Asset Building Events Financial Capability Events Events 2012 Financial Inclusion Events

Closing the Wealth Gap: Diversity of People, Policy, and Research

Date: October 31, 2012 – November 2, 2012
Location: Philadelphia, Mississippi

The purpose of the Southern Regional Asset Building Coalition (SRABC) conference is to engage a diverse group of community and faith-based organizational leadership, financial institutions, federal and state government, the private sector, policy advocates, researchers, and other key stakeholders to discuss existing challenges for economic growth for the Gulf Coast states, with special emphasis in defining policies and programs that support low-income families and communities. The conference will focus on providing insight into the SRABC policy agenda for partners and coalitions members. Conference participants will assist each other in considering ways to respond to and effectively address the current economic environment through collective action. Non-profit, state government, public and private organizations, and financial institutions will have opportunities to collaborate and consider innovative ways to assist low- to moderate-income families build wealth.

Karis T. Gutter, deputy under secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services (FFAS), will be keynote speaker for this conference. Mr. Gutter has also served as senior advisor to the Secretary of Agriculture, as well as deputy administrator for field operations of USDA’s Farm Service Agency.

The conference will take place at Pearl River Resorts in Philadelphia, Mississippi. A full day and a half of plenary, workshops based on the SRABC policy agenda, and individual coalition breakout sessions will be offered. We expect up to 150 organizations to be represented at the conference, as well as several state and national leaders of policy in the field.

Presentations include:

Ann Price, Insight Center for Community Economic Development
Cornelius Blanding, Federation of Southern Cooperatives
Veronica Womack, Georgia College
James Gilmore, The Bayard Research Group
Virginia Reno, National Academy for Social Insurance
Roberto Gallardo, Mississippi State University
Shirley Pope, Alcorn State University
Willie Elliott, University of Kansas