Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant will offer the keynote address for the 77th annual meeting of Delta Council on Friday, May 11, at the Bologna Performing Arts Center on the Delta State University campus in Cleveland, Miss.

Bryant, a native of Moorhead, Miss., served as the featured guest for the Delta Honor Graduate Event in past years.

Bryant has been active in industrial recruitment, workforce training, and flood control activities in the Delta during recent years.

“Delta Council is fortunate to have the friendship we have experienced with Phil Bryant in the past, and we are looking forward to a productive and strong working relationship with him in his new capacity as the state’s chief executive officer,” said Bowen Flowers, the Coahoma County farm leader who serves as president of Delta Council this year.

As Lt. Governor, Bryant introduced the Delta Workforce Pilot Program, which has produced significant gains in the coordination of workforce training programs throughout the Delta Council region.

“Gov. Bryant recognized the special and unique issues facing workforce training in the state of Mississippi, and especially the Delta. His legislation to establish a workforce cabinet, combining public and private sector leadership aimed at improving access to workforce training dollars, is helping to grow our existing businesses, which is the greatest potential for future job development in the Delta,” said Tom Gresham, president of Double Quick Stores and a client of the workforce training programs.

The Delta Council business session will begin at 10:30 a.m in DSU’s Bologna Performing Arts Center. Special recognition will also be given to the Delta’s Top Honor Graduates, and other recognition of achievements from throughout the region.

Bryant’s address is scheduled to conclude at noon, when the Delta Council members and guests will move to the DSU Quadrangle for a fried catfish luncheon.

The 77th Delta Council Annual Meeting will begin at 10:30 a.m. This year’s meeting is sponsored by BankPlus, Southern Ag Credit/Land Banks of Mississippi, Jimmy Sanders, Inc., and five organizations representing “Voices of Mississippi Agriculture” — Catfish Farmers of Mississippi, Corn Promotion Board, Cotton Incorporated, Rice Promotion Board, and Soybean Promotion Board.