Nashville; Washington, D.C. The Global Action Platform (GAP) is pleased to announce the successful conclusion of the inaugural Porter Development Initiative (PDI) Fellows Academy, held June 23–26 at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.

The Academy brought together senior leaders representing business, higher education, economic development, government, philanthropy, healthcare, workforce development, and nonprofit organizations from across Tennessee. Organized into regional delegations defined by local Steering Committees, Fellows worked collaboratively to examine the competitive strengths of their regions and develop practical strategies to accelerate long-term economic prosperity.

The Academy represents the first statewide initiative of its kind to apply Professor Michael Porter’s internationally recognized competitiveness framework and the U.S. Cluster Mapping methodology to every region of Tennessee simultaneously. Participants examined newly developed regional competitiveness data, industry cluster analyses, and implementation tools before working together to produce regional Competitiveness Action Plans (CAP) tailored to the unique opportunities and challenges of their communities.

Throughout the four-day program, Fellows engaged with distinguished faculty and national experts through case discussions, keynote presentations, panel discussions, and collaborative workshops focused on innovation, workforce development, entrepreneurship, cluster development, collaborative governance, and regional implementation strategies.

Rather than concluding with the Academy itself, the program marks the beginning of a long-term statewide implementation effort.

Each regional delegation departed Vanderbilt with a Competitiveness Action Plan identifying priority initiatives designed to strengthen regional economic competitiveness while contributing to Tennessee’s overall prosperity. These plans will now move into implementation through the newly established GAP-PDI Competitiveness Action Network, a statewide collaboration that will connect regional leadership teams, facilitate the exchange of best practices, provide ongoing technical assistance, and measure progress over time using nationally recognized competitiveness indicators.

The Action Network will include dedicated online regional collaboration workspaces, statewide implementation forums, access to research and technical resources, and continuing opportunities for peer learning among Fellows. By connecting the regions into a single statewide community of practice, the initiative seeks to accelerate implementation, encourage innovation, and build enduring leadership capacity for future generations.

“The Academy was designed not simply as a leadership program, but as the launch of a statewide movement dedicated to strengthening Tennessee’s long-term competitiveness and shared prosperiy,” said Dr. Scott T. Massey, Chairman and CEO of the Global Action Platform and Senior Associate of the Porter Development Initiative. “The quality of collaboration among the Fellows and the commitment demonstrated by leaders from every region exceeded our highest expectations. The real work now begins as these regional teams move from planning to implementation.”

GAP extends its sincere appreciation to Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management for hosting the inaugural Academy, to the outstanding faculty and speakers who shared their expertise throughout the week, and to the many organizational partners and sponsors whose support made the program possible.

Most importantly, GAP congratulates the Founding Fellows of the Academy. Their willingness to work across institutional, sector, and state boundaries reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that the Midosouth has the opportunity to participate in—and contribute to— future prosperity.

As implementation begins, GAP looks forward to supporting the Fellows through a Collaboration Hub and Competitiveness Action Network and sharing progress as regional initiatives advance.

About the Porter Development Initiative Fellows Academy

The Porter Development Initiative Fellows Academy is a regional competitiveness program administered by the Global Action Platform in partnership with the Porter Development Initiative. Grounded in Professor Michael Porter’s competitiveness framework, the Academy equips cross-sector regional leadership teams with the research, collaborative tools, and implementation strategies needed to strengthen regional competitiveness, expand economic opportunity, and improve long-term quality of life across the Midsouth.

‍