Partnership holds Regional Summit April 27

The event will be 9 a.m.–1:30 p.m. April 27 at Ozarks Technical Community College’s Richwood Valley campus, 3369 W. Jackson St. in Ozark.

Scheduled topics and guest speakers include:

• “Leadership is Increasingly Important to Successful Communities,” featuring speakers Gail Melgren, program coordinator for the Leadership Project at Missouri State University, and Lloyd Young, associate director of the Community and Social Issues Institute at MSU. Their discussion will look at the inaugural year of the Greater Ozarks Leadership Development, or GOLD, Program at MSU and how partnership members can get involved.

• “Transportation: The Backbone of a Strong Economy,” featuring speakers Jim Anderson, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce president and chairman of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, and Kirk Juranas, District 8 engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation. Their discussion will look at the future of the state’s transportation system and how partnership members can help MoDOT address southwest Missouri’s needs.

• “Federal Role in Economic Development,” featuring southwest Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt.

During lunch, OTC President Hal Higdon will speak on “OTC – An Economic Engine for Southwest Missouri.” That will be followed by a tour of the Richwood Valley campus, which opened earlier this year.

The deadline to register for the event is April 15. To do so, visit www.springfieldchamber.com or contact Jen Johnson at the chamber, (417) 862-5567.

The partnership is a voluntary organization of cities, counties and chambers of commerce representing a 10-county area. More information about the group and the Regional Summit is available at www.ozarkspartnership.com.