Introducing EPIC: A New Investment in Solution Development

For more than a decade, Empower Mississippi has worked to advance opportunity-focused policy at the State Capitol. Many of you have been partners in that work — meeting with lawmakers, investing financially, and championing reforms that help Mississippians live free, work meaningfully, and learn effectively.

From the beginning, our advocacy has been grounded in research and policy development. We’ve always believed that good advocacy starts with good ideas, and that durable reform requires more than slogans or short-term wins.

Today, I’m excited to share an important next step in that work: the launch of the Empower Policy & Innovation Center (EPIC).

EPIC represents a focused investment in deepening and prioritizing the research and policy development side of Empower’s mission. As the policy challenges facing Mississippi have grown more complex, it has become increasingly clear that we need to invest more intentionally in the ideas themselves, not just in advancing them once they exist.

Too often, important policy conversations in Mississippi stall because there isn’t enough credible, state-specific research to guide them. We hear this repeatedly from legislators, business leaders, and engaged citizens who want trustworthy data that reflects the real conditions on the ground in our state. Without that foundation, even well-intentioned policy debates can grow thin, recycled, or disconnected from reality.

EPIC is designed to help close that gap. Its purpose is to transform data into action by diving deeply into Mississippi’s most pressing challenges and developing practical, research-driven policy solutions tailored specifically to our state.

Since our founding, what we now call the Empower Advocacy Model has guided our work — defining problems clearly, conducting research, crafting policy solutions, advocating for change, and supporting implementation. EPIC strengthens the early and essential stages of that model by sharpening the research and policy design that everything else depends on.

Put simply: if advocacy is how ideas move, EPIC is where stronger ideas are built.

To help lead this work, we recently welcomed Dr. Kristin Vance Richards as Empower’s Director of Research. Dr. Richards brings academic rigor, policy experience, and a deep commitment to integrity and transparency. Her leadership ensures that EPIC’s work will meet the highest standards while remaining focused on real-world outcomes.

With EPIC, Empower isn’t changing who we are, we’re doubling down on what we’ve always believed: that Mississippi deserves better data, better ideas, and better policy solutions.

Thank you for being part of this work and for believing, as I do, that thoughtful, principled research paired with effective advocacy can help every Mississippian rise.