Gulf Coast Business Council

10/23/2026

Meet the leaders behind Coast Forward. At our October general membership meeting, GCBC recognized the 2026 Masters Leadership Class for its work identifying shared priorities for Coastal Mississippi.

Through research, stakeholder interviews and business input, these leaders examined where regional plans align and where collaboration can help move our Coast forward. Their work brought together priorities spanning workforce, infrastructure, housing, resilience and regional leadership.

Congratulations to each member of the class:

• Dax Alexander, Brown, Mitchell & Alexander, Inc.
• Dr. Jacob Breland, The University of Southern Mississippi
• Jennifer Cain, Generations Healthcare
• Houston Ernst, The University of Southern Mississippi
• Dr. Ayesha Gray, Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
• John Payton Hood, Hancock Whitney
• Angie Juzang, Memorial Health System
• Christopher Loposser, Mississippi Power
• Ryan McVay, Ingalls Shipbuilding (HII)
• Dr. Kollin Napier, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College / Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network - MAIN
• Kimberly Nastasi, Ingalls Shipbuilding (HII)
• Heath Perry, AnderCorp
• Brant Pettis, Balch & Bingham LLP
• Cece Shabazz, Memorial Health System
• Kerry Stoddard, The Prime Time Agency
• John Stolarski, JS | Architect, PLLC
• Mary Elizabeth Stringer, Hancock Whitney
• Dr. Ladd Taylor, William Carey University
• Ben Weldon, Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce
• Wade Wright, Memorial Health System
• Kenneth Yarrow, Gulf Regional Planning Commission - GRPC

Thank you to these leaders and the organizations that supported their participation. Your time, expertise and commitment have given our region a clearer starting point for working together.

Read the framework here: https://msgcbc.org/coast-forward/

10/22/2026

At GCBC’s October meeting, the 2026 Masters Leadership Class presented Coast Forward, identifying 16 outcomes with strong regional alignment across workforce, infrastructure, housing, resilience and collaboration.

Members also heard news of Jamie Miller’s new role at Mississippi Power, with continued GCBC leadership during the search for his successor.

Our full recap covers the findings, member updates and next steps:

GCBC unveils Coast Forward’s shared regional priorities, honors its Masters Leadership Class and outlines leadership changes and next steps for the Coast.

10/22/2026

10/22/2026

I am honored to join Mississippi Power and excited about the opportunity to help advance the company's commitment to communities across our state. Mississippi's future is bright, and I look forward to working alongside local leaders, economic developers, businesses and community partners to help create opportunities that benefit current and future generations.

We're excited to welcome Jamie Miller to Mississippi Power as our senior director of Economic, Workforce and Community Development!

Click here to read more: https://bit.ly/4jTuF1N

10/22/2026

Before the 2027 election cycle, the Coast should be able to answer two questions.

What priorities do we share? And which actions should come first?

At our September meeting, Jamie Miller explained how GCBC is working toward both answers. The Coastal Mississippi Regional Priorities Alignment Framework will document shared outcomes. A select committee of regional business leaders have reviewed that work and the Council’s member survey to develop recommendations for action.

Our Masters Leadership class will present the framework in today's meeting. The goal is to give business and community leaders a clear basis for conversations with candidates and public officials about Coastal Mississippi’s future.

10/21/2026

Mississippi employers do not have to figure out AI on their own.

Dr. Kollin Napier told our members that the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network - MAIN, offers no-cost training, planning resources and guidance for responsible adoption. More than 11,000 Mississippians had voluntarily used its resources at the time of our September meeting.

He also invited Coast employers to tell MAIN where they need help through a short survey: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=6XWFp9IfsUaqzpKjNrAYtO-RKkpfOIdFubMaab1rO1ZUQkVPUVdFRlBXTUZaWldOTzZGTElXWjE4Si4u&route=shorturl

The point is practical: learn what businesses are trying to accomplish, then build resources that meet those needs.

10/20/2026

If your understanding of AI begins and ends with a chatbot, the tools have already moved on.

In our September conversation, Dr. Kollin Napier of the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network - MAIN explained that AI can now carry out multistep work: examine files, use software and return a usable product.

For a business leader, that creates an opening to rethink how work gets done. It also makes the questions around access, review and accountability more urgent.

Dr. Napier’s advice was to start learning now and be deliberate about what you allow a system to do.

Read more about this conversation on the blog: https://msgcbc.org/from-regional-priorities-to-responsible-ai-september-general-membership-meeting-recap/

10/19/2026

The Coast’s biggest business challenges are connected. Our regional response should be, too.

Our business and industry survey asked: “How should the region divide its attention and resources among the following priority areas?”

Regional coordination, leadership and advocacy ranked first. Workforce and talent development ranked second.

The broader findings show why these priorities cannot be addressed in isolation. Employers need workers. Workers need housing and child care. Housing affordability is affected by insurance costs. Business recruitment depends on sites with the infrastructure to support investment.

Shared at our September meeting, this slide captures the connections across the survey findings.

GCBC’s regional priorities work is bringing those relationships into focus so leaders can make decisions with a clearer understanding of how progress in one area supports another.

10/17/2026

You do not have to choose between rushing into AI and waiting for certainty.

Dr. Kollin Napier offered a more useful approach at our September meeting: move quickly on learning and carefully on delegation.

Try a focused use case. Understand the data and workflow involved. Decide who owns the result and how it will be reviewed. Then measure whether the tool actually improved the work.

That gives leaders a way to build capability while keeping judgment and responsibility inside the organization.

Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network - MAIN

10/16/2026

A regional priorities survey should lead to decisions people can see.

We asked business and industry members: “What one result is most urgent for the region to achieve during the next 6 to 12 months? What must be accomplished for you to consider that period successful?”

Their written responses called for stronger regional coordination, a shared plan and visible progress on the issues affecting business growth.

At our September meeting, GCBC introduced its Select Committee on Regional Priorities. The committee will review the member survey alongside the Coastal Mississippi Regional Priorities Alignment Framework and develop recommendations for action.

Our Masters Leadership Class will present the framework’s findings in October, with committee representatives expected to share initial takeaways.

Ahead of the 2027 election cycle, this work will help business and community leaders identify the priorities the Coast shares and the actions that should come first.