Tuesday the Detroit Regional Chamber announced best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell as a keynote speaker for the 2014 Mackinac Policy Conference. Held Tuesday, May 27 through Friday, May 30, the Conference will spur a comprehensive dialogue focused on the three pillars of entrepreneurship, education and impact.
“Few people challenge the way we think about the world like Malcolm Gladwell, and he’s going to bring that thought-provoking dialogue to the Mackinac Policy Conference,” said Plunkett Cooney President and CEO Henry B. Cooney, chair of the 2014 Conference. “Encouraging risk-taking and entrepreneurship is critical to growing the culture of innovation in Michigan. Gladwell will certainly help us explore how to challenge conventional thinking as we build our future.”
A writer for The New Yorker since 1996, Gladwell is the author of five New York Times best sellers – “The Tipping Point,” “Blink,” “Outliers,” “What the Dog Saw,” and most recently, “David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants.” He has been named one of the 100 most influential people by TIME Magazineand one of Foreign Policy’s Top Global Thinkers.
“Malcolm Gladwell stands out as one of the most impactful, creative thought-leaders of our time, and his brand of forward-thinking is particularly relevant to Michigan,” said Chamber President and CEO Sandy K. Baruah. “In the last three years, our state has transformed itself into a leader in the nation. Learning from Gladwell’s ability to challenge conventional wisdom can help ensure that the cultural change under way in Michigan continues.”
The 2014 Conference aims to create a more globally competitive and financially attractive business environment in Michigan through three pillars:
- · Entrepreneurship: Encourage a culture of innovation through forward-thinking policy, capital infusion, and talent availability to ensure entrepreneurs are a core component of Michigan’s DNA;
- · Education: Drive job growth by focusing on progressive curriculum for 21st century jobs, including STEM education and advanced skilled trades, to ensure Michigan employers have access to a broad pool of talent;
- · Impact: Lead economic transformation in Michigan and Detroit, as a catalyst for other states to follow, by boldly confronting real problems with innovative state policy, precedent-setting financial turnaround measures and building a government structure to attract new investment and jobs.
To register for the Conference, visit mpc.detroitchamber.com.