News article written by Gant Team posted 4 November 2025

Press release posted from PA Newsroom on 27 October 2025

Tataboline Enos, founder and CEO of the nonprofit PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, and author of Proudly Made: A Story of Reinvention in the Big Woods and Small Towns of the Pennsylvania Wilds, has been selected by Governor Josh Shapiro as a recipient of the Governor’s Keystone Award, which recognizes outstanding community leadership and service.

The Pennsylvania State Dinner Keystone Awards, held Monday at the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg, celebrated 18 individuals who exemplify “the power of one”—how a single person’s vision and dedication can spark lasting, positive change in their communities and across the Commonwealth. Honorees come from a variety of backgrounds, including community development, education, veterans’ affairs, and public service.

Governor Shapiro described the event as “a celebration of Pennsylvanians whose commitment to others reminds us that leadership doesn’t always come with a title—it comes from heart, persistence, and purpose.”

“As I travel across Pennsylvania, it’s the stories of everyday Pennsylvanians making a difference in their communities that inspire me,” said Gov. Shapiro. “Lori and I are proud to welcome these extraordinary individuals into the Governor’s Residence for the first formal dinner since April. Each of tonight’s honorees exemplifies what makes our Commonwealth special — people who give back, lead with purpose, and use their talents to improve the lives of others. From art and education to science and community service, they remind us that progress happens when we come together and lift each other up.”

Enos founded the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, a nonprofit that works with state and local partners to help to revitalize a quarter of the Commonwealth through intentional tourism and outdoor recreation development, with a major focus on stewardship messaging and growing rural small businesses.

Enos’ two decades of work in the PA Wilds have helped uplift the region’s more than 2 million acres of public land and outdoor experiences and grow the area’s tourism industry into a $2 billion economy that supports hundreds of rural small businesses and is helping to make rural communities more competitive to attract and retain talent. Earlier this year, Enos released an award-winning memoir, Proudly Made, through PA-based publisher Sunbury Press about her personal story of returning home to rural Pennsylvania and learning to overcome self doubt to help lead what has become a nationally-recognized model for rural place-based development.

Proudly Made captures the rise of the PA Wilds movement and how one of America’s most rural regions – and its leader – are reinventing themselves through grit, creativity and community. The book earned a Silver Book Award in August from the Nonfiction Authors Association, who called it “exceptional” and “very much worth the read.” It is also nominated for the Library of Congress’ 2025 “Great Reads from Great Places” program through the Pennsylvania Center for the Book, and is on the longlist for Book of the Year through the Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia.

“I’m deeply honored and humbled to receive the Keystone Award,” Enos said. “It really shines a light on the incredible people, communities, and small businesses across rural PA who are working every day to build a vibrant future rooted in our shared sense of place.”

The Keystone Awards State Dinner is a formal celebration featuring storytelling, music, and personal tributes to the honorees. Attendees include the Governor, First Lady, Lieutenant Governor, cabinet members, and community leaders from across Pennsylvania.

ABOUT THE PA WILDS

The Pennsylvania Wilds is a 13-county region that includes the counties of Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Warren, and northern Centre. The PA Wilds is home to the greatest concentration of public lands in the Commonwealth. The PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc., is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to integrate conservation and economic development in a way that inspires the communities of the Pennsylvania Wilds. Based in the region, the Center is the lead nonprofit for the PA Wilds Conservation Landscape effort, a 15+year collaborative effort by local, state and federal partners to establish the region as a premier outdoor recreation destination as a way to diversify local economies, attract investment, inspire stewardship, improve quality of life and attract and retain the region’s working-age population. PA Wilds Center works closely with PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, PA Department of Community and Economic Development, the region’s county governments, and other investors in the regional strategy.

For more information on the PA Wilds Center and the Wilds Cooperative, visit www.PAWildsCenter.org. Explore the PA Wilds and find locally made products at www.PAWilds.com.