CHARLESTON -- Gov. Joe Manchin and First Lady Gayle Manchin recently joined members of the state's 21st Century Jobs Cabinet, the West Virginia Board of Education and student delegates from across the state to discuss education and economic development in the Mountain State.
"What Must We Do to Prepare for the Future: The Summit on Global Competitiveness," was co-chaired by First Lady Manchin and Ralph Baxter, chairman and CEO of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. The first lady and Baxter also co-direct the 21st Century Jobs Cabinet of West Virginia.
The summit also included remarks from the governor and national experts such as John Chambers, chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems, as well as a video message from Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, who is leading the Obama Administration's educational innovation initiatives. Nearly 300 people are expected to attend.
Other speakers included AFT President Randi Weingarten; NEA Executive Director John Wilson; former U.S. Senator Bill Brock; Urban Institute Senior Researcher Jane Hannaway; and executives from IBM, Frontier Communications, Verizon West Virginia and Cisco Systems.