The Second Annual Regional Economic Summit, presented by three area community colleges – Capital, Manchester and Asnuntuck – will be held Friday, January 13, 2012 in Manchester Community College’s SBM Charitable Foundation Auditorium. Sponsored by Rockville Bank Foundation, the conference will run from 7:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Registration is free in advance or $20 at the door.

To register in advance visit

www.mcc.commnet.edu/economicsummit

 The goal of the Community College Summit is to bring business leaders, entrepreneurs, local and state government officials, and community college leaders together to discuss the critical role of community colleges in regional business development and economic growth.

Keynote speakers will be Doug Lederman, a founder of Inside Higher Ed and Cecilia Elena Rouse, Professor in the Economics of Education and Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at Princeton University. Governor Dannel Malloy will welcome attendees.

Participants will also have the opportunity to sit in on one of three breakout sessions featuring panel discussions with industry experts in health information technology & healthcare reform (Capital Community College), manufacturing (Asnuntuck Community College) and business creation and growth (Manchester Community College). Afterwards, everyone will gather together and share information from each breakout session.

Capital Community College is recognized as a key educational partner in the state’s Workforce Investment Act (WIA) network, delivering training and postsecondary education in healthcare, insurance and financial services and information technology to traditional and nontraditional students. Capital is the only college in the state to be part of a multi-state federal grant providing free education/training in the emerging field of health informatics (electronic health records) and the college’s fifth Health IT cohort will start the end of January.