SE MN Together will host a regional meeting, “Thriving Communities: Making Workforce Work,”  from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 14 at Riverland Community College.

The event will focus on successful development activities in towns in the region and encourage relationship-building to learn from and work with one another.

A morning keynote on 21st Century Communities will be given by Thomas Fisher, director of the Minnesota Design Center, followed by breakout sessions on career pathways, childcare, community design, diversity and inclusion, emerging issues, marketing and branding, and transit.

The event is free with lunch provided, thanks to sponsors who are the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, Pat and Gary Ray of Austin, Riverland Community College, and the University of Minnesota Southeast Regional Sustainable Development Partnership.

After lunch, there will be open networking time and add-on sessions. From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., the Governor’s Housing Task Force will host a regional housing forum to learn about the work of the task force, and help craft regional housing strategies.

“Nearly every community in southeast Minnesota is challenged by workforce shortages,” says Erin Meier, coordinator of SE MN Together, “and we believe even our smallest towns can address economic development issues by learning from and collaborating with others in the region.”

Registration is required. Find information at z.umn.edu/SEMNT

SE MN Together is a regional collaborative network established in 2015 to create opportunities for smaller communities to develop and utilize cross-regional relationships and strategies to address workforce and economic development challenges.

SE MN Together is  being hosted by the University of Minnesota Southeast Regional Sustainable Development Partnership and governed by a Core Team representing diverse stakeholders across the region.