Panelist Marvin Hogan speaks as fellow members (l-r) Annjo Lemons, Robin Robinson and Claiborne Barksdale, listen during the question and answer session
CED continued its effort to involve Mississippi business leaders in discussions about the importance of early childhood education to the future of their state on Friday, January 22 at the Jackson Convention Complex. In partnership with the Mississippi Economic Council's (MEC) Leadership Mississippi program, CED convened over 150 Leadership Mississippi participants and local civic leaders for a half-day forum to update them on what steps are being taken by the private-sector driven Mississippi Building Blocks and other leading early childhood education initiatives and programs in Mississippi. The forum was made possible with a generous grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Michael Petro
CED Vice-President & Director of Business and Government Policy and Chief of Staff Michael Petro, the luncheon keynote speaker, highlighted the role business leaders can play in advocating for greater investments in early care and education. Additional speakers included Blake Wilson, President, Mississippi Economic Council; Rebecca Combs, Executive Director, Phil Hardin Foundation; and Oleta Fitzgerald, Director, Children's Defense Fund, Southern Regional Office.
CED, the Committee for Economic Development is an independent, nonpartisan organization for business and education leaders dedicated to policy research on the major economic and social issues of our time and the implementation of its recommendations by the public and private sectors.
