T
yh
de
is
7
Greg Moody graced the pages of Country Living magazine a couple of times in 1983 stories about the Youth Tour. In one (above), his group takes a rest on the Capitol steps, and in the other (at left), he’s shown speaking at Guernsey-Muskingum Electric Cooperative’s annual meeting.
Moody cites that meeting as a formative experience in his life. “It’s where I got the bug for political activity,” Moody said. “Youth Tour made government seem more accessible.”
From Youth Tour to the Kasich Administration A few years later, Moody applied as an intern in Congressman Miller’s office, and he credits his Youth Tour experience for giving him the insight and confidence to succeed in government. “When I applied for the internship, I could visualize Congressman Miller’s office and knew where it was relative to the Capitol,” Moody said. “That makes a difference in being able to imagine yourself involved in important decisions.” Moody’s career in public service officially began in the 1990s, when he became a budget associate for the U.S. House Budget Committee. The committee chair at the time, Congressman John Kasich, tasked Moody with researching the impact of Medicaid on federal spending. Since then, Moody has become an influential expert on government health policy, serving in both public and private sectors, working to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of government health programs. In January 2011, Kasich, by then the governor of Ohio, once again enlisted Moody to aid in efforts to improve health care, tapping him as director of the Office of Health Care Transformation. In this role, he is currently responsible for coordinating strategic planning and budgeting across six state health and human services-related agencies. Moody grew from a farm kid in rural Ohio to a
renowned and influential health policy expert — and Youth Tour helped make it happen. Youth Tour 2017 will be held on June 9-15. Contact your local electric cooperative for full application details and to verify your cooperative participates in the program.
Looking ahead: Youth Tour 2017 Thirty-three years after Greg Moody’s Youth Tour experience, the program has grown and changed in a few notable ways, but the core focus remains: promoting the importance of government and public service to young electric cooperative members. Adam Specht, director of the Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives Youth Tour, encourages any high school sophomore or junior from a co-op family to apply for the program. “In my five years assisting with Youth Tour, I’ve seen many shy, modest young people burst out of their shells — all within a five-day span,” Specht said. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for a high school student to learn more about government and meet some great new friends. “I cannot wait to see what these fantastic young people accomplish in the future. And I hope their experience on Youth Tour contributes to their future success.” —Jeff McCallister
JANUARY 2017
OEC CL January-2017- page 4-5.indd 3
• COU NTRY L I V I N G
5
12/16/16 12:08 PM