Designed for alignment.

Workforce Stabilization: Housing, Transportation & Retention

Where workforce systems are breaking—and what it takes to stabilize talent at scale.

Willie Simmons, Chairman, Mississippi Transportation Commission·Marcella Roberts, Principal & CEO, M. Roberts & Associates

Certification Readiness: The Capital and Scale Constraints Holding Firms Back

Why businesses can’t access opportunity—even when it’s right in front of them, and what can be different.

Kimberly M. Carlisle, General Counsel, Jackson Municipal Airport Authority·Jessica Allen, CEO, Propeller

HBCUs as Anchors: Talent, Place, and Economic Gravity

HBCUs as talent pipelines, real estate anchors, and cultural and economic stabilizers—addressing the retention problem to keep more graduates in the region.

Bobbie Knight, President, Miles College·Melissa Bradley, General Partner, 1863 & BEA Venture Funds

From Forward, Ever to Semper Paratus: What Can We Learn from Birmingham’s Newest Opportunity?

How a closed college became a federal training installation—and what Birmingham-Southern’s transition into a Coast Guard training center means for regional economic development.

Virginia Gilbert Loftin, VP Advancement & Communications, Birmingham-Southern College·Trevor Sutton, VP of Economic Development, Birmingham Business Alliance·Sonja Q. Smith, Birmingham City Councilor

Heirs’ Property and Opportunity: Three Stories with Lessons for Family and Community

Three stories of family, property, and policy—with practical ideas and actions to help families and communities prevent property loss, increase entrepreneurial opportunity, and stabilize ownership across generations.

Karama Neal, Principal, Neal Firm Consulting and Mediation

Ownership & Investment in Rural and Small-City OZ Corridors

Where the next wave of development is quietly taking shape—how Opportunity Zone investment is evolving beyond major metros into rural and small-city corridors where land, infrastructure, and long-term growth potential are converging.

David Lipsetz, CEO & President, Housing Assistance Council·Bernita Johnson-Gabriel, Vice President, Capital and Capacity, New Growth Innovation Network

HBCUs & the Future Workforce: Activating Talent Pipelines for Regional Growth

AI, defense, health, logistics, tech and manufacturing—how HBCUs can be directly aligned with multi-year industry demand, moving from general talent development to targeted pipelines tied to real projects across the region.

Dr. Yolanda Page, President, Stillman College·Dr. Corey Wiggins, President, Tougaloo College

Power of Place: How Strategic Investment Around Anchor Institutions Can Attract and Retain Talent

How place-based investment around higher education institutions can transform talent retention.

Herschell L. Hamilton, CCIM, CEO, BLOC Global Group·Melissa E. Smiley, Chief Economic and Community Development Officer, City of Birmingham·John Henry, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, UNCF

Growing Business Along Commercial Corridors

How commercial corridors function as growth ecosystems—where businesses scale faster by clustering around shared demand, infrastructure, and movement.

Mayor Paul Young, City of Memphis, TN·Haley R. Fisackerly, President & CEO, Entergy Mississippi

Expanding Supplier Pipeline and Access Tiers in Corridor Growth Areas — Advanced Manufacturing

What are the NOW opportunities we can name and activate?

Charisse Conanan Johnson, CFA, CEO, Next Street·Spencer Lau, Head of Next Street Institute

Real Estate Policies

How evolving tax policy structures are influencing real estate investment—reshaping deal structures and return distributions, and affecting investors, developers, operators, and communities.

Ashley N. Wicks, Partner, Butler Snow LLP·Dingli Graham, Chief Investment Officer, Waverley Street Foundation·Ellis Carr, President & CEO, Capital Impact Partners

Opening the Path: How Philanthropy De-Risks, Proves, and Scales Prosperity

How philanthropic capital de-risks new models and aligns with institutional capital and operators to scale prosperity across the Deep South.

Nealon DeVore, Nathan Cummings Foundation·Sherra Bennett, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation

Where Joint Ventures, Mergers & Acquisitions Become Opportunities for Small and Growth-Stage Businesses to Scale

How smaller firms use joint ventures, mergers, and acquisitions to access scale, markets, and capabilities they can’t build alone.

Kanayo Oweazim, Small Business Philanthropy Manager, JPMorgan Chase·Allegra Stennett, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, New Majority Capital

Procurement & Contracts: Where the Work Is—and What It Takes to Get On the List

Demystifying access to major contracts—how procurement actually works across government, infrastructure, healthcare, and major industries.

Ryan Burks, President, RYCARS Construction·Earle P. Burke, MBA, SFO, Chief Financial and Operations Officer, Jackson Public School District

The Creative Economy as Growth Engine

How creative services—story, design, and visibility—shape procurement readiness, market access, and business growth across the region.

Stephen Brown, Executive Director, Briarwood Arts Center, and the artist known as 5th Child·Roy T. Decker, Principal, Duvall Decker Architects

Models to Unlock Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 Contract Opportunities

Collective Strategies to Maximize Opportunities for Local Businesses.

Kendra Key, Community Economic Development & Finance Professional·Ines Polonius, CEO, Communities Unlimited

Becoming a Recurring Supplier: How Major Projects Create Long-Term Business Opportunities

How companies move from winning one opportunity to becoming trusted, recurring partners — through supplier networks, subcontracting, and long-term procurement strategies.

Edmond E. Hughes, Executive VP & Chief Human Resources Officer, HII·Robert Ridgway V, VP of Business Development, Yates Construction

Cooperative Investment Vehicles: New Portals of Prosperity

How cooperative and shared investment structures can expand ownership—enabling individuals, communities, and aligned partners to participate in large-scale regional projects.

Lyneir Richardson, Assistant Professor and CEO, Rutgers Business School and TREND·Rukiya Kelly, Global Head of Corporate Impact and Engagement, FICO

Community Development as Economic Infrastructure: Housing, Small Business Corridors & Local Ownership

How housing, small business corridors, and local ownership systems can be designed to support workforce stability, expand participation, and retain wealth locally.

Janelle Williams, Co-Founder & CEO, Kindred Futures·Rhea Williams-Bishop, Director of Mississippi and New Orleans Programs, W.K. Kellogg Foundation

From Founder to Successor: M&A, Transitions & Keeping Businesses Local

How succession, acquisition, and transition pathways can preserve business continuity—and keep ownership local as founders exit and new operators step in.

Dr. Randal Pinkett, Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO, BCT Partners

Rural Economies as Infrastructure: Monetizing Land, Energy, Food & Logistics

How rural land and resource systems underpin large-scale development across the region—and where investment is repositioning these assets for 21st-century industry.

Dingli Graham, Chief Investment Officer, Waverley Street Foundation·Dan Tangherlini, Managing Director, Emerson Collective

New Careers & Businesses in AI, Healthcare & Education

Where demand is growing across AI, healthcare, and education—and how to position as a professional, operator, or builder in the next wave of opportunity.

Philip Chow, CEO, Humanitas AI·Dr. Nashlie Sephus, Founder, The Bean Path

Expanding Transportation & Logistics Businesses Across Growth Corridors

Where ports, rail, highways, inland terminals, and distribution networks are attracting the next wave of infrastructure capital—and how to position for participation.

Stormie Janzen, Vice President, Safety and Recruiting, Total Transportation of Mississippi·Christopher Coes, Executive Director, American FWD

Digital Delta: Building Supply Chain Intelligence Systems

Gopal Narasimhan, Executive Vice President, Chief Digital and Technology Officer, Hope Credit Union