Tuscaloosa, AL – More than 200 of West Alabama’s business and community members attended the 2025 FutureFocus: West Alabama Education and Workforce Conference, presented by Caldwell Architects and Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc. The event, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama and West AlabamaWorks, was held at the Bryant Conference Center on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
attachment-The Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama 2
FutureFocus was divided into two sessions: education and workforce.
The education session, moderated by Carl Jamison of JamisonMoneyFarmer PC, kicked off the event, featuring panelists representing Tuscaloosa City Schools and Tuscaloosa County School System.
Representing Tuscaloosa City Schools were Superintendent Dr. Mike Daria and current TCS Board Chair Eric Wilson.
“The future of public education is bright,” said Daria. “Our commitment is for all students to be successful, and when you dig into our budget and programming, you see a budget and program that are contoured to today’s kids and today’s schools, and they can all be successful.”
Representing the Tuscaloosa County School System were Superintendent Dr. Keri C. Johnson and TCSS Board President Bill Squires.
“It’s refreshing to be part of a community that puts so much emphasis on our students to make sure they are getting what they need so they will, in turn, pour back into their community,” Johnson said. “This cycle is a really neat thing to see here in Tuscaloosa.”
The workforce session followed the education panel and featured Alabama’s new Department of Workforce Secretary Greg Reed.
“The importance of working together is evidenced in Tuscaloosa by the outcomes produced for this community in the area of workforce development,” said Reed. “As secretary of the new Alabama Department of Workforce, I look forward to learning from and working with all of the leaders in Tuscaloosa as we work together to grow Alabama’s workforce.”
FutureFocus brings together the audiences of the Chamber’s former Education Summit and West AlabamaWorks’ former Talent Conference into a joint event, exploring the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities in education and workforce development across West Alabama.
For more details, view the digital event program here.
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