The University of Tennessee at Martin WestStar Leadership Program is hosting the 23rd African American Leadership Conference, themed “Challenges and Opportunities,” from 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m., April 26, at the West Tennessee Agriculture Research and Education Center in Jackson. The conference will also be livestreamed.

Evelyn Robertson Jr., a member of the Memphis Regional Megasite Authority Board, will serve as the conference’s emcee. Robertson previously worked as a teacher, educational administrator, behavioral health administrator and economic and community development administrator. Robertson has also written two books titled “Education and the American Dream: The Allen-White School Story” and “The Robertson Family.”

The African American Leadership Conference will feature presentations by Marcus Heaston, middle and high school supervisor, Tipton County Schools; James Farmer, career pathways coordinator, Tennessee College of Applied Technology, Jackson; Dr. Andre Temple, solutions consultant, UT Center for Industrial Services; Mark Reid, executive director, Jackson Housing Authority; Harold Nance, executive director, Jonah Affordable Housing Authority; Frank Stevenson, associate vice president of student activities, Tennessee State University; Evelyn Lake-Harris, adult-care nurse practitioner; Tonia Moss, options counselor, Southwest Tennessee Development District; Kichisa McGoughy, assistant public conservator, Southwest Tennessee Development District; and Andrea Bond Johnson, CEO, Golden Circle Insurance Agency.

The African American Leadership Conference is sponsored by the WestStar Leadership Program, the UT Institute for Public Service, the Cities of Brownsville and Covington, Conner Real Estate, Crockett County, the West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation, Jonah Affordable Housing Authority, Simmons Bank, TRANE of West Tennessee, and Mark Heaston and Mary Jones.

Cost of in-person attendance for this year’s conference is $40 per person, and attendance via livestream costs $20. The deadline to register is April 19. Visit <a href="http://www.utm.edu/weststar">www.utm.edu/weststar</a> to register for the conference.
<p style="text-align: left;">For more information, contact Virginia Grimes, assistant director of the WestStar Leadership Program, at 731-881-7787 or <a href="mailto:vgrimes@utm.edu">vgrimes@utm.edu</a>.</p>
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