April 3, 2025 (Thursday)
Small Business Social and Registration, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Embassy Suites (200 Township Avenue Ridgeland, MS 39157)
Opening Remarks, 4:35 p.m.
Dr. Lisa Cooley (Delta State University)
Mississippi Small Business Center Network, 4:40 p.m.
Final Remarks, 5:10 p.m.
Saundra McFarland, J.D. (Jackson State University)
Small Business Social, 5:15 p.m.
Innovate Mississippi CONNECT
April 4, 2025 (Friday)
Registration, 8:00 a.m.
Embassy Suites (200 Township Avenue Ridgeland, MS 39157)
Welcome Remarks, 8:30 a.m.
Dr. J.R. Love and Julia Frazer (University of Mississippi)
Opening Remarks 8:40 a.m.
Honorable Michael Watson (Mississippi Secretary of State)
Student Entrepreneur Roundtable, 9:00 am
James Wilcox (Moderator, University of Southern Mississippi), Meleah Brunson (Mississippi College), Alex Gibbs (Mississippi Valley State University), and Gabrielle Holliday (Jackson State University)
Networking Time, 9:45 a.m.
Entrepreneurship Centers on Campus, 10:15 a.m.
Dr. Melissa McCoy Brock (Moderator, Tougaloo College), Angelica Owens (University of Mississippi), Garrison Walker (Mississippi State University), and Joe Donovan (Donovan Consulting Group)
Lunch, 11:00 am
AI and Digital Entrepreneurs in Mississippi, 11:30 a.m.
Kelly Woodford, J.D. (Moderator, Mississippi University for Women), David Collins (Innovate Mississippi), Natalie Burke (Millsaps College), Reed Parkinson (University of Mississippi), and Derek Stephens (Mississippi Small Business Development Center Network).
Final remarks, 12:30 p.m.
Dr. Albert Nylander (University of Mississippi)