“Taking Steps to Move Wisconsin Forward” sets the theme for the third-annual Wisconsin Economic Summit, which will feature gubernatorial candidates, CEOs, educators, community leaders and students, as well as other expert speakers and presenters.
The summit is set to take place Oct. 14-16 at the Midwest Express Center in Milwaukee. It will include over 30 sessions and workshops.
During the three-day summit, panelists will speak about economic-development issues. Their various sessions will cover topics such as media, health, entrepreneurs, scholarships and technology, while relating them to economic development.
“The Economic Summit showcases what other groups and organizations are doing for the economy, as well as making us all aware of the wonderful things happening in Wisconsin,” said Laurie S. Dies, special assistant to the vice president and Economic Summit coordinator in the University of Wisconsin System.
Debra Malewicki, director of the Wisconsin Innovation Service Center and a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater professor, will speak during two sessions entitled “Leveraging Intellectual Property for a Competitive Edge in the 21st Century” and “The Entrepreneurial Effect in Wisconsin.”
Malewicki has spoken nationally about entrepreneurial issues. She said she will inform listeners specifically about networks and their importance in an entrepreneurial climate.
“This topic is important for the [UW System] in particular to better understand contributions that it can make to the entrepreneurial environment in Wisconsin,” Malewicki said.
University of Wisconsin-Madison vice chancellor Paul Barrows will also speak at the summit. Barrows will discuss what individuals at UW have learned from the Pre-College Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence in a session scheduled for Tuesday entitled “Investing in Pre-College Scholarship Programs — Documented Success in Milwaukee.”
“For the state of Wisconsin to continue to grow and prosper, it must maximize its human resource potential,” Barrows said. “The university plays a vital role in ensuring the people of Wisconsin are provided with the education and training to ensure a skilled and competent workforce.”
UW-Whitewater student Melissa Genich and Professor Anne Statham will talk about “brain drain” — the migration of young people to certain universities — that they say plagues Racine and Kenosha.
“We’ll discuss the impact [brain drain] is having on the community and what some organizations are trying to do to retain the educated young people,” Genich said.
According to Dies, programs of this nature have the potential to help people learn from others, raise awareness and look toward moving Wisconsin forward in our economy.
Barrows agreed the summit will inform students and other Wisconsin citizens about the economic problems and potentials of the state.
“The summit is an opportunity for people from the different sectors of Wisconsin to reflect on our needs as a community, and identify the strengths that we as institutions, groups and individuals can contribute toward the economic progress and betterment of our state,” Barrows said.
