Summit breakfast at NSU to feature conference with legislators

By NSU Staff Writer Dustin Woods

The Legislative Breakfast to be held during the upcoming Regional Summit at Northeastern State University will convene community and business leaders throughout the area with state and federal legislators.

As part of the two-day summit Giving Voice To Our Region, the breakfast is scheduled Nov. 4 at 7:15 a.m. in the University Center's Senator Rozell Ballroom at NSU and will act as a segue between the two days of presentations and activities.

"The first day's activities are intended to find common challenges and identify innovative approaches to those problems, and the topics we arrive at during the first day will be used to form the conversation with regional legislators and other leaders during the breakfast," said Dr. Ron Cambiano, NSU Professor and Assistant to the President for Special Projects.

A live feed will connect participants at the breakfast with U.S. Representatives Dan Boren and John Sullivan in Washington, D.C.

"A survey was conducted of the seven counties that comprise our region to determine our needs and priorities, and those points will also be used as discussion points during the teleconference," Cambiano said.

Following the teleconference, AT&T Oklahoma President Bryan Gonterman will facilitate a panel discussion featuring regional, county and local officials.

"Many leaders from our region have been invited to be a part of the panel discussion, including Senator Jim Wilson, Representatives John Auffet and Kenneth Corn and Speaker of the Cherokee Tribal Council Meredith Frailey," Cambiano said.

Among the other goals of the conference, creating a legislative voice for the northeastern region of Oklahoma is the main objective of the economic summit.

"Independently, the seven counties of our region are not strong enough to capture the attention of the legislature, but collectively those counties are residence to about 300,000 people, which is roughly 10 percent of the state's population," Cambiano said.

The two-day conference includes meals, materials, and workshops for $30. Early registration deadline is Oct. 31. After that date, the fee is $50. Register online at regionalsummit.nsuok.edu, or to register for the Legislative Breakfast only for $12, call Continuing Education at 918-444-4610.

10/30/2009

Published: 2009-10-30 00:00:00