Lobbying and Government Relations

Grant Callen is the Founder and President of Empower Mississippi, whose goal is to ensure that every child in Mississippi has the opportunity to flourish through access to a high quality education.  Callen has been perhaps the loudest voice in the charter school movement in Mississippi and has had direct influence on policy regarding their establishment and expansion in recent years.

Callen previously served as Director of Development for the Mississippi Center for Public Policy where he raised money and helped the conservative think tank remind legislators on what it means to govern by the principles set forth by our founders.

Through Empower PAC, Callen was actively engaged in legislative races in the 2015 elections. They supported over thirty candidates, most notably some primary challengers to legislative incumbents, and had a remarkable track record of success. Largely through this involvement and their successful campaign efforts, the legislature was strengthened with supporters of parental choice in education.  With the kind of year they had in 2015, Empower Mississippi now carries a big stick when it comes to legislative influence in Mississippi.