About Us

The Global Midwest Initiative (GMI) is a regional effort to promote interstate dialogue between government, business, and civic leaders about how best to respond to, benefit from, and shape global forces. Through a series of conferences, seminars, and publications, GMI aims to serve as a resource for those interested in the Midwest’s ability to navigate today’s global landscape. 

It accomplishes this by:

• Convening thought leaders to analyze the key challenges of the region
• Stimulating regional discussions and opportunities for collaboration among policymakers, business and civic leaders, and experts
• Putting forward recommendations for how to best position the Midwest region in the era of globalization

The main GMI activities are:

• Organizing the annual Globalization and the Midwest Conference, a forum that convenes regional leaders and a regional audience to address timely issues
• Publishing Heartland Papers, a major monograph series that delves deeply into the challenges and opportunities of globalization
• Publishing Global Midwest Policy Briefs, timely and concise pieces that frame pressing issues and offer recommendations
• Convening seminars, local meetings tailored to serve the needs of individual constituents
• Building a network of organizations from across the region
• Hosting this Web site, a central resource for regional collaboration and communication