Barbour, Riley to headline leadership summit

By Staff
from staff reports
Jan. 2, 2003
Gov.-elect Haley Barbour and Alabama Gov. Bob Riley will headline the 2nd Annual Leadership Summit next month sponsored by the Commission on the Future of East Mississippi and West Alabama.
The event is set for 8:30 a.m. Feb. 6 at the University of West Alabama. Both governors are expected to talk about development opportunities, including the proposed bi-state industrial park initiated last year.
Besides Barbour and Riley, Sutphin said U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, R-Ala., is expected to attend. In addition, Sutphin said, U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering, R-Miss. whose district includes East Mississippi may attend if scheduling conflicts can be resolved.
This summit's theme is "Closing the Gaps."
This event will include the release of data showing the East Mississippi-West Alabama region's performance toward achieving the Cycle of Prosperity Benchmarks for Accountability and Decision-Making unveiled at last year's summit.
The benchmark initiative results from cooperative efforts between the commission and the Regional Academy for Educational Leadership, The Phil Hardin Foundation and The Montgomery Institute.
A group of several leaders including Henry Johnson, state superintendent of Education, and Pete Walley, director of the state Bureau for Long Range Economic Planning worked with The Montgomery Institute to develop the benchmarks.
The 41-member Commission on the Future includes the heads of eight area institutions of higher learning, and a representative of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
Also on the commission are two representatives each from Clarke, Jasper, Kemper, Lauderdale, Leake, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Scott and Winston counties in Mississippi and Choctaw, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Perry and Sumter counties in Alabama.
The commission's purpose is to assess conditions across the region, identify key issues of importance, recommend regional strategies to address the issues, and communicate its findings to the region.
Additionally, the commission tries to promote regional unity and collaboration, serve as an advocate for regional development and provide an inclusive process for participation by all regional partners in addressing regional issues.