if we had been doing itincrementally.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Absolutely yeah, and so you know we really realize
where we were lacking and wehave the resources to solve this
problem, and I think that'swhat you see happening now.
We've had an administrationthat's been dedicated to trying
to make sure we solve a problemthat helps everyone.
I mean, this is this is oneinfrastructure deal.
It's not like we're talkingabout a bridge that just helps
(17:17):
one community.
We're talking about somethingthat connects us as a nation to
the world, and the fact that weare now making this investment,
I think, is a testament to wherewe will go.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Talking to Kenneth Korn.
Kenneth is the USDA RuralDevelopment Oklahoma State
Director and I was excited totalk to you because I'm on the
receiving end a lot of thethings that you're present at.
I know a lot of the things thatare going on in the state of
Oklahoma but, in case peopledon't, is there a couple of
examples of projects, of thingsthat you would say, hey, other
states look at this one andmaybe you could replicate it?
(17:50):
Is there a couple that you'rereally into?
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Oh, absolutely.
One of those ones was just lastweek was the announcement of
breaking ground on reopening arural hospital that closed.
You don't see that happening inrural America.
Usually when a hospital closesit's gone.
And because of the communityleaders there the state
representative Trey Caldwell,former Speaker Lloyd Benson, who
(18:14):
I served with Congressman TomCole and us at USDA Rural
Development, because we kind ofserve as the conveners and we
help identify some fundingsources that otherwise wasn't
available to them we're nowbreaking ground on a hospital
that's going to provide servicesto this southwest Oklahoma
community that had become ahealth care desert.
(18:35):
And the reason why health careis so important is, you know,
they have a large manufacturerout there who wanted to expand
but was afraid to because therewas no hospital.
And the other thing that peopledon't know about NATO trains
pilots in southwest Oklahoma andthey were concerned that there
may not be an emergency room ifthey needed it for a pilot out
(18:56):
there, and so this is a goodexample of where we can
sometimes be the people thatbring everyone to the table and
find sources of money to open ahospital back, and I think
that's something we should bedoing all across the country.
That's a perfect example ofthat.
Another issue that I've beenreally pleased with that we've
done in Oklahoma both the statedirector in Texas and I, lillian
(19:19):
Sinero.
We have been focusing on mentalhealth as a problem because we
see it in every small ruralcommunity that we're in, and so
we've done a conference everyyear.
But we highlighted a project wedid this year with Lothouse
Behavioral Health, where they'veused our grant money and they
bought for every police officerin their service area a hard
(19:41):
backed iPad that the onlyfunction on that can be used for
is they can push the button andit merely connects them to a
mental health care professionalthat can provide an assessment
immediately for someone who'shaving a mental health crisis.
You know, a lot of the issues wesee in communities particularly
sometimes when it happens withpolice, is they're dealing with
a crisis and in rural parts ofour state they're having to
(20:04):
drive hours to see a mentalhealth professional.
So sometimes by the time theyget them there they're not in
the crisis anymore.
So we've removed a policeofficer out of community he
should be protecting for longperiods of time.
So that project alone allowsthem to get an assessment done
and get the type of mentalhealth care that is needed for
that individual.
(20:24):
So I think that's a greatproject that can be done almost
anywhere in the country, and Ithink it's very innovative that
that behavioral health centerdown there came up with that.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
You see, listeners, do you see why I was excited to
talk to Kenneth today?
Because I know the passion.
I can hear the passion for yourstate in your voice.
You know.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Well, I think we do a lot of good things in Oklahoma
and again I can't take thecredit.
I have a tremendous staff atRural Development and their
willingness to sit down withcommunities to hear their issues
, their ideas for projects andus try to figure out how we fund
those things.
And I think there are just alot of things that sometimes we
(21:02):
don't think about from thefederal government side, but
someone can bring it to us andwe can figure out how to get it
across the finish line, and soI'm excited about what these
communities are trying to do andto partner with them to try to
make it a reality.
It's what gets me up in themorning.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
So, speaking of sitting down and talking to
communities, you've worked yourway up in the government roles.
You've been a city manager.
What do you think communitiescan do better to work with?
Usda RD?
Speaker 1 (21:31):
One thing they could do better and it's a frustration
of mine is they'll ask us tocome, and the question they
begin with is well, what canrole development do for us?
Well, that's a broad question.
We can do a lot.
The question is what do youneed?
Tell us what your needs are andlet us help you figure out how
we get there.
(21:51):
I think sometimes they justwant us to come to town and us
tell them what their needsshould be, and that's not our
role.
You know, I even have someonefrom a tribal nation come up to
me and say well, tell me whatyour goals are for the tribes,
and I have no goals for thetribe.
My role here is simply is tohear what the tribal nations or
rural communities, what theirgoals are, what their hopes and
(22:11):
dreams and aspirations are,through projects, and help them
get to reality.
And so to me, if people can cometo us with kind of what they
want to do and let us help themfigure it out, that would be
extremely helpful for us.
And so a lot of times when wego to rural communities and they
ask us to come, I will ask themto put down on paper what are
your projects, what do you hopeto accomplish?
(22:33):
And then let us figure outwhether we're the right agency,
Because sometimes the otherthing I believe is rural
development is not the rightagency for your project.
But we can be the right agencyto help you get connected to
people who can fund that or canhelp you get it across the
finish line.
And so I've told my team hereat Rural Development I don't
ever want to hear that we toldpeople we didn't do that or
(22:54):
that's not one of our types ofprojects.
I want us to give them kind ofthe roadmap to who they go to to
get it done and because weshould be a full service agency.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Yeah, True partnership with the communities
.
I mean that information, thatdesire to improve things has to
go both ways.
There's no silver bullet.
If there was, everybody'd fireit.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Yeah, absolutely.
And you know, and it'sfrustrating for communities too
to dealing with the federalgovernment.
I mean, it's just the realityof it.
We have all these forms youprint off.
You know the communityfacilities grant application.
It's multiple pages and I thinkpeople get frustrated with it.
And I've been in government mostof my life.
I've did a stint in the privatesector too.
But it gets confusing for me attimes too looking at some of
(23:38):
these forms, and it's not alwaysclear, and I don't think our
fact sheets are always veryclear either when people look at
them.
So I always encourage people tocall our staff, ask questions.
You'll sometimes look at aprogram and don't think you fit,
but you really do.
And the other thing I tell themjust because it's no today
doesn't mean it's no tomorrow.
Always check back with us.
And even if it is no today butwe know you have that need
(24:02):
there's sometimes additionalmoney that becomes available or
Congress will do somethingdifferent with us that we can
maybe fund that project.
If we know about it, then weknow to go back to you for it.
So there's lots of ways we cantackle those things.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Yeah, really, get to know your RD rep or whoever can
connect you to that person.
Get to know them right.
Oh, absolutely, Whoever canconnect you to that person, get
to know them right.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
Oh, absolutely.
It's kind of funny.
When I took over as statedirector I had George Nye who
used to be governor of Oklahomaback in the 80s and George is 98
years old, I believe, now andhe came and spoke to our staff
and he loves Oklahoma.
He gave a speech to our staff,says Oklahoma's OK for the shape
that we're in and he talkedabout how we got our shape as a
(24:49):
state.
But one of the things he talkedabout is we should know the
name of the community and whereit came from, where that name
came from.
So he brought us a copy of abook that has every community in
Oklahoma its name, how topronounce it correctly and to
also give its origin, so thatwhen we go to a community we
know how it got started and Ithink that's important to know
those communities in that aspect.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Yeah, I agree with you 100%.
We're getting towards the endof our time here, but I want to
give you a chance to answer thisquestion what's coming up in
the next year or so with USDA,ard and Oklahoma that you're
interested in that you thinkpeople should know about?
Is there projects or is therecertain things coming down that
we would need to be aware of?
Speaker 1 (25:25):
You know there's a lot of things in flux.
I know it's a broad questionComing.
You know we have an electioncoming.
So you know, being a statedirector, our positions are
changed out with theadministration, so I don't
really know whether I will behere in the next year, but I do
think that I've worked very hardwith our staff here to try to
create a.
(25:46):
An atmosphere is that we are a,a community-based organization.
We are people that live inthese communities and that's the
way we want to work to be theirpartner and and and I'm hoping
that some of the things thatI've tried to instill during my
leadership at Rural Developmentwill stay on at long term.
Like I hope we continue to tryto tackle the mental health
(26:07):
issue, because it's a real issuein our communities, the impacts
of social media on our kids andthe drug problem that affects
every community and every family, whether we want to admit it or
not.
So I hope that we continue totry to help address those
problems.
I also think healthcare is veryimportant.
I lost my parents at a very.
They died at a young age.
My mom was 59.
(26:27):
My dad was 68 when they diedand I think I'm really convinced
it's because they didn't haveaccess to the same type of care
I have had all my adult life,and so I want to make sure that
we're doing everything possibleto help communities get access
to care, whether it's throughour telemedicines or reopening
clinics or hospitals across thestate.
And then the other thing iswater.
(26:47):
We've got to improve this waterinfrastructure and we've been
successful this last year atcapturing those dollars and
we're going to continue to besuccessful at that.
And the other thing I will saywe have made it our goal to be
number one in the communityfacilities program, not only on
the grant side, but making surepeople in Oklahoma know that
their community can get a lowinterest loan for their
(27:09):
community for things that areimportant to them, whether it's
a community center, a city hall,a fire department, whatever it
is their community needs.
We are probably the best sourceof funding for them where they
can get a best terms possible tomake it a reality.
And we're going to do a muchbetter job at outreach and
making sure people know that.
You know, I was a city managerfor seven and a half years.
(27:30):
I didn't know as much aboutrural development programs as I
do now that I've been the statedirector and I hope we continue
to reach out.
I think people will tell youI've been all over the state.
I've been in every smallcommunity.
I go wherever they ask me to go.
Some of my state directorcolleagues call me Flat Stanley
because they say they seepictures of me everywhere, but
that's.
I want people to know that weare here and that we can help
(27:52):
them.
And I think you'll see thatcontinue in the next year and
and we're going to really try toexpand our footprint in the
state.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
Well, I hope you do.
And, for the record, as anoutsider who has seen the Flat
Stanley type pictures of you allbouncing all over the state, I
think you're doing guys inOklahoma are doing a great job
with this one.
I mean, everybody speaks highlyof the work, everybody speaks
highly of the process that I'veheard of, and so, yeah, I want
that to be an example to ourother communities that we work
with as well.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Well, and the other thing is we're willing to help
other states.
If we've done somethingsuccessful here in Oklahoma and
we can provide them a roadmaphow to do it, we're more than
glad to do that.
And there's times I even helpstate directors when they run
into problems.
I can sometimes help push themthrough the national office.
I don't take no as the answer.
I can be a bulldog sometimesand I may not be the most
(28:42):
popular guy in the nationaloffice, because once I set my
mind that we're going to dosomething, I'm going to find a
way to get it done.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Right on, that's Kenneth Korn.
Kenneth Korn is the USDA RuralDevelopment State Director there
in Oklahoma.
Thanks for your time.
I appreciate you coming on.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Well, thanks, chris, for having us, and I apologize
that it's taken us this long toget together.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
Oh, we're going to revisit this at some point in
time, because I know you guyshave got a lot of stuff going on
in.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
Oklahoma, absolutely.
Thanks for letting us share.
I really enjoy making things happen for people and
making improvements and seeingthe fruit of our labor how it
really affects people and has animpact.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Welcome to Small Talk , the Communities Unlimited
podcast.
Communities Unlimited is a501c3 nonprofit founded in 1976
to connect people to solutionsthrough human connections.
We work in a seven-state regionin the southern US, an area
with many rural communities.
We believe that what you looklike or how much money you have
in the bank should not determineaccess to opportunities.
(00:38):
In this episode we'll talk toKenneth Korn, stake director of
the USDA Rural Development forOklahoma.
Mr Corn has spent his entireadult life serving the people of
Oklahoma, from his election atthe age of 22 to the Oklahoma
House of Representatives, wherehe was one of the youngest
individuals to serve in statehistory, and on into his current
position.
Mr Corn has cultivatedpartnerships with federal, state
(01:00):
, county and tribal governmentsfor many large capital
improvements, and I think you'llfind out his passion for the
people of Oklahoma in thisepisode of Small Talk, the
Communities Unlimited podcast.
Kenneth, thanks for your timecoming on today.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Hey, thanks for having us Always glad to talk
about what we're doing inOklahoma.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Yeah, and I want to talk about you before we get to
the state stuff, because youhave a pretty interesting
background as well.
You've been a busy guy sincepretty early on.
You started in public serviceat the age of 22.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
That's right.
I was elected to the Oklahomalegislature of the statehouse,
in fact, at the age of 22.
Kind of interesting is that Ihad actually interned that year
in the Appropriations and BudgetCommittee Chairman's Office,
which was James Hamilton.
He was my personal staterepresentative and when he
announced that he was going toretire that summer, I was
(01:51):
actually in Beijing, china.
And so I say I'm the onlyperson that has ever been
elected to the Oklahomalegislature who began his
campaign in China, because Istarted calling people
immediately from home, fromBeijing, to see if I could line
up supports.
When I got home I couldannounce for office.
So I've done this for some time.
Public service is a passion ofmine.
(02:12):
I've been in the private sectortoo, but I really enjoy making
things happen for people andmaking improvements and seeing
the fruit of our labor, how itreally affects people and has an
impact.
So that's why I've done thisfor as long as I have.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
And I was going to give you a rundown of all of
your stuff, but I really I don'twant to do that, but I do have
a question for you.
Sure, you started as obviouslya young adult, but you must've
been lazy between 18 and 22,because there's nothing between
18 and 22 for you.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Well, you know, it's really interesting.
I was in high school and stuff.
I was very active.
I was the national president ofFuture Business Leaders of
America and so I was doing stuffall across the country in that
capacity and I served on theNational Board of Directors and
I was also on the youth councilfor the National March of Doms
Foundation.
So I was doing stuff.
I've done public service in someform or fashion since I was
(03:03):
nine years old and it startedwhen a guy by the name of Larry
Dickerson was running for thestate Senate, came by my
parents' house.
I was working or I was actuallyplaying in the yard.
I wasn't working, I was justout playing in the yard and I
stopped and listened to him talkand he kind of kind of got a
fire started in me that hasburned ever since about doing
public service.
And the interesting thing is Igot to serve as his House member
(03:25):
while he was still a member ofthe Senate and he ended up
unfortunately dying of cancertoo young in life and so I
replaced him.
He was one of my mentors, so Ireplaced him in the state Senate
and hopefully carried on someof the things that were
important to him as well for thepeople we served in our area.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Okay, so break down USDA, rd and the relationship to
USDA in general, and then kindof take me into what your role
is in the state.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Sure, Well, USDA Rural Development is just one of
the many agencies that we haveat the United States Department
of Agriculture.
And I tell people all the timewe don't do meat processing, we
don't do meat inspections, wedon't know a whole lot about
cows over here.
We are not that part of theUnited States Department of
Agriculture.
We are the part of the USDepartment of Agriculture that
(04:13):
actually allows ruralcommunities to prosper and allow
farms to be successful, becausewe do the things that are
necessary for quality of life,like the infrastructure, the
roads, the bridges, the watersystems, the schools, the
hospitals, the economic activitythat's generated from things
that happen in rural communities.
So we're all the things thatsupport everything that goes on
(04:34):
in rural communities, and sothat's our primary mission and
we do it in a lot of ways.
One of the nice things about usat Rural Development we're not
a regulatory agency.
When we say we're from thefederal government and we're
here to help you, we really arehere to help you.
We're not here to tell you howto do things, when to do things.
We're just here to be asupporting partner for people
(04:54):
and so, and we can do just aboutanything.
We say we build communities fromthe ground up and we're the
people's department and so wereally kind of look at where our
history has been at ruraldevelopment.
We really kind of startedbecause of Franklin Roosevelt.
It's been several differentnames since that time, but we
were a part of the action wherethe federal government could be
a force for good.
And we've continued thatthrough the decades, just under
(05:17):
a different name and withdifferent opportunities, because
, you know, really ruralelectrification came from what
would have been ruraldevelopment at the time and
we're continuing to do that.
Now our big thing is we'rehelping bring broadband.
You know Franklin Roosevelt hadrural electrification.
Joe Biden has high-speedinternet for all.
So we're doing a lot ofdifferent things, but almost
(05:38):
everything in your community.
If you live in a rural area, wetouch at USDA Rural Development
.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yeah, I love there's so much infrastructure type work
, right Like the foundationalstuff of a community really runs
a lot through RD.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
It sure does.
You know and I hear SecretaryVilsack talk a lot about the
circular economy and aboutsupporting rural communities in
their economy, about taking acommodity out of a community and
making wealth out of it.
Without what we do at RuralDevelopment to provide the
infrastructure portion, thatcommodity that's being created
in a rural community doesn't getout anywhere to create wealth.
So we are vital to, I would say, the linchpin to, making rural
(06:17):
communities prosper because weprovide all the tools necessary
to get them started andsustainable.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
And speaking of the infrastructure work and
everything, we interact with youa lot on water type projects,
water and wastewater projects.
You guys have had some fairlylarge ones recently over there
I'm talking specifically, I canthink of Wright, Oklahoma.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Yeah, wright City, oklahoma, toca Oklahoma, red Oak
, oklahoma.
We've done a lot in the lastyear.
We've been really capturing theNative American set-aside money
that's available and I thinkpeople immediately think, well,
that's going to tribes, it's not, it's going to communities that
have a substantial number ofNative Americans that call them
home, and in rural Oklahomathat's a lot of communities, and
(06:58):
so we've been able to do somepretty significant things.
In communities like in Red Oak,we basically have upgraded
their water plant and replacedalmost essentially every water
line in town through that NativeAmerican set-aside money.
In Atoka, they've upgradedtheir water plant and their
wastewater plant.
That was desperately needed.
They've got about $8 millionout of it.
(07:19):
And then Rock City that youmentioned got about $8 million.
It's also doing the same thingtheir water plan and their water
distribution lines and thethings that are important.
And I don't think people reallythink about infrastructure
investments like water.
I used to be a city manager too, and you can spend millions of
dollars upgrading thisinfrastructure.
People don't think anythingabout it and they think you're
(07:40):
not doing anything.
They do care about it when theygo to the sink and they turn on
the faucet and the water comesout of it, then they're
concerned about it.
But what we've been able to dois to ensure that people have
good, clean, safe, reliabledrinking water because of these
programs and we've done a lot ofthose and there's going to be
another big announcement comingsoon for another community in
(08:01):
southeast Oklahoma, the waterdistrict down there.
That's been a 75% grant.
So we're making some really bigimpacts for communities in the
waterside because of thededicated team we have at Rural
Development and I can't take thecredit for the work that's
being done.
I have a great professionalstaff here who care about these
communities and they'recompetitive.
(08:21):
That's the other thing theywant to beat Texas in who's
getting funding and we want tospend California's money if they
don't spend it.
So we got a great team thatwants to bring home these
federal dollars to Oklahoma andinvest in these communities and
we really try to find a way tosay yes to projects and get them
funded.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
You know, one of the things that I think people don't
really think about and I'mgoing to raise my hand and say
I'm guilty of this is what youmentioned earlier the invisible
infrastructure that you don'tsee.
And again, I had no idea untilabout three years ago when I
started working at CommunitiesUnlimited how expensive those
projects can be and the tax andI don't mean tax money, I mean
(09:04):
the burden it places on ruralcommunities to change water
infrastructure, which in many ofthem has fallen behind over the
years.
I mean it's a quick catch-upnecessary.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
You're absolutely right.
So I tell people all the timemost rural communities in
Oklahoma have infrastructurethat's at least 100 years old
and they've not spent anysubstantial amount of money in
keeping them maintained andupgrades, because they can't
afford to.
The population base has beenshrinking.
Their customer base isn'tkeeping up where they can afford
all those things.
Base isn't keeping up or theycan afford all those things.
(09:40):
So it's crucial for agencieslike USDA, rural Development,
working with CommunitiesUnlimited, to provide access to
these funds so these communitiescan continue to provide good,
clean drinking water.
And one of the things I'mpleased about is that this
administration understands thatthe only way America prospers if
all America prospers and we canonly do that by investing in
rural communities, and sothere's been tons of money that
(10:01):
they've never seen before begoing into this infrastructure
all across rural America, andfor the first time in a long
time, we're actually seeing areverse in trends where people
are moving back to ruralcommunities because of the
investments we're making.
That's a wonderful impact andlegacy, I think.
But for these communities to beable to have partners to bring
it to them like ruraldevelopment, and the thing about
(10:22):
us is we don't have thecapacity to go out and reach
every community.
That's why people likeCommunities Unlimited is
important, because they expandour capacity and they bring
people to the table where theycan get funding.
And it's a hand-in-handpartnership that we can't be
successful without them.
And it's a hand-in-handpartnership that we can't be
successful without them.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Yeah, you know, I've seen a lot of work from our
environmental staff wherethey're really working to do the
necessary preparation toreceive funding, and that's such
a huge part of it that ifyou're not involved in the world
, you don't see it, you know.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Absolutely, and I don't think people really
understand about what all goesinto a project.
And the other thing you got tokeep in mind most of these rural
communities.
They don't have the technicalexperience to do these things.
A lot of them have a part timemayor, part time city clerk.
Their volunteers are not evenbeing paid to do this work, but
what they do is important totheir community.
(11:14):
Important to their communityand so that's why when we have
folks like Communities Unlimited, then our own staff that can
help them be successful ingetting projects underway,
because by the time you do anenvironmental, you've got to
have the engineering, you've gotto have some public hearings,
you've got to do all thesethings in order to meet these
benchmarks, to get this money.
That without partnerships itjust doesn't happen.
(11:36):
And that's one of the thingswe're also blessed with in
Oklahoma is that we have a lotof Native American tribes here.
These tribal nations aretremendous partners and they
help us in many ways get thingsdone that we otherwise couldn't
get, for instance, on thoseNative American set-aside
dollars.
Both Communities Unlimited andus have looked to the Choctaw
Nation because that's wherethose all have been.
The census has been wrong.
(11:57):
The census from 2020 is wrong.
It's undercounted the number ofNative Americans in Oklahoma.
It shows population loss.
That's not really accurate.
And so we've been able to goback to the Choctaw Nation and
they've been able to accuratelytell us how many Native
Americans are in thesecommunities.
That's been able to qualifyAtoka, red Oak and Rock City for
these dollars.
(12:18):
Otherwise they've missed out on.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Yeah, certainly it's not a unique situation, but it
is highly prevalent in Oklahomawith the tribal nations.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
It's great that they're a full partner here, and
I always like to say thatOklahoma will never be a top 10
state until we fully embrace ourtribal nations here as full
partners and recognize theirsovereignty.
They do a lot to increase theeconomic activity and they're
really a part of the enginethat's going to make rural
Oklahoma grow and prosper, andso we try at every opportunity
(12:48):
at Rural Development to workwith them, because they can do
things that sometimes we can'tget other ways.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Yeah, and you know you touched on something there
we're hot on right now weactually talk about in the
hallways is we call itrelocation, Rural?
Is people moving back to ruralcommunities because of things
like broadband access andinfrastructure?
How is broadband there in ruralOklahoma?
Where are you guys at?
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Well, it's improving.
You know, if you look at themap of Oklahoma, you can take a
look at the center whereOklahoma City is at, and the
further you get away fromOklahoma City, the less coverage
it has been.
Because of the investmentthrough USGA, rural Development
and ReConnect and through themoney at Commerce that is now
flowing through the statebroadband office.
The big investment in broadbandis going to be changing lives
and communities because itallows us to do a number of
things that will allow ruralOklahoma to not only just exist
but to prosper is it's going togive people access to health
care that they never had before.
(13:44):
People don't have to drive allthat way to see a doctor or
especially a specialist.
They're going to be able to doeducational opportunities that
they haven't been able to haveavailable in their community.
And then it also allows somereally economic activities to
occur.
One thing we learned from thepandemic was if you didn't have
access to broadband, you wereleft behind.
Your kids were left behind, youdidn't have access to
(14:06):
healthcare, your businessprobably didn't compete very
well and survive.
So that's why this investmentis so important.
That's our number one priority.
It's because the pandemic laidbare all of the gaps that we had
in this country that we didn'trealize we really had until we
were forced to have it rot inour face, and so it is getting
(14:27):
better.
We're making announcementsevery day.
It's just about in Oklahomawhere we've had companies who
are really engaging andproviding more access to almost
everybody in the state, and I'mpretty certain that we're going
to get to universal coverage.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
You know, sometimes I wish there was a different term
for broadband, because whenpeople say broadband, people
think like you know, somethingthat is not essential and
broadband has become anessential part of life, which,
for the reasons you were sayingand you're exactly right, you
know, the pandemic really shineda light on those holes.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
You're exactly right.
You know, the pandemic reallyshined a light on those holes.
Yeah, it's.
It is an essential utility.
I mean, there's no questionanymore.
We cannot exist and operate ina functional society without
access to what I guess we callInternet for all now Fiber,
optic, broadband, high speedInternet, whatever we want to
call it, high-speed internet,whatever we want to call it, it
is now a part of our lives inevery instance and we've got to
(15:20):
have it to be competitive and togrow and to prosper.
It's just a reality.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Yeah, and the rural communities absolutely deserve
it, and it's something, again,foundational.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
Well, you know, and you look at, you know here in
Oklahoma, because of broadbandbeing put in places, we can fund
things through our distancelearning telemedicine program.
That makes a real difference.
We have a doctor now here inOklahoma City who's an
orthopedic surgeon, who seespatients in Guymon, oklahoma.
If you know Oklahoma at all,that is a very long distance
(15:57):
from Oklahoma City.
It's all day and usually onceyou get there you don't want to
turn around and go back the sameday.
These folks are now gettinghealth care without ever leaving
Gauman and the surgeon doesn'tsee them until they're ready for
the actual surgery they'rehaving, and so it's made a real
difference.
It will continue to make adifference.
And even OU Health ScienceCenter they're out of Oklahoma
(16:19):
City got one of our grantsbecause of high-speed internet
being in places across Oklahoma.
Now they are providingtelestroke medicine.
So if you have a stroke in arural part of the state you're
getting the same type oftreatment you would get if you
were our state trauma hospital.
And you know those minutesmatter on how you recover, and
so it really makes thedifference.
(16:42):
And this investment while Ithink sometimes people say it's
a waste of money it really makesa difference in the quality of
life that people will experience.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Well, you know, the problem truly is is that it
wouldn't have had been thefloodgates open with the funding
if we had been doing itincrementally.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Absolutely yeah, and so you know we really realize
where we were lacking and wehave the resources to solve this
problem, and I think that'swhat you see happening now.
We've had an administrationthat's been dedicated to trying
to make sure we solve a problemthat helps everyone.
I mean, this is this is oneinfrastructure deal.
It's not like we're talkingabout a bridge that just helps
(17:17):
one community.
We're talking about somethingthat connects us as a nation to
the world, and the fact that weare now making this investment,
I think, is a testament to wherewe will go.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Talking to Kenneth Korn.
Kenneth is the USDA RuralDevelopment Oklahoma State
Director and I was excited totalk to you because I'm on the
receiving end a lot of thethings that you're present at.
I know a lot of the things thatare going on in the state of
Oklahoma but, in case peopledon't, is there a couple of
examples of projects, of thingsthat you would say, hey, other
states look at this one andmaybe you could replicate it?
(17:50):
Is there a couple that you'rereally into?
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Oh, absolutely.
One of those ones was just lastweek was the announcement of
breaking ground on reopening arural hospital that closed.
You don't see that happening inrural America.
Usually when a hospital closesit's gone.
And because of the communityleaders there the state
representative Trey Caldwell,former Speaker Lloyd Benson, who
(18:14):
I served with Congressman TomCole and us at USDA Rural
Development, because we kind ofserve as the conveners and we
help identify some fundingsources that otherwise wasn't
available to them we're nowbreaking ground on a hospital
that's going to provide servicesto this southwest Oklahoma
community that had become ahealth care desert.
(18:35):
And the reason why health careis so important is, you know,
they have a large manufacturerout there who wanted to expand
but was afraid to because therewas no hospital.
And the other thing that peopledon't know about NATO trains
pilots in southwest Oklahoma andthey were concerned that there
may not be an emergency room ifthey needed it for a pilot out
(18:56):
there, and so this is a goodexample of where we can
sometimes be the people thatbring everyone to the table and
find sources of money to open ahospital back, and I think
that's something we should bedoing all across the country.
That's a perfect example ofthat.
Another issue that I've beenreally pleased with that we've
done in Oklahoma both the statedirector in Texas and I, lillian
(19:19):
Sinero.
We have been focusing on mentalhealth as a problem because we
see it in every small ruralcommunity that we're in, and so
we've done a conference everyyear.
But we highlighted a project wedid this year with Lothouse
Behavioral Health, where they'veused our grant money and they
bought for every police officerin their service area a hard
(19:41):
backed iPad that the onlyfunction on that can be used for
is they can push the button andit merely connects them to a
mental health care professionalthat can provide an assessment
immediately for someone who'shaving a mental health crisis.
You know, a lot of the issues wesee in communities particularly
sometimes when it happens withpolice, is they're dealing with
a crisis and in rural parts ofour state they're having to
(20:04):
drive hours to see a mentalhealth professional.
So sometimes by the time theyget them there they're not in
the crisis anymore.
So we've removed a policeofficer out of community he
should be protecting for longperiods of time.
So that project alone allowsthem to get an assessment done
and get the type of mentalhealth care that is needed for
that individual.
(20:24):
So I think that's a greatproject that can be done almost
anywhere in the country, and Ithink it's very innovative that
that behavioral health centerdown there came up with that.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
You see, listeners, do you see why I was excited to
talk to Kenneth today?
Because I know the passion.
I can hear the passion for yourstate in your voice.
You know.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Well, I think we do a lot of good things in Oklahoma
and again I can't take thecredit.
I have a tremendous staff atRural Development and their
willingness to sit down withcommunities to hear their issues
, their ideas for projects andus try to figure out how we fund
those things.
And I think there are just alot of things that sometimes we
(21:02):
don't think about from thefederal government side, but
someone can bring it to us andwe can figure out how to get it
across the finish line, and soI'm excited about what these
communities are trying to do andto partner with them to try to
make it a reality.
It's what gets me up in themorning.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
So, speaking of sitting down and talking to
communities, you've worked yourway up in the government roles.
You've been a city manager.
What do you think communitiescan do better to work with?
Usda RD?
Speaker 1 (21:31):
One thing they could do better and it's a frustration
of mine is they'll ask us tocome, and the question they
begin with is well, what canrole development do for us?
Well, that's a broad question.
We can do a lot.
The question is what do youneed?
Tell us what your needs are andlet us help you figure out how
we get there.
(21:51):
I think sometimes they justwant us to come to town and us
tell them what their needsshould be, and that's not our
role.
You know, I even have someonefrom a tribal nation come up to
me and say well, tell me whatyour goals are for the tribes,
and I have no goals for thetribe.
My role here is simply is tohear what the tribal nations or
rural communities, what theirgoals are, what their hopes and
(22:11):
dreams and aspirations are,through projects, and help them
get to reality.
And so to me, if people can cometo us with kind of what they
want to do and let us help themfigure it out, that would be
extremely helpful for us.
And so a lot of times when wego to rural communities and they
ask us to come, I will ask themto put down on paper what are
your projects, what do you hopeto accomplish?
(22:33):
And then let us figure outwhether we're the right agency,
Because sometimes the otherthing I believe is rural
development is not the rightagency for your project.
But we can be the right agencyto help you get connected to
people who can fund that or canhelp you get it across the
finish line.
And so I've told my team hereat Rural Development I don't
ever want to hear that we toldpeople we didn't do that or
(22:54):
that's not one of our types ofprojects.
I want us to give them kind ofthe roadmap to who they go to to
get it done and because weshould be a full service agency.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Yeah, True partnership with the communities
.
I mean that information, thatdesire to improve things has to
go both ways.
There's no silver bullet.
If there was, everybody'd fireit.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Yeah, absolutely.
And you know, and it'sfrustrating for communities too
to dealing with the federalgovernment.
I mean, it's just the realityof it.
We have all these forms youprint off.
You know the communityfacilities grant application.
It's multiple pages and I thinkpeople get frustrated with it.
And I've been in government mostof my life.
I've did a stint in the privatesector too.
But it gets confusing for me attimes too looking at some of
(23:38):
these forms, and it's not alwaysclear, and I don't think our
fact sheets are always veryclear either when people look at
them.
So I always encourage people tocall our staff, ask questions.
You'll sometimes look at aprogram and don't think you fit,
but you really do.
And the other thing I tell themjust because it's no today
doesn't mean it's no tomorrow.
Always check back with us.
And even if it is no today butwe know you have that need
(24:02):
there's sometimes additionalmoney that becomes available or
Congress will do somethingdifferent with us that we can
maybe fund that project.
If we know about it, then weknow to go back to you for it.
So there's lots of ways we cantackle those things.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Yeah, really, get to know your RD rep or whoever can
connect you to that person.
Get to know them right.
Oh, absolutely, Whoever canconnect you to that person, get
to know them right.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
Oh, absolutely.
It's kind of funny.
When I took over as statedirector I had George Nye who
used to be governor of Oklahomaback in the 80s and George is 98
years old, I believe, now andhe came and spoke to our staff
and he loves Oklahoma.
He gave a speech to our staff,says Oklahoma's OK for the shape
that we're in and he talkedabout how we got our shape as a
(24:49):
state.
But one of the things he talkedabout is we should know the
name of the community and whereit came from, where that name
came from.
So he brought us a copy of abook that has every community in
Oklahoma its name, how topronounce it correctly and to
also give its origin, so thatwhen we go to a community we
know how it got started and Ithink that's important to know
those communities in that aspect.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Yeah, I agree with you 100%.
We're getting towards the endof our time here, but I want to
give you a chance to answer thisquestion what's coming up in
the next year or so with USDA,ard and Oklahoma that you're
interested in that you thinkpeople should know about?
Is there projects or is therecertain things coming down that
we would need to be aware of?
Speaker 1 (25:25):
You know there's a lot of things in flux.
I know it's a broad questionComing.
You know we have an electioncoming.
So you know, being a statedirector, our positions are
changed out with theadministration, so I don't
really know whether I will behere in the next year, but I do
think that I've worked very hardwith our staff here to try to
create a.
(25:46):
An atmosphere is that we are a,a community-based organization.
We are people that live inthese communities and that's the
way we want to work to be theirpartner and and and I'm hoping
that some of the things thatI've tried to instill during my
leadership at Rural Developmentwill stay on at long term.
Like I hope we continue to tryto tackle the mental health
(26:07):
issue, because it's a real issuein our communities, the impacts
of social media on our kids andthe drug problem that affects
every community and every family, whether we want to admit it or
not.
So I hope that we continue totry to help address those
problems.
I also think healthcare is veryimportant.
I lost my parents at a very.
They died at a young age.
My mom was 59.
(26:27):
My dad was 68 when they diedand I think I'm really convinced
it's because they didn't haveaccess to the same type of care
I have had all my adult life,and so I want to make sure that
we're doing everything possibleto help communities get access
to care, whether it's throughour telemedicines or reopening
clinics or hospitals across thestate.
And then the other thing iswater.
(26:47):
We've got to improve this waterinfrastructure and we've been
successful this last year atcapturing those dollars and
we're going to continue to besuccessful at that.
And the other thing I will saywe have made it our goal to be
number one in the communityfacilities program, not only on
the grant side, but making surepeople in Oklahoma know that
their community can get a lowinterest loan for their
(27:09):
community for things that areimportant to them, whether it's
a community center, a city hall,a fire department, whatever it
is their community needs.
We are probably the best sourceof funding for them where they
can get a best terms possible tomake it a reality.
And we're going to do a muchbetter job at outreach and
making sure people know that.
You know, I was a city managerfor seven and a half years.
(27:30):
I didn't know as much aboutrural development programs as I
do now that I've been the statedirector and I hope we continue
to reach out.
I think people will tell youI've been all over the state.
I've been in every smallcommunity.
I go wherever they ask me to go.
Some of my state directorcolleagues call me Flat Stanley
because they say they seepictures of me everywhere, but
that's.
I want people to know that weare here and that we can help
(27:52):
them.
And I think you'll see thatcontinue in the next year and
and we're going to really try toexpand our footprint in the
state.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
Well, I hope you do.
And, for the record, as anoutsider who has seen the Flat
Stanley type pictures of you allbouncing all over the state, I
think you're doing guys inOklahoma are doing a great job
with this one.
I mean, everybody speaks highlyof the work, everybody speaks
highly of the process that I'veheard of, and so, yeah, I want
that to be an example to ourother communities that we work
with as well.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Well, and the other thing is we're willing to help
other states.
If we've done somethingsuccessful here in Oklahoma and
we can provide them a roadmaphow to do it, we're more than
glad to do that.
And there's times I even helpstate directors when they run
into problems.
I can sometimes help push themthrough the national office.
I don't take no as the answer.
I can be a bulldog sometimesand I may not be the most
(28:42):
popular guy in the nationaloffice, because once I set my
mind that we're going to dosomething, I'm going to find a
way to get it done.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Right on, that's Kenneth Korn.
Kenneth Korn is the USDA RuralDevelopment State Director there
in Oklahoma.
Thanks for your time.
I appreciate you coming on.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Well, thanks, chris, for having us, and I apologize
that it's taken us this long toget together.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
Oh, we're going to revisit this at some point in
time, because I know you guyshave got a lot of stuff going on
in.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
Oklahoma, absolutely.
Thanks for letting us share.
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