Vickie Powell has been the Senior Vice President of Foundation at the Mississippi Economic Council since 2014. The Mississippi Economic Council (MEC) is the state’s Chamber of Commerce and has been the voice of Mississippi business since 1949. Vickie directs and manages the Public Education Forum (PEF) of Mississippi – Mississippi Scholars and Tech Master Programs along with the M.B. Swayze Foundation Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) Program. The STAR program has saluted the academic achievements of the state’s outstanding high school students and teachers from approximately 300 public, private, and parochial schools for over 50 years. Mississippi Scholars is a rigorous college-prep curriculum designed to motivate the middle 50% of students to meet the demands of higher education. The program is designed with a STEM-based education in mind. The Tech Master program prepares students to jump right into the workforce after high school by taking a more career minded approach to education. The goal is to prepare students for highly skilled, high-paying jobs. Both programs combined have recognized over 50,000 graduates. Students who have completed the programs earn a medallion, certificate and seals of distinction on their high school diploma and transcript. Since 2006, Vickie has honed her professional skills and advanced at MEC. Previously, Vickie worked at MINACT, INC. as Executive Director of Corporate Affairs and Business Development. She earned her Institute for Organization Management (IOM) certification from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Jackson State University.
Vickie Powell is a member of the Jackson Workforce Leadership Academy Class of 2020-21, one of several Workforce Leadership Academies in localities across North America.
The Workforce Leadership Academies are part of the Economic Opportunity Fellows Network, a network of leadership and fellowship programs run by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program. Within this Network, EOP connects national and local leaders from across sectors — nonprofit, government, business, philanthropy, academia, and more — to advance policies and practices with the potential to help low- and moderate-income Americans thrive in today’s economy. Learn more at as.pn/eofn.
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