Arkansas State University has announced the panel topics for Catalyst NEA: Economic Development and Leadership Forum, returning Thursday, Nov. 5, to the Embassy Suites Red Wolf Convention Center in Jonesboro.
Forum Details
Tickets and sponsorship opportunities for the 2026 forum are now available. The forum brings together business leaders, educators, policymakers, researchers, and innovators for a full day of conversations focused on the issues shaping the future of Northeast Arkansas, the state, and the broader Mid-South.
Calvin White Jr., interim chancellor of Arkansas State University, said, “Catalyst NEA creates an opportunity for public and private leaders to bring their knowledge, resources, and perspectives together around the challenges facing our communities, region, and state. Research has the greatest value when it moves beyond the university and helps solve real problems for the people and industries we serve. By creating stronger partnerships, we can accelerate discovery, strengthen our economy, and produce solutions with an impact well beyond Northeast Arkansas.”
Panel Discussions
This year’s program will feature four panel discussions examining how research, education, industry, and public leadership can work together to strengthen the economy, prepare the workforce, and improve quality of life.
- Innovation and Resilience: Building the AI and Cybersecurity Workforce Together
- The Innovation Engine: University-Industry Partnerships That Deliver Results
- Bridging Learning and Earning: Strengthening the Workforce Continuum
- Rewriting the Rural Health Playbook: Collaboration That Delivers
A-State’s role as a convener, research institution, and economic partner is already felt throughout Arkansas. A recent economic-impact study found that the university generates $2.5 billion in annual economic activity, supports more than 16,000 jobs, and returns $7.10 in economic impact for every $1 invested by the state.
Individual tickets, table tickets, group registration, and sponsorship packages are available now at AState.edu/catalyst. Corporate tables are $550, and individual tickets are $60 each.
Original reporting: NEA Report (Jonesboro) — read the source article.
