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A Jan. 11 vote lifted a Liberty Twp. trustee to the presidency of the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments.

"I'm a little bit in awe," said Christine Matacic as she walked out of OKI's downtown Cincinnati offices. "As much as I prepared for this, it hasn't hit me yet.

"I'm also honored that people feel that I can follow in Judge (Gary) Moore's footsteps."

Formed by an act of Congress in 1964, OKI creates public and private partnerships that provide solutions for regional transportation, environmental concerns, and economic development in the Tri-State area.

The 117 members who form the OKI Board of Trustees represent governmental, social and civic groups from 198 political jurisdictions in the eight-county, three-state region. Each jurisdiction contributes on a per capita basis and OKI distributes more than $35 million into local projects each year.

Matacic brings to the table five years of experience with OKI — the two most recent as its second and first vice president. She also serves as president of the Liberty Twp. Board of Trustees.

"There's no task that we've ever asked Christine to take on, or one that she's asked to take on, that she hasn't done a remarkable job at," said Mark Policinski, OKI executive director.

He praised Matacic for organizing visits that allowed OKI officials to travel to Butler County to speak about OKI councils and working to foster a close-working relationship between county entities and OKI on several county projects, including the Liberty Interchange.

Matacic said OKI's actions have a tremendous impact on the tri-state's economic development.

"You take a look at one project alone — the Brent Spence Bridge. That affects the entire region when it comes to transportation and commerce," Matacic said. "And to be able to work together to move a project of this magnitude forward can be mind-boggling, if you let it. But it also shows how important being involved with OKI is."

Butler County Commission President Gregory Jolivette said he looked forward to Matacic's presidency.

"She's very well organized and she certainly has done her homework for OKI," said Jolivette, who represents the county on OKI's board of trustees. "I think she'll do an outstanding job."

Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or eschwartzberg@coxohio.com.