Leadership Mississippi Class of 2013 Attends Gulf Coast Session Focusing on Tourism
What better place to hold the Leadership Mississippi Tourism session than on our own Mississippi Gulf Coast, which brings in numerous tourism dollars each year? The Gulf Coast is a vital part of Mississippi’s culture and economy, and is a vital part of Leadership Mississippi’s goal of displaying the different impact that each part of the state has.
The Leadership Mississippi Class of 2013 kicked off the Mississippi Gulf Coast Session with a tour of Ingalls Shipbuilding. Ingalls is Mississippi’s largest employer and makes more than 40% of naval combat vessels for the United States. After a great lunch at Scranton’s in Pascagoula, a historic, early 1920’s building that once housed the town’s firehouse and city hall, the Class of 2013 took a tour of the Air Force Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, based at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi. The Hurricane Hunters are the world’s only operational military weather reconnaissance unit, and fly missions ranging from midway through the Atlantic Ocean to the Hawaiian Islands. During the session, Alumni gathered with the current class for a reception at the Barksdale Pavilion in Gulfport’s Jones Park.
Speaking of tourism, the session also featured a panel consisting of statewide leaders and engaged in discussion on the impact of tourism on the state. Serving on the panel were Malcolm White, Director of Tourism at the Mississippi Development Authority, Linda Hornsby, with the Mississippi Hotel and Lodging Association, Mike Cashion, of the Mississippi Hospitality & Restaurant Association, State Representative Richard Bennett and Rip Daniels of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Tourism Commission.
Leadership Mississippi would like extend a special thanks to our Gulf Coast session sponsors:
Nissan, Chevron, Mississippi Power, Anderson Companies, Ingalls Shipyard, Entergy Mississippi, Trustmark, Capital City Beverage, Corso Inc., Navigator Credit Union and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.