PROGRAMS
GCBC PROGRAMS
The Gulf Coast Business Council maintains a focus on regional public policy issues that are critical to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
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GCBC to learn more about what our committees are doing to partner with others in crafting innovative, sustainable solutions for our region
ANTHONY TOPAZI LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
In 2019, the Gulf Coast Business Council launched the Anthony Topazi Leadership Institute, in honor of the late Anthony Topazi, former CEO of Mississippi Power Company, who served as the founding chairman of the Gulf Coast Business Council. A dynamic leader with a spirit for giving and his community, Anthony Topazi left a legacy that will forever secure him as a legend in our region. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Anthony Topazi led the charge to unify the Mississippi Gulf Coast and focusing on sustainable recovery.
The Anthony Topazi Leadership Institute consists of three programs designed to cultivate emerging leaders in Coastal Mississippi: the Masters Leadership Program, the Community Leadership Initiative and the Emerging Executives Initiative. The Anthony Topazi Leadership Institute is made possible with financial support from the Knight Foundation and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. The Knight Foundation, which provided early financial support for the formation of the Gulf Coast Business Council and countless other initiatives in Coastal Mississippi, provided a seed grant honoring Anthony Topazi’s memory to form the Anthony Topazi Leadership Institute.
Masters Leadership Program
In 2007, the Gulf Coast Business Council launched the Masters Leadership Program, convening a new class of emerging leaders each year to act as a regional “Think Tank” for the year. The class learns, challenges assumptions, and develops solutions, with a goal of making the Gulf Coast region the most livable region in the United States. The program consists of monthly sessions held from March through December. These sessions are designed to develop and enhance critical leadership skills.
The program has published white papers and recommendations in the following key areas:
• Early Childhood Education
• Capturing the Creative Class
• Smart Growth Policies for the Coast
• Leveraging the Scientific and Military Assets of the Coast
• Leveraging the Gulf of Mexico for Regional Viability
• Broadband for the Coast
• Blueprint Gulf Coast Initiative- Year 1: Pillars for Prosperity
• Blueprint Gulf Coast Initiative- Year 2: Sustainable Community Development
• Blueprint Gulf Coast Initiative- Year 3: The Evolving Economy
• Blueprint Gulf Coast Initiative- Year 4: Cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic
• Blueprint Gulf Coast Initiative- Year 5: The Case for Regional Alignment
The 2017 Masters Leadership Program launched the “Blueprint Gulf Coast Initiative” – a five-year effort to articulate a vision for sustainable prosperity on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The inaugural class identified and researched four key economic pillars that could become the foundation for the Coast’s future economic prosperity and viability: community development, economic development, public advocacy and governance. As a follow up, the 2018 class was tasked with further examining the first pillar, Community Development, and they developed recommendations to help ensure future quality of life, economic health and sustainable development practices across the region.
The application period for the 2024 Masters Leadership Program is currently open.
MASTERS APPLICATION
White Papers from Previous Years
2022 White Paper | The Case For Regional Alignment
2019 Masters Presentation
2019 White Paper | The Evolving Economy
2018 White Paper | Community Development in Coastal Mississippi
2017 White Paper | Blueprint Gulf Coast Year One - Pillars of Prosperity
2016 White Paper | Where is Mississippi's Place in the Hollywood South?
2015 White Paper | Gigabit Coast: Taking Control of our Own Broadband
2014 White Paper | Leveraging the Assets of the Gulf Coast for Regional Viability
2013 White Paper | Leveraging the Science and Military Assets of the Gulf Coast
2012 White Paper | Design Matters
2011 White Paper | Capturing the Creative Class
2010 White Paper | Pre-K Coalition
Community Leadership Initiative
The Community Leadership Initiative seeks to identify emerging local, municipal and county-elected and appointed officials who embrace the principles of regionalism. Each year, the Gulf Coast Business Council recruits municipal or county officials for a year-long program that coincides with the Masters Leadership Program. The program studies best-practices in model communities around the U.S. The officials gain foundational training and awareness to bring back to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Officials visit a U.S. city that has implemented key components of an economic blueprint.
Emerging Executives Initiative
The Emerging Executives Initiative is an ongoing program designed to cultivate the leadership skills of emerging leaders in the Mississippi Gulf Coast business community. Candidates are derived from the Gulf Coast Business Council General Membership, along with recommendations from Gulf Coast Business Council Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Each year, participants in the program identify a project or issue requiring attention on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, form committees and meet quarterly to discuss solutions, seek input, encourage engagement and measure progress.
