Callen’s vision to ease law burden

Callen’s vision to ease law burden

Posted

Grant Callen’s Empower Mississippi celebrates school choice, or the notion that every student is unique, that one size does not fit all, that parents know their kids best and must have the freedom to match them with the best school for their needs.

Callen’s inspiration for founding Empower came as a result of his realization that many people in Mississippi are burdened by laws that make it difficult to get a good education and find proper work. Charter schools have been a big focus.

Callen, founder of the nonprofit advocacy organization, believes every Mississippian deserves a chance at success. He wants parents to have options and to look around and find an educational setting that works for their children. 

Empower’s new school initiative focuses on coming alongside people across the state who are interested in starting a charter or a private school. 

Parents need to understand how the charter process works and how to get it started and hopefully the result at the end of this year is having at least five new schools started and thousands of children coming into those schools to get a proper education, he said.

The CEO of Empower Mississippi, Callen grew up in Laurel and moved to Madison County 12 years ago when he and his wife Page were expecting their first child.

Madison, he said, is the best community in the best state to raise their five children, Freeman, Kate, Rebecca, Harrison and Caroline.

When Callen is not working on conservative advocacy projects such as charter schools, he enjoys running and hiking on the Yockanookany Trail section of the Natchez Trace and plans on running the Frosty 15 Trail Run Race on Feb. 13.

Callen said he and his children enjoy the Ridgeland Multipurpose Trails and the wildlife. 

He’s an avid deer hunter. “I’ve been in the woods a good bit and have taken my kids, too,” Callen said. “We’ve gotten some deer as well. I’ve killed five this year, including a huge 11-point buck.”

Callen and his family are members at Redeemer Church in Jackson where he serves as a deacon. 

Callen believes everyone should have the opportunity to make choices that improve their lives, so he founded Empower Mississippi to make sure everyone in Mississippi could have the same opportunities he had.

Callen said families in Madison have many ways to engage with Empower’s work, including becoming an advocate on the Empower Mississippi website, where Empower is building a network of engaged citizens who actively work to advocate for policy changes.

If someone has a story to share about bad laws or how public policies have affected their lives, Empower provides a platform for them to tell their stories. 

“I’ve always been puzzled by why some succeed in Mississippi, but others struggle,” he said. “So Empower was founded to remove barriers to opportunity so everyone can rise. I like the idea of bringing people together, especially those hurt by bad policies, from across the state to solve big problems.”

Callen founded Empower in 2014 along with current president Russ Latino. It is an independent, nonprofit advocacy organization with a strategy to promote public policy solutions, provide empirical research on key issues, share the story of Mississippians, engage and educate citizens and support candidates in elections. 

The organization is dedicated to making sure all Mississippians can flourish. 

Before founding Empower Mississippi, Russ Latino started a chapter of Americans for Prosperity, worked in Washington, D.C., and ran a national economic and healthcare portfolio for Stand Together. 

“I’m proud of what Empower has accomplished,” Callen said. “Working with lawmakers, coalition partners and families, we have helped deliver new education options for thousands of Mississippi children.”

Callen detailed some of Empower’s accomplishments, including changes to the state’s criminal justice system that he said have helped the state begin to right-size the corrections system. 

Empower has also removed barriers to work, allowing Mississippians to sleep at night knowing they’ve contributed to their community, utilized their God-given talents and provided for their family through meaningful work.

Callen said he was interested in politics and policy from a very young age. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Belhaven University and was selected as their “Young Alumnus of the Year” in 2009. He earned a master’s degree in government from Regent University and was selected for the Top 50 Most Influential Mississippians list by Y’all Politics and SuperTalk Mississippi.

“Moving forward, I will continue to serve as the CEO of Empower, and will cast the vision, define the focus of our work, oversee our operations and culture, and develop key relationships across Mississippi and beyond who share in our mission,” Callen said. 

Empower will be focusing on work, education and justice in the future, he said. 

Eliminating the state income tax, as he has seen states such as Texas and Florida thrive after doing away with their income taxes, will be another focus going forward.

Callen also hopes to decrease the incarceration rate in Mississippi and give some inmates a chance for parole. He believes while some criminals in jail need to stay behind bars, others are not a threat to society and deserve a second chance through rehabilitation.  

To learn more about Empower Mississippi, visit www.empowerms.org.






Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions