BILOXI, Miss. — Regional industry and workforce leaders from Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana came together on Thursday, November 6, at William Carey University’s Traditions Campus in Biloxi for the 2nd Annual Gulf Coast Defense Industrial Base Workforce Summit, reaffirming their shared commitment to building a stronger, more unified defense workforce pipeline across the Gulf Coast.
The half-day event brought together national and regional experts, state officials, and representatives from the defense industry to discuss the evolving challenges and opportunities shaping America’s defense manufacturing workforce. The summit underscored how cross-state collaboration is driving innovation, expanding training capacity, and strengthening the Gulf Coast’s strategic role in national defense.
“The Gulf Coast’s defense industrial base remains a cornerstone of our nation’s security,” said Dr. Courtney Taylor, Executive Director of AccelerateMS. “Through collaboration, our states are developing the talent pipeline needed to meet the defense sector’s complex and growing demands.”
Featured speaker, Matt Bogoshian, Executive Director of the American Manufacturing Communities Collaborative, opened discussions by emphasizing how regional partnerships are essential to sustaining and expanding the defense industrial base.
USAF Col. Paul Drake (Ret.), Executive Director of Mission 3, spoke on the synergy of “Military + Defense + Community = Workforce,” highlighting the importance of collaborating to align local initiatives with national defense priorities, including supporting transitioning military veterans and their spouses who bring highly sought workforce skills to communities where they are stationed.
The summit concluded with a “Next Steps” discussion, moderated by Dr. Taylor, focused on strengthening partnerships and identifying actionable strategies to advance the region’s defense industrial workforce through shared resources, technology alignment, and workforce innovation.
The 2025 summit reaffirmed the Gulf Coast’s unified vision: that Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana—working together—can expand their collective capacity to produce a skilled, future-ready workforce that supports both regional prosperity and national defense readiness.
About AccelerateMS
AccelerateMS serves the people and businesses of Mississippi by developing and implementing workforce strategies that connect individuals with transformative, high-paying careers. By leveraging resources and partnering with organizations that share complementary missions, AccelerateMS drives positive change and fosters long-term individual, community and statewide economic prosperity.
