Contact: Crystal Drake, Office of Strategic Communications
“Establishing Economic Ecosystems that Promote Development and Prosperity” is this year’s theme.
Tuskegee University’s College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences (CAENS) Cooperative Extension Program (TUCEP), and the Carver Integrative Sustainability Center (CISC) are honored to announce Ambassador Andrew J. Young as the keynote speaker for the 30th Annual Booker T. Washington Economic Development Summit.
The keynote address will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday in the University Chapel in conjunction with the University’s Lyceum Series.
The Summit is being held Sept. 10 and 11 and the goal is to bring together business leaders, educators, policymakers, entrepreneurs, students and community stakeholders. Summit discussions will include topics on business development, economic and community development, collaboration, and sustainable pathways to economic growth and prosperity.
Ambassador Young brings a wealth of knowledge regarding regional prosperity and sustainable economic growth. Appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter, Young was also the first Black congressman elected from Georgia since Reconstruction. During his tenure in Congress, he sponsored legislation that established the United States Institute of Peace and the African Development Bank. Additionally, he was instrumental in securing federal funding for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), Atlanta’s highway expansion, and the establishment of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.
As mayor of Atlanta from 1982 to 1990, Young led efforts to transform the city into an international economic hub. Under his leadership, Atlanta attracted over 1,000 new businesses, generated one million regional jobs, secured $70 billion in foreign direct investment, and expanded the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Young's economic vision has always extended far beyond national borders. He served as co-chairman of the committee that successfully brought the 1996 Olympic Games to Atlanta, and that same year, co-founded Good Works International to provide strategic guidance for emerging markets in Africa and the Caribbean. Today, this vital work continues through the Andrew J. Young Foundation.
The Summit is supported by Tuskegee University, the College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences (CAENS), the Cooperative Extension Program, and the Carver Integrative Sustainability Center (CISC). Together, these organizations advance Booker T. Washington’s legacy of education, self-reliance, cooperation, and economic progress.
To learn more and to register: visit www.tuskegee.edu/btwsummit.
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