2017 Conference

• Stephanie Cutter and Ana Navarro: Closing America’s Political Divide an Uphill Battle

  Citing recent news headlines of Republican candidate Greg Gianforte body-slamming and punching a reporter, comedian Kathy Griffin’s controversial photo of a bloodied President Trump, and white supremacist Jeremy Christian’s alleged hate crimes, Washington, D.C. insiders Stephanie Cutter and Ana Navarro …

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• Wes Moore: Inclusive, Broad and Transparent Conversations Matter

  Taking Michigan’s Center Stage, renowned social advocate Wes Moore, CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation and best-selling author, shared his personal journey from poverty to dedicating his life to improving the lives of underprivileged youth and veterans. Moore explained that inclusion is the first step to shrink the opportunity gap and enhance quality of life in communities that feel left behind.

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• Ingeborg Rocker: Detroit Can Be Leader in Creating Urban Resilience Through Technology

  Urban areas across Michigan and the United States are facing major challenges: rising populations, resource scarcity, pollution and failing infrastructure. As a result, government leaders continually struggle to find innovative ways to sustain communities. That can be difficult without a …

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• Michigan’s Bipartisan Congressional Delegation Stands Together on Issues Crucial to State

  U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI 12), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI 14), Dave Trott (R-MI 11) and Fred Upton (R-MI 6) are bucking the current trend – In an age of heightened political partisanship, in an institution almost unanimously derided for its …

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• Community Colleges’ Talent Pool to Play Large Role in Michigan’s Mobility Future

  Education and talent experts engaged in a meaningful conversation on how to effectively attract and retain talent for Michigan’s mobility industry at the session titled “Creating the Talent Pipeline for the Mobility Workforce” hosted by Washtenaw Community College and Wayne County Community College District (WCCCD) on Thursday.

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• Philanthropic Collaboration and Action Offers Hope for Detroit’s Children

  The path to change our communities starts with Detroit’s children and developing a comprehensive and coordinated early childhood support system. Ninety percent of a child’s brain is developed by the time they are 5 years old, which means a community needs resources focused on early childhood development. This is especially imperative for Detroit, where there are nearly 30,000 eligible young children who currently have no access to high-quality early learning and care programs.

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• Gov. Snyder: Let’s Change the Conversation on Civility and Connectivity to Support Economic Opportunity for All

  Closing out main stage programming on Thursday, Gov. Rick Snyder echoed much of the dialogue that took place throughout the 2017 Conference. Snyder tied this year’s pillars together explaining that political civility, winning the race in connected technology, and increasing …

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• JPMorgan Chase & Co.: The Role of CDFIs Make Equitable Common Sense

  The role of community development financial institutes (CDFI) in propelling investment across Detroit neighborhoods was top of mind for panelists and attendees during the session “A Match Made in Michigan: Leveraging Private and Alternative Financing to Drive Equitable Growth” hosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. on Thursday.

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• Amy Liu and Diverse Policy Leaders: Michigan’s Future Economy Depends on Fostering Inclusive Growth Today

  While the state’s economy has expanded substantially since emerging from the Great Recession, in an age of immense technological disruption, this growth has not translated into larger economic participation and prosperity. Wages remain depressed and many in the workforce have found themselves excluded from these gains.

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• Conference Attendees Put Civil Discourse to the Test During Interactive Session

  During the “Bring It to the Table” interactive session with award-winning documentary filmmaker Julie Winokur, executive director of Talking Eyes Media, Mackinac Policy Conference attendees were tasked with learning to listen and understand the “other side.”

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