Programs
We're Crafting Innovative, Sustainable Solutions for our Region
Gulf Coast Business Council Programs
We focus on regional public policy issues that are critical to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Anthony Topazi Leadership Institute
The Anthony Topazi Leadership Institute is made possible with financial support from the Knight Foundation and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
The Masters Leadership Program
The program consists of monthly sessions held from March through December. These sessions are designed to develop and enhance critical leadership skills.
Regional Policy Forums
The Gulf Coast Business Council partners with other organizations to educate its members on issues that affect the health and well-being of our economy.
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.
Regional Policy Forums
The Gulf Coast Business Council partners with other organizations to educate its members on issues that affect the health and well-being of our economy.
More Content Coming.
White Papers from Previous Years
- 2023 Regional Policy Forum
- 2022 / Masters Leadership - The Case for Regional Alignment
- 2019 Masters Presentation
- 2019 / The Evolving Economy
- 2018 / Community Development in Coastal Mississippi
- 2017 / Blueprint Gulf Coast Year One - Pillars of Prosperity
- 2016 / Where is Mississippi's Place in the Hollywood South?
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 Coast. Officials visit a U.S. city that has identified and implemented key components of an economic blueprint.
Why join us
A Unified Voice for the Mississippi Gulf Coast
GCBC is an Umbrella Organization Made up of the Top Business Leaders in our Region
As a seasoned leader and change-maker in your field, your expertise, insight and vision add immeasurable value to GCBC’s future.
Our members champion common economic and business interests, finding solutions for the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
We have considerable reach and leverage to directly influence public policy in Jackson and Washington D.C.
Join other thought leaders from across the three coastal counties and have a hand in shaping the Gulf Coast’s economic landscape for decades to come.
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