Etsy Co-founder Matt Stinchcomb, Jersey City Mayor Steven M. Fulop H ’14 and Paul Silverman of SILVERMAN among leaders to speak at
Jersey City’s largest localist event on May 12
Jersey City, N.J. – May 6, 2016 – Saint Peter’s University is proud to announce that the third annual Local Living Economies Summit will be held on the University’s Jersey City campus at the Mac Mahon Student Center on May 12 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The event is hosted by the Ignite Institute at Saint Peter’s University, Rising Tide Capital and the Local Living Economy Working Group.
Sponsored by Verisk, SIMS Metal Management and other local partners, the all-day event brings together the entire ecosystem of the local economy – government, local business development organizations, anchor institutions, local non-profit organizations, entrepreneurs and businesses large and small. Through a series of workshops grounded in the principles of localism, the goal of the conference is to stimulate practical solutions that attendees can commit to in order to create an economy that is fair and equitable for all.
“Over the past three years, the Local Living Economies Working Group has helped to spur action among Jersey City institutions and businesses,” said Mary Kate Naatus, acting director of the Ignite Institute at Saint Peter’s University. “We are excited to co-host the third annual summit and continue the conversations and outcomes in Jersey City’s rapidly changing urban landscape.”
Workshops, panels and lectures will be delivered by both local and national voices. Facilitators will delve deeply into issues surrounding the intersection of real estate and community development, innovation in social service delivery, and the growing role of higher education and public institutions towards creating opportunity through purchasing and hiring practices.
“This will be our third summit and my hope is that we begin the process of actually creating an ‘inclusive economy’ right here in Jersey City,” said Alfa Demmellash, CEO of Rising Tide Capital. “This can only happen when each layer of our economic ecosystem is operating optimally– there is no flourishing economy without businesses of all sizes buying and selling from each other. This is where the inclusivity begins.”
Speakers at the event include Steven Fulop H ’14, mayor of Jersey City; Matt Stinchcomb, Etsy co-founder and executive director; Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., president of Saint Peter’s University; Sue Henderson, Ph.D., president of New Jersey City University; Vivian Brady-Phillips, deputy mayor of Jersey City; Brian Platt, Office of Innovation director for the City of Jersey City; Erica Dorn, managing director of Etsy.org; Niambi Cocchioli, founder of Bloombury Sq.; Rev. Reginald McRae, chief diversity and inclusion officer of the City of Jersey City; Erin Sanborn, co-executive director of the Story of Place Institute; Marcos Vigil, deputy mayor of Jersey City; Paul Silverman, principal of SILVERMAN, Angela V. McKnight, 31st District assemblywoman for New Jersey; Shawn Escoffery, program director of Strong Local Economies at the Surdna Foundation; Ommeed Sathe, head of impact investments for Prudential Financial; Geoffrey Allen, president and CEO of Property Maintenance Guys; Steve Dubb, director of special projects and advisor to the president at The Democracy Collaborative; Beatrice Johnson, CEO and director of Brand Excitement; and David Zukerman, manager of healthcare engagement for The Democracy Collaborative.
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Saint Peter’s University, inspired by its Jesuit, Catholic identity, commitment to individual attention and grounding in the liberal arts, educates a diverse community of learners in undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and professional programs to excel intellectually, lead ethically, serve compassionately and promote justice in our ever-changing urban and global environment. To learn more, please visit www.saintpeters.edu.
Ignite Institute, a center of excellence at Saint Peter’s University, was developed through a partnership with Rising Tide Capital. Ignite provides thought leadership, academic research and direct educational service for local entrepreneurs.
Rising Tide Capital (RTC) is headquartered in Jersey City with offices in Orange and Newark; Rising Tide Capital, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization founded with the mission to empower entrepreneurs to create and grow small businesses which transform lives and communities. The organization’s vision is to build a replicable model for high-quality entrepreneurial development services that can be adopted locally in other low-income communities. To learn more, visit www.RisingTideCapital.org.
The Local Economy Working Group is a coalition of industry leaders across sectors with a vested interest in creating strong local economies through community organization and advocacy. The working group, established during the first annual Local Living Economies Summit in 2013, is composed of professionals across the public, business and non-profit sector working towards a common objective: creating and sustaining an inclusive economy by expanding opportunities in the government and business sector.
Media Contact
Angeline Boyer
(201) 761-6238
aboyer1@saintpeters.edu