The Delta Grassroots Caucus (DGC) is a broad coalition of grassroots leaders in the eight-state Delta region. DGC is also a founding partner of the Economic Equality Caucus,
which advocates for economic equality across the USA.

Siemens Inc. CEO, Wal-Mart executive & Literacy Experts Set for Delta Events, May 3-4

Posted on February 29, 2012 at 02:06 PM

The Delta Caucus has confirmed participation from leading private sector organizations as well as elected officials for our May 3-4 conference at the Clinton Presidential Center. Main speakers include: –CEO and President Daryl Dulaney of Siemens, Industry, Inc., a multi-billion dollar national company that does extensive energy projects throughout the Delta; –Joe Quinn, senior director for issue management at Wal-Mart, which has an impressive and generous range of constructive activities in the Delta; –Sen. John Boozman, Congressman Mike Ross, USDA Assistant Secretary Pearlie Reed, among other main speakers.

Gov. Mike Beebe, President Bill Clinton, Sen. Mark Pryor, and other Members of the Arkansas Congressional delegation have participated each year and we expect them to do so again this year.

We will have panels on renewable energy, energy retrofits and green jobs led by Chad Nobles of Siemens Corp.; a panel on education and especially literacy led by President Fitzgerald Hill of Arkansas Baptist College; a panel on nutrition, child obesity, farmers’ markets and related issues led by Tamidra Marable of Heifer International; a “big picture” regional development panel as well as grassroots leaders from all of the eight Delta states.

We are honored to have President and CEO Daryl Dulaney as one of our main luncheon speakers at the Clinton Library Great Hall on Friday, May 4. Mr. Dulaney is responsible for executive management of Siemens Industry, Inc., a multi-billion dollar entity with 22,000 employees, comprising the newly-created Siemens Infrastructure & Cities Sector and the Siemens Industry Sector in the United States. Dulaney is a board member of the Siemens Foundation, which provides more than $4.5 million annually in grants and other financial support towards science, technology, engineering and math education initiatives.

Siemens has accomplished many constructive energy projects across the Delta, including energy retrofits, with examples such as Crittenden Memorial Hospital in West Memphis, Arkansas, DeSoto County in Mississippi, and renewable energy projects in Baton Rouge and many other locations in our region. Siemens has often partnered with the Clinton Foundation in doing many innovative and beneficial energy projects.

Joe Quinn, senior director for issue management, will speak about Wal-Mart’s remarkably generous donations to food banks and other constructive activities in nutrition, nutrition education and related issues throughout the Delta.

Mr. Quinn will also inform us about Wal-Mart’s great new program in which they will locate many new stores in lower income “food desert” areas, and some of these will be located in the Delta. These Wal-Mart initiatives are constructive on a very large scale for our region and we are glad to have Joe Quinn as a speaker.

We especially plan to focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency, green jobs, education (especially literacy), and health/nutrition. The connection between job growth and education/literacy, energy, and health/nutrition will be the priorities. The prominence of private sector activities is a new and somewhat different focus this time around.

President Bill Clinton has given excellent live presentations over the audio system each year and we always look forward to that highlight of the conference. The three priorities of renewable energy/energy retrofits/green jobs, the vital link between education and economic development in literacy and other fields, as well as hunger and nutrition and child obesity have all been areas where President Clinton’s ideas have held a beneficial impact nationally and across the Delta. We know many areas in the Delta unfortunately have serious problems, but these innovative initiatives hold great potential for a brighter future.

Space is limited so please register ASAP: We hope to limit the number of people at the conference to 100 people in order to give each person more opportunity for networking and taking part in discussion. This is done on a first come, first served basis and the numbers have been growing rapidly. Please register now if you are interested in coming before the numbers fill up.

To register, you mail in the $100 registration fees, with a check made out to “Delta Caucus” and mail to:

Delta Caucus

5030 Purslane Place

Waldorf, MD 20601

In keeping with our policy of giving major candidates from both parties equal time to present their positions on how they would promote economic development in the Delta, we have invited U.S. Representative Rick Crawford, R-Arkansas representing the east Arkansas First District, as well as State Representative Clark Hall (D-Marvell), to come to the conference and present their views about what they would do if elected to promote the Delta’s economic future. This election has attracted considerable interest in the Delta region and we look forward to hearing from the leaders of both parties.

OPENING SESSION: Thursday evening, May 3, 2012, from 4:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Clinton School of Public Service. Dean James “Skip” Rutherford always does a great job as host, and the Clinton School of Public Service is a nationally recognized institution that engages in a wide variety of constructive activities.

FRIDAY SESSION: Friday, May 4, 2012, from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Library.

GROUP HOTEL: Comfort Inn at the Clinton Library, Little Rock, Arkansas; Please call the hotel at (501) 687-7700 and say you are with the Delta Caucus group to get the lower group rate of $82 a night for a standard room, for the nights of Thursday, May 3 and Friday, May 4. The deadline to get the group rate is Friday, April 20, close of business.

Many people may only want to stay for the one night of Thursday, May 3, because the conference begins at 5 p.m. on that evening and ends the next afternoon, May 4 at about 3:45 p.m. People can check out of the hotel on the morning of May 4 in the morning and store their luggage there, and then come back and pick up the luggage that afternoon after the conference ends.

There are also a limited number of suites available at $92 a night.

We will keep you posted as we continue to put together the agenda and please register soon if you want to be assured of joining us at the conference. Thanks very much–Lee Powell, director, Delta Grassroots Caucus (202) 360-6347