2019 Economic Outlook Summit – Monroe County: Why do we live here?

Economic Outlook Summit

Posted by: Elizabeth Richardson on August 23, 2019, No Comments

The seventh annual East Stroudsburg University Economic Outlook Summit will be held on Friday, September 6, 2019 from 7:30 a.m. to noon in the Mattioli Recreation Center on the ESU campus. The theme for the 2019 Summit is “Monroe County: Why do we live here?”

The Economic Outlook Summit will feature updates on the Monroe 2030 Action Team and the sixth annual Monroe County Economic Scorecard, which will focus on economic indicators that attract residents and influence development in Monroe County, including: earnings, business climate, employment, healthcare, education and housing.

Sylvester Williams, J.D., dean of the College of Business and Management at ESU, will interview Chris Barrett, Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau CEO, and Arthur Keith, General Manager at Kalahari Resorts and Conventions, about hospitality and tourism. Gary Olson, CEO of ESSA Bank and Trust, will interview Chuck Leonard, executive director of Pocono Mountains Economic Development Corporation; Christine Meinhart-Fritz, director, Monroe County Planning Commission; and Adam Schellhammer, district manager, Monroe County Conservation District, about economic development. This year’s Summit will also feature a keynote address by Ashley Putnam, director of the Economic Growth and Mobility Project (EGMP), a strategic initiative of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia dedicated to promoting equal access to economic opportunity.

EGMP is a multilevel effort to bring about entrepreneurial solutions to achieve inclusive economic growth and create pathways out of poverty in communities across the Third District and the nation.

Before joining the Bank, Putnam served as the economic development adviser for the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development in New York City, where she facilitated the coordination between economic and workforce development.

In previous roles, Putnam founded and directed a fellowship program connecting young people to policy research and service on issues of urban poverty. She also served at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, America Works of New York, and the Women’s City Club of New York.

Putnam has a master’s in public administration from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service and a B.A. from Barnard College.

Current Summit sponsors and partners include:  PLATINUM: Sanofi, Northeast Pennsylvania Alliance (NEPA), Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau; GOLD: Adams Outdoor Advertising, Met-Ed-FirstEnergy Corporation, Connoisseur Media, Pocono Record, Blue Ridge TV-13, George Roberts Productions; SILVER: St. Luke’s University Health Network, Monroe County Bar Association; BRONZE: Northampton Community College-Monroe; PARTNERS: Pocono Chamber of Commerce, Pocono Mountains Economic Development Corporation, Pennsylvania CareerLink, and Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union (PSECU).

The Summit is open to the general public for $40 per person and includes breakfast. The cost for a table of eight is $300. Seating for the summit is limited and will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

To register for the 2019 Economic Outlook Summit, contact the office of Economic Development and Entrepreneurship at 570-422-7920 or register online at www.esu.edu/econsummit.

2019 ECONOMIC OUTLOOK SUMMIT AGENDA

7:30 a.m. Breakfast and Networking

8:00 a.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks – Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., ESU President

8:15 a.m. Monroe 2030 Update and Scorecard Presentation

9:00 a.m. Monroe 2030 Strategic Doing Team Updates

9:45 a.m. Hospitality and Tourism: Chris Barrett, CEO Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau; Arthur Keith, General Manager, Kalahari Resorts and Conventions; and Sylvester Williams J.D. ESU Dean of the College of Business Management

10:15 a.m. Networking Break

10:30 a.m. Economic Development: Chuck Leonard, Executive Director Pocono Mountains Economic Development Corporation; Christine Meinhart-Fritz, Director, Monroe County Planning Commission; Adam Schellhammer, District Manager, Monroe County Conservation District; and Gary Olson, CEO, ESSA Bank and Trust

11:00 a.m. Workforce Education: Ashley Putnam, Director Economic Growth and Mobility Project

11:30 a.m. Q&A Discussion

11:45 a.m. Closing Remarks – Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D.