Representative Zakiya Summers to Participate in Leadership Program for Select Southern State Government Officials
Jackson, MS – September 27, 2021– Representative Zakiya Summers has been selected to participate in the 2021 Center for the Advancement of Leadership Skills (CALS) in Little Rock, Arkansas, from October 2-6. Inaugurated in 2007, CALS is the annual leadership program of the Southern Office of The Council of State Governments.
Each year, CALS brings together select officials from three branches of government in 15 Southern states to refine their leadership skills in a nonpartisan environment. The program focuses on communication, conflict resolution, consensus building and critical decision making. Ultimately, CALS aims to provide the public with highly skilled, educated and confident state leaders.
Summers is serving her first term as the Mississippi State Representative for House District 68, which covers portions of West and South Jackson and parts of Byram and Terry in Hinds County, as well as Pearl and Richland in Rankin County. In the State House, she sits on the following committees: Public Education, Elections and Apportionment, Public Health and Human Services, County Affairs, and Workforce Development. Zakiya also serves as the Public Information Officer for the House Democratic Caucus and Vice Chair of the Technology/Public Relations Committee of the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus.
“I am so excited to be a selected participant in the Center for the Advancement of Leadership Skills, and I am looking forward to joining the other 24 colleagues from across the southern region during this intense four-day program,” said Rep. Summers. “This training is an opportunity to add more tools in my representative belt as I continue to serve the constituents of District 68 at the State Capitol and fight for a better Mississippi.”
The 2021 program agenda includes sessions on leadership and communication styles, conflict management, creating a culture of ethics and excellence and leading across generations. Brandon Fleming, the Founder and CEO of the Atlanta-based Harvard Debate Council Diversity Project, will deliver the final keynote address. Founded in 1933, The Council of State Governments (CSG) is the nation’s only organization serving all three branches of state government. Opened in 1959, the mission of CSG’s Southern Office is to promote and strengthen intergovernmental cooperation among its 15 member states, predominantly through the programs and services provided by its Southern Legislative Conference (SLC). For more information, please visit www.slcatlanta.org/CALS.
###
