The Essential America Podcast

Olga Morales-Pate, CEO of RCAP, shares her background growing up in a rural village without basic infrastructure and how access to water changed her life. She discusses her journey from working in a chemistry lab to becoming a regulator for the state of New Mexico, and eventually joining RCAP as a technical assistance provider (TAP). Olga emphasizes the importance of water as the horizontal infrastructure of communities required to support economic development and create opportunities. She also highlights the challenges faced by rural and Tribal communities, including funding accessibility and the need for capacity development.

Learn more about the Rural Community Assistance Partnership Incorporated (RCAP), its history and structure, and its role in improving life in rural and Tribal America.