Contact: Emily Springer, Communication Manager, Communication and Information Technology, University Outreach and Engagement, sprin116@msu.edu
Contact: Jenan Jondy, Project Coordinator, Center for Community and Economic Development, University Outreach and Engagement, jondyjen@msu.edu

EAST LANSING, MI—Leaders representing government, academia, business, nonprofits, and education will explore strategies to bolster local economies at the 2026 Innovate Michigan! Summit, which will take place on July 9 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing.

Hosted by MSU’s Center for Community and Economic Development’s (CCED) Regional Economic Innovation (REI), the daylong summit will showcase innovative approaches to community and economic development.

Participants will hear about specific projects, engage with practitioners and researchers, and explore innovative economic development tools, models, programs, and practices designed to strengthen communities statewide. 

A featured panel, “From Systems to Strategy: Building Economies That Work,” will bring together leaders working across housing, childcare, and rural prosperity—systems that directly shape economic outcomes in communities across Michigan.  

Confirmed panelists include Amy Hovey, executive director of Michigan State Housing Development Authority; Sarah Lucas, director of the Michigan Office of Rural Prosperity; and Emily Laidlaw, deputy director for early education at Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential. Panelists will share work currently underway across Michigan and what greater collaboration could unlock for communities moving forward.  

Attendees will also have an opportunity to visit the REI-supported Michigan Inventors Coalition Inventors Summit, also taking place at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center. The event will feature inventors from across Michigan showcasing products and innovations, educational sessions, keynote speakers, and opportunities for entrepreneurs to participate in a pitch competition designed to help advance and elevate their inventions. 

The Summit will also provide attendees with an opportunity to engage in conversations around REI’s evolving strategic direction and future priorities as the initiative continues supporting Michigan’s most economically vulnerable communities.

CCED collaborates with Michigan’s most distressed communities to support long-term economic resilience, innovation, and opportunity. As one of the state’s leading university-community convenings focused on economic development innovation, the Innovate Michigan! Summit creates opportunities for attendees to learn from diverse perspectives, build new partnerships, and engage with emerging ideas shaping Michigan’s economic future. 

For more information about the summit, visit CCED’s website.