Contact: Sammy McDavid
Twenty-nine state and local officials are taking part May 19-24 in the 1996 State Executive Development Institute at Mississippi State University.
Retiring Third District Congressman G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery and Lt. Gov. Ronnie Musgrove will be featured speakers for the in-service training seminar at the Wise Center sponsored annually by the university's John C. Stennis Institute of Government.
In 1989, the Mississippi Legislature established the program to provide advanced training and assessment for outstanding public sector executives. To date, about 100 officials have completed a curriculum that now totals nearly 30 classroom hours.
"The goal is to help prepare state and local government leaders for the future," said Stennis Institute executive director W. Martin "Marty" Wiseman. "The curriculum combines the latest public and private sector management theories with the practical aspects of government to build skills in management, decision-making and government knowledge."
Rep. Montgomery will deliver the graduation address on the 24th at a 9 a.m. public program at the Wise Center auditorium. Musgrove will be keynote speaker for a Thursday evening banquet for participants.
Montgomery, a Meridian native, is concluding a 30-year term in Congress this year. Before going to Washington, D.C., the Mississippi State graduate and former insurance executive served for a decade as a state senator.
Musgrove served in the state senate before being elected lieutenant governor last year. A Batesville resident and graduate of the University of Mississippi and the UM law school, he was first elected to represent Panola and Tate counties in 1987.
The Stennis Center for Public Service Training and Development, a federal office located near campus in the Mississippi Research and Technology Park, cooperates in organizing the event.