With the upcoming legislative session set to begin one week from today, the Mississippi Economic Council (MEC) is gearing up to host its annual Capital Day.
On Thursday, Jan. 4, attendees will get a chance to intermingle with business, community, and state leaders to discuss ideas and solutions that could help propel Mississippi forward. This year’s event will begin with a sit-down conversation with Gov. Tate Reeves.
“We’re excited. It’s going to be a great day,” MEC executive director Scott Waller said. “We’ll start in the morning with registration before the morning session begins. We’ll have a sit-down conversation with the governor Those are always fun for me because we can just talk about things that are going on in the state…I want to make sure that we have a chance to talk about the economic growth and the things that are taking place and really focus on the future.”
Following the conversation with the governor, the MEC will present its first-ever “Connecting the Dots” forum, which will include three career coaches from across the state discussing how Accelerate Mississippi’s career coach program has helped students.
Since 2022, the legislature has put $20 million into the program, resulting in 165 more career coaches being hired within the state’s public school system. The three featured coaches will be Lorene Haymer (Holmes County Central High School), Collyn Leggett (West Jones High School), and Jim Sutherland (Columbus High School).
“We’ve got three coaches coming in from different parts of the state to talk about what this program means for the students that they serve,” Waller continued. “It’s really an exciting program and I think something that is going to continue to grow and pay long-term dividends.”
After the forum, attendees will hear from MEC’s Jason Word on what to look out for this legislative session. Members from the House and Senate will then take the stage for capitol briefings.
The full schedule of events for MEC Capital Day can be found below:
8:30 a.m. – Registration inside the Trade Mart
9 a.m. – Morning Session
- Welcome: With MEC Chair Jeff Bowman, President & CEO of Cooperative Energy.
- A conversation with Governor Tate Reeves
- Connecting the Dots: A look at how students are gaining knowledge of career opportunities through Accelerate Mississippi’s Career Coach Program
- Staying Up to Date: MEC’s Jason Word discusses what’s happening at the capitol
Capitol Briefings inside the Mississippi State Capitol
- Delbert Hosemann – Lt. Governor
- Jason White – Nominee for Speaker of the House
- Dean Kirby – Senate President ProTem
- Manly Barton – House Speaker ProTem
11:30 a.m. – State Officials Reception inside the Trade Mart
