New Year, New resolutions for our community

January 10, 2026

I love the tradition of setting New Year’s resolutions. There is something about stating your intentions for a new year that feels aspirational, hopeful, and even a little healing.

As far back as I can remember, I have set resolutions at the start of each year. If I am being honest, many of them are the same or at least similar from year to year. Live a healthier lifestyle. Read more. Be more mindfully present with my friends and family. And lately, spend less time on social media and more time accomplishing goals that actually matter.

Sure, I am never perfect at achieving every goal I set. But I believe the act of setting them is, in and of itself, an act of hope. Hope for the future, and hope for something better for both myself and the people around me.

As I began writing my personal resolutions for 2026, I decided to spend some time setting a few resolutions for the Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll Economic Development Foundation (EDF) as well. After all, how can an organization achieve goals if it does not set them? And how can a community improve if it does not aspire to be better?

With that in mind, here are a few resolutions that the EDF can aspire to achieve in the coming year.

First, I resolve to lead our organization in developing a comprehensive strategic plan for the Greenwood-Leflore Industrial Park. This 1,400-acre publicly owned tract of land is one of our community’s greatest economic development assets, yet there has not been a clear, long-term plan for how the site should be positioned and prepared to attract new investment. By leveraging a Mississippi Development Authority Site Development Grant, the EDF will work with the City of Greenwood and Leflore County to create a thoughtful master plan for the future of the industrial park and to chart a course for due diligence and site development that will enhance our competitiveness in the industrial sector of our local economy.

Second, I resolve to advance our workforce development mission so that we can better match job seekers with local employers. At its core, workforce development is about connecting people to opportunity by ensuring they have the skills local industries are seeking. The EDF does this through partnerships with Mississippi Delta Community College, Mississippi Valley State University, South Delta Planning and Development District, Accelerate Mississippi, the WIN Job Center, and others. This year, we will continue working to establish a work release program at Delta Correctional Facility that will give qualified inmates the opportunity to work at local industries for market wages. This effort will fill workforce gaps for employers while also giving participants a meaningful runway to re-entry. At the end of the day, our goal is for every local employer to be able to find the talent they need to run their business, and for every local resident who wants to work to be able to find a job that pays a living wage.

Third, and finally, I resolve for the EDF to play an even greater role in community engagement across the Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll region. Through member events like our Connect Luncheon series, our role as convener of the Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll ASPIRE program, and the launch of a new Civic Leaders Forum for elected and community officials, the EDF will continue to bring people together around common goals. We want to serve as a community leader in developing solutions to our region’s most pressing challenges through meaningful engagement and collaboration.

Will we achieve all of these resolutions this year? Only time will tell. But one thing is certain: you cannot accomplish goals that you do not set.

2026 is a new year filled with new opportunities, and everyone has a role to play. Let us spend less time focusing on what is wrong and more time investing our energy in what can be made better. As President John F. Kennedy once challenged Americans, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” The same holds true for our community.

Let us all resolve to work together in 2026 to make Greenwood and the surrounding region better at the end of the year than we found it at the beginning.

Thomas Gregory is the executive director of the Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll Economic Development Foundation.