Exploring Poverty Reduction Strategies and Advancement Opportunities in the Midwest Summit

Reducing Poverty and Expanding Opportunity in the Midwest

Kansas Governor Brownback served as the 2015 MGA Chair. His agenda focused on increasing regional discussions on poverty reduction. Despite the globally recognized regional attributes of the Midwest, there are some in the region that are living in poverty. States continue to lead on policies, programs and assistance for those in need. However, the complexity of this issue does not allow for a one-size-fits-all solution. Fortunately, there are a lot of regional similarities and opportunities for sharing best practices and discussing how to approach poverty reduction.

As part of this effort, the MGA established a working group made up of Midwesterners from a wide-spectrum including governors’ and state agency staff, academia, community groups and other leaders in their states. The MGA will also organize a series of conference calls with members of the working group. 

General Information

The MGA held a regional poverty summit in Kansas City to bring together an array of stakeholders from governors’ offices, state agencies, non-profits and other sectors who are leading efforts to reduce poverty and expand opportunities in the Midwest.This summit was part of Kansas Governor Sam Brownback’s agenda as MGA Chair focusing on poverty reduction and expanding regional opportunities. The agenda  builds upon bimonthly conference calls convened by the MGA to help initiate the sharing of best practices and the identification of opportunities for collaboration.

September 22-23, 2015
Sporting Club Stadium, Kansas City

Speaker Handouts

The MGA would like to thank the following meeting sponsors.


Conference Calls

July 28, 2015 – State Approaches to Men – Agenda

July 21, 2015 – Federal barriers to Poverty Reduction and State Innovation – Agenda

July 7, 2015 – Rural Connectivity Barriers – Agenda

June 30, 2015 – Community and Career Navigation – Agenda

June 2, 2015 – Workforce Preparedness – Agenda

May 19, 2015 – Building Measurable Metrics – Agenda

May 5, 2015 – Rural Housing Conference Call – Agenda

April 14, 2015 – Introductory Conference Call – Agenda

Scroll to Top