Matagorda County “Youth Leadership Program” has once again been recognized; previously by the Texas Association of Counties with a Best Practices Award and this time with a 2025
Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo).
The awards honor innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents.
The mission of the program is to immerse high school seniors representing all five Matagorda County ISD’s as well as home school students into all facets of the Matagorda County economy.
The program is co-advised by Matagorda County Judge Bobby Seiferman and BCCDC Executive Director Jessica Russell.
The program meets one day a month from September to May exploring healthcare, education, economic development, government, emergency management as well as water and energy issues specific to Matagorda County.
“As we prepare to start the program for the third year, we’re looking forward to meeting and working with the Class of ’26.
It was an honor to work with the students we had in the first two classes and see them venture out into furthering their educations and hopefully staying or returning to invest their time and talents in Matagorda County,” commented Judge Seiferman.
“We are incredibly proud of Youth Leadership Matagorda County and the remarkable impact it’s making by empowering our next generation of leaders,” said Jessica Russell.
"We are most appreciative of our sponsor HIF for sponsoring the program now for the last two years," Seiferman added.
Each year, NACo’s Achievement Awards recognize outstanding programming in 18 categories aligned with the vast, comprehensive services counties provide.
The categories include children and youth, criminal justice and public safety, libraries, management, information technology, health, civic engagement and more.
Launched in 1970, the program is designed to celebrate innovation in county government.
Each nominated program is judged on its own merits and not against other applications.
“The Achievement Awards shine a spotlight on the hard work and innovation happening in county governments across the nation,” said NACo President James Gore. “This year’s winners highlight the dedication and creativity of county leaders and our teams to building thriving communities and providing the best possible services to our residents.”
The National Association of Counties (NACo) strengthens America’s counties, including nearly 40,000 county elected officials and 3.6 million county employees.
Founded in 1935, NACo unites county officials to advocate for county government priorities in federal policymaking; promote exemplary county policies and practices; nurture leadership skills and expand knowledge networks; optimize county and taxpayer resources and cost savings; and enrich the public’s understanding of county government.
