Contact: Sammy McDavid
The United States' top diplomat in Portugal visits Jackson on Thursday [Aug. 28] to address an assembly of state and community leaders.
Ambassador John N. Palmer is the latest in a long list of prominent figures invited to Mississippi's capital city by the Executive Lecture Series. The lunch-time lecture program is organized by the Janos Radvanyi Chair in International Security Studies at Mississippi State University.
"Portugal: The Leading Edge of a New Europe" will be the topic of Palmer's presentation at the University Club. The gathering, which last heard from Japan's ambassador to the United States in May, will get under way at 11:45 a.m.
Located on the tip of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal is the closest geographical nation of Europe to the North American continent. A compact country of more than 10 million, it is a major trading partner with other members of the European Union and the U.S. Major industries include textiles, footwear, wood products, and chemicals.
A former entrepreneur, telecommunications pioneer and community leader, Palmer was named to the ambassadorial post by President Bush in 2001. A University of Mississippi graduate, he is the founder of Mobile Communications Corp. of America.
During Palmer's 16-year tenure as board chairman and president at MCCA, the company became a leader in the cellular telephone business. He sold the business to BellSouth in 1989, but retained certain components that became SkyTel Communications. In 1999, SkyTel, which introduced the first nationwide two-way wireless messaging network, was sold to MCIWorldCom.
While in the telecommunications field, Palmer was president of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association and Telocator, both national trade organizations.
Though not available to the general public, all Executive Lecture Series programs are open to interested members of the news media. To assure adequate seating, news reporters planning to attend the program are asked to telephone (662) 325-8406 in advance. Additional information on the program also is available at this number.