2019 Conference

• Morning View: Mackinac Uncensored Engages State’s Hot-Button Issues

  For the third year, more than 20 statewide thought leaders offered their unbridled opinion on eight hot-button issues during Morning View: Mackinac Uncensored on Friday, May 31, closing the 2019 Mackinac Policy Conference.

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• Detroit Regional Chamber Releases 2019 Mackinac Policy Conference To-Do List

  MACKINAC ISLAND, May 31, 2019 – Today, the Detroit Regional Chamber unveiled its 2019 Mackinac Policy Conference To-Do List following three days of discussions featuring top state, regional, and national thought leaders. Chamber President and CEO Sandy Baruah and 2019 Conference Chair Patti Poppe, president and CEO of Consumers Energy and CMS Energy, announced the list at the conclusion of the 39th annual Conference.

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• Continuing the Civility Conversation

  Announcing results from the Detroit Civility Project, The Detroit News’ Nolan Finley and Detroit Public Television’s Stephen Henderson hosted two interactive sessions on Thursday, May 30 at the 2019 Mackinac Policy Conference.

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• Growing Detroit’s Startup Ecosystem

  Support to local, small, and midsize businesses will help grow Southeast Michigan. That’s according to Dynamics of Detroit’s Startup Community, a session hosted by the William Davidson Foundation on Thursday, May 30 at the 2019 Mackinac Policy Conference.

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• Michigan’s Quad Leaders: ‘We’re Going to Work Together’

  Against the backdrop of Thursday morning’s signing of landmark auto insurance reform on the Grand Hotel’s front porch, Michigan’s legislative leaders gathered that evening to talk shop about the pressing issues still lingering as they move toward budget negotiations and reaching a deal on increased funding for the state’s declining roads.

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• Breaking Down The Digital Divide for Michigan’s Students

  More than 360,000 homes in Michigan and 27% of K-12 students lack access to broadband internet in their homes. This digital inclusion discrepancy is posing a serious risk for Michigan students as the state ventures into the information economy.

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• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Talks Compromise and Michigan’s Fundamental Issues

  Shortly after signing a historic auto insurance reform bill on the Grand Hotel porch, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took to Michigan’s Center Stage on Thursday, May 30 to deliver her first keynote as governor at the 2019 Mackinac Policy Conference.

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• Keeping Up with the Shifting Labor Market

  Filling the Skills Gap: An Open Dialogue on Workforce Realignment, hosted by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, examined obstacles to hiring skilled employees in a rapidly shifting labor market and steps employers and others can take to address skills needs.

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• Barfield, DeVos, Van Elslander: Remembering the Legacies of Philanthropic Leader’s

  Michigan’s preeminent business people leave a legacy in their communities. From the revitalization of downtown Grand Rapids, to the saving of a Ypsilanti neighborhood to securing the future of Detroit’s Thanksgiving Parade, the sons of the men who made those contributions met in the same place for the first time on Thursday, May 30 at the 2019 Mackinac Policy Conference.

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• Michigan’s Congressional Delegation Remains Unified on Critical Matters

  Michigan’s congressional leaders are working as a team to protect the Great Lakes, improve the Soo Locks, and maintain the state’s high-tech defense industries.

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