10/27/2009
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Gov. Joe Manchin is hosting a statewide meeting with students, parents, educators, legislators and business leaders to discuss the future direction of education reform in the state this Thursday, Oct. 29, at the University of Charleston.
“What Must We Do to Prepare for the Future: The Summit on Global Competitiveness,” is being co-chaired by First Lady Gayle Manchin and Ralph Baxter, chairman and CEO of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. The first lady and Baxter also co-direct the 21st Century Jobs Cabinet of West Virginia.
The summit will include remarks from the governor and national experts like John Chambers, chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems, as well as a video message from Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, who is leading the Obama Administration’s educational innovation initiatives. Nearly 300 people are expected to attend.
The summit takes place at the University of Charleston from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Other speakers include: AFT President Randi Weingarten; NEA Executive Director John Wilson; former U.S. Senator Bill Brock, Urban Institute Senior Researcher Jane Hannaway; and executives from IBM, Frontier Communications, Verizon West Virginia and Cisco Systems. The full program as well as information about speakers and their presentations can be found at www.wv.gov/education/summit.
EVENT Gov. Joe Manchin and First Lady Gayle Manchin host the state “Summit on Global Competitiveness.”
TIME 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
DATE Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009
LOCATION University of Charleston
ABOUT: WEST VIRGINIA 21ST CENTURY JOBS CABINET
Gov. Manchin established the 21st Century Jobs Cabinet of West Virginia in 2006 as a leadership board to advise him about p-20 (pre-k through post-secondary) education and to coordinate decision-making among the agencies involved in the state’s educational, job creation and economic development efforts. The Cabinet comprises representatives from the State Board of Education and the Legislature as well as parents, students and business executives.
The cabinet is charged with responsibility to propose and endorse legislation and to oversee the implementation of policy and budget decisions.
For the past 18 months, the Jobs Cabinet has been conducting “community forums” throughout the state to gather ideas from West Virginians about what must be done to better prepare our children for the 21st century economy. These discussions led the jobs cabinet and its partners at the State Board of Education to plan the Summit to bring the concerns of local communities to the forefront and use them to drive a long-term “Action 2020” plan for publicly supported p-20 education in West Virginia.
Contact Information
Sara Payne Scarbro
304-558-2000