MI2 Strategy Group Updates

With all four of MI2's strategy groups fully operational, matched against the organization's first year strategic focus areas defined by the MI2 Metals Leadership Council, our focus in March has been on further developing our internal processes surrounding the work of these strategy groups and fueling the year one projects being overseen by these four strategy groups.

Sustainability Strategy Group

Ideas from the strategy group were shared with the MI2 Metals Leadership Council for feedback at the end of February, and a couple of those projects are now being developed for a pilot phase. We look forward to sharing more about those sustainability pilot projects in the next newsletter.

In the month of March, we were also excited to add Western Kentucky University Assistant Vice President of Business Services Dr. Jennifer Tougas to the strategy group.

Talent and Workforce Strategy Group

The Talent and Workforce Strategy Group is actively supporting the Bus to Business program with the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the Fox Management Consulting project on defining the opportunities and challenges with the talent pipeline for the Kentucky metals industry, as further detailed in this newsletter's project updates.

In addition, we were excited to add Dorian Moe, Talent Pipeline Project Manager for the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, to this strategy group. Moe will be taking the place of Sara Tracy, who recently left the Kentucky Chamber. Also, Buddy Steen, CEO of the Western Kentucky University Innovation Campus, joined this strategy group.

Branding Strategy Group

The Branding Strategy Group has begun work on a series of personas to highlight some of the primary audiences that Kentucky's metals industry seeks to reach. These personas are intended to help guide MI2's communications work, as well as communications efforts from various stakeholders in the Kentucky metals ecosystem. In addition, the branding group is overseeing a process of gathering resources and assets that exist across the Kentucky metals innovation ecosystem, to populate an industry guide being developed in partnership with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development and other communication efforts about the Kentucky metals industry.

The Branding strategy group was also excited to welcome Dr. Terrance Brown, Dean of the Western Kentucky University Potter College of Arts & Letters, to its ranks.

Grants and Funding Strategy Group

MI2 team member Ruthie Caldwell and University of Kentucky’s Shana Herron are effort to articulate MI2’s grants and funding mission and objectives, which will be shared at the April gathering of the strategy group. Caldwell has also been gathering a range of grant opportunities that have potential application to MI2.

Also, the Grants and Funding strategy group was excited to welcome a new member this month: Dr. Cathleen Webb, Associate Dean for Research at Western Kentucky University Ogden College of Science and Engineering.