SEASIDE >> The Monterey Bay Economic Partnership will hold its annual State of the Region taking a look at some of the most important issues the region faces and hearing from experts in different fields regarding them.

The State of the Region takes place on Friday at Cal State Monterey Bay Center, 4312 6th Ave., in Seaside from 8 a.m. — 5 p.m., and will feature a full day of speakers, panel discussions and networking opportunities.

Speakers will feature a lineup that brings together leaders, innovators, and change-makers across a span of elected representatives to CEOs, creators, collaborators and achievers, according to the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership.

What is common among them is that they are all currently working in their respective fields — healthcare, public policy, business development, energy, education and digital equity — to address the challenges that have an impact in the Monterey Bay region.

The Monterey Bay Economic Partnership will showcase regional progress, address challenges that need to be met head on, and envision a path forward for the Monterey Bay region by focusing on what the real indicators are of a region that thrives, how a sense of place factors into regional well-being and how a robust childcare infrastructure changes the way people live, work and do business regionally.

According to MBEP, the State of the Region will also look at what the digital divide looks like and how the region can collectively advance digital equity, as well as what energy systems in the Monterey Bay area will look like in two, five and 20 years from now.

The State of the Region will also examine what small businesses lean on to grow and flourish in challenging times as the entrepreneurial backbone of the Monterey Bay region, and what the good news is in regional communities concerning health care and what transitions and transformations lie ahead.

Monterey Bay Economic Partnership’s State of the Region will feature multiple keynote speakers, including Brookings Institution Nonresident Fellow Rachel Barker on Regions Up! Uplifting the Monterey Bay Region through Data; California Forward CEO Kate Gordon; U.S. Small Business Administration Deputy Administrator Dilawar Syed, Fireside Chat with PG&E CEO Patricia K. Poppe and Monterey Bay Economic Partnership President & CEO Tahra Goraya on Leading in a Time of Crisis: Climate, Housing, Infrastructure; County of Santa Cruz Second District Supervisor Zach Friend, California Strategies Partner Kristin Olsen-Cate, and Majority Advisors Senior Vice President Tom White on the 2024 Election: An Unfiltered Analysis; and Montage Health President & CEO Steven Packer, MD, on A Reflection on Four Decades: The Journey and Future of Healthcare in Our Community.

The State of the Region will also have welcoming addresses by Vanya Quinones, President, Cal State Monterey Bay; Ian Oglesby, Mayor, city of Seaside; Cynthia Larive, Chancellor, UC Santa Cruz; Tahra Goraya, President & CEO, Monterey Bay Economic Partnership; and Rob Bonta, Attorney General, State of California, special guest Pacific Community Ventures President & CEO Bulbul Gupta, and many more.

Monterey Bay Economic Partnership is a regional member-supported nonprofit organization consisting of public, private, and civic entities located throughout the counties of Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz, according to MPEP. Founded in 2015, its mission is to improve the economic health and quality of life in the region.

A full list of speakers and panels can be found on the event page, as well as registering for the event, at https://mbep.biz/events/2024-state-of-the-region.