Entrepreneurship Forum to Convene at Insight Park

The two-day forum will be at Insight Park, the university's research and business park, with opening activities in the Johnson Commons ballroom. The forum serves as a convention for higher education leaders engaged in entrepreneurship, innovation and economic development.

"MEF is intentionally designed as a working forum," said J.R. Love, assistant director of economic development and Insight Park. "It gives colleagues from across Mississippi's colleges and universities the opportunity to step away from their campuses, reflect on what's working and learn from one another in a setting that encourages collaboration and honest dialogue."

The opening session on April 9 will feature a conversation between Lisa Cooley, assistant professor of marketing at Delta State University, and John T. Edge, director of the Mississippi Lab and Greenfield Farm Writers Residency. They will focus on the economic and community impact of place-based creative and entrepreneurial initiatives.

That evening's dinner will feature remarks from Saundra Thompson McFarland, chair of the Department of Business Administration and associate professor of business law at Jackson State University.

Activities will continue April 10 at Insight Park, with breakfast and a guided tour of the park, followed by a business and entrepreneur roundtable led by Allen Kurr of Oxford Lafayette Inc. The forum will also include a planning team meeting and lunch remarks from Lucy Schultze, CEO of Red Window Communications.

The annual event is organized by the Office of Economic Development and the Grisham-McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement as a part of the Catalyzing Entrepreneurship and Economic Development initiative. A committee of Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning schools and statewide organizations also support the event.

For more information, contact J.R. Love at jrlove@olemiss.edu.

Top: Small business owners and entrepreneurs from across the state gather at a previous Mississippi Entrepreneurship Forum. The 11th annual forum is set for April 9-10 in Oxford, offering networking opportunities, resources and lectures on creating and maintaining a business in the state. Submitted photo