ESU Set to Host 10th Annual Economic Outlook Summit

Economic Outlook Summit from 2022

Posted by: Elizabeth Richardson on May 11, 2023, No Comments

The 10th annual East Stroudsburg University Economic Outlook Summit will be held on Friday, May 19, 2023 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Kalahari Resorts and Conventions. The theme for the 2023 Summit is “Celebrating the Economic Transformation of the Poconos.”

This year’s Summit will be hosted by ESU President Kenneth Long. The summit will include a keynote address from Rick Siger, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Siger leads the commonwealth’s efforts to grow the economy and build a better future for Pennsylvanians. He is committed to helping small businesses thrive, spurring innovation, and increasing opportunities in communities to make Pennsylvania a national leader in growth and innovation. Ryotaro Tashiro, Senior Outreach Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, will present the 2023 Economic Scorecard data. Mike Kingsella, Chief Executive Officer of Up for Growth, a national cross-sector network committed to solving the housing shortage and affordability crisis, will address Housing Underproduction in the Poconos. The chairs of the Carbon, Monroe, Pike and Wayne County commissioners will also have updates and a question and answer session.

To register for the 2023 Economic Outlook Summit, contact the office of Economic Development and Entrepreneurship at (570) 422-7956 or register online at www.esu.edu/econsummit.

2023 About the Speaker

Rick Siger
Secretary, PA Department of Community and Economic Development

Secretary Siger, Governor Josh Shapiro’s nomination, was unanimously confirmed by the PA Senate on May 3, 2023. In his current role, he leads the commonwealth’s efforts to grow the economy and build a better future for Pennsylvanians. He is committed to helping small businesses thrive, spurring innovation, and increasing opportunities in communities to make Pennsylvania a national leader in growth and innovation.

Prior to his current role, Secretary Siger served as chief of staff and senior advisor to the president at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh and led CMU’s growth strategy at Hazelwood Green, a former Pittsburgh industrial site re-envisioned as a new model for economic development and translational research.

Secretary Siger served President Barack Obama for more than seven years in multiple roles, including as chief of staff at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and deputy chief of staff at the Department of Commerce. He also worked as former Governor Tim Kaine’s Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Trade in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Secretary Siger is from Pittsburgh and holds a B.A. in political science from Columbia University.

Ryotaro Tashiro
Senior Outreach Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

As a senior outreach economist, Ryotaro Tashiro travels across the Third District, speaking to various groups about the economic outlook and the functions of the Federal Reserve. He tries to avoid using economic jargon so that those without economic backgrounds can participate in the conversations.

Tashiro views these interactions with the public as two-way streets. Not only does he see the importance of informing the public about what is going on with the economy and at the Fed, Tashiro also thinks it is important to hear what individuals across the District are experiencing in the economy. Many of the research topics Tashiro has pursued were inspired by these conversations with the public. Those topics include his two main areas of focus, labor economics and demographics. Among his many contributions to the Bank, Tashiro is notably responsible for the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia Economic Outlook Survey.

Prior to joining the Bank in June 2016, Tashiro was a business analyst for Bloomberg, where he conducted research on issues related to equity data quality. He has a master’s degree in economics from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Kenyon College.

Mike Kingsella
CEO, Up for Growth

Mike Kingsella is the Chief Executive Officer of Up for Growth, a national cross-sector network committed to solving the housing shortage and affordability crisis.

The Up for Growth organization uses data-driven research and evidence-based policy to address the nation’s housing affordability/availability crisis. The organization recently published 2022 Housing Underproduction in the U.S.

which assessed housing underproduction which occurs when communities fall short of meeting housing needs.

Prior to launching Up for Growth, Kingsella founded and served as executive director of Oregon Smart Growth, the first statewide affiliate of Smart Growth America’s LOCUS coalition of responsible developers and investors. Oregon Smart Growth represents more than 40 developers, investors, and development industry firms that support state and local policy enabling and promoting development of dense, walkable, sustainable neighborhoods.

Kingsella is an expert in urban development and housing policy with over 15 years of experience in housing, commercial real estate investment, capital markets and asset management. He has a Bachelor of Science in community development and real estate development from the Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.

2023 Economic Outlook SUmmit Agenda

  • 7:30 a.m. – Breakfast and Networking
  • 8:30 a.m. – Poconos: 10 Year Reflection Video
  • 8:40 a.m. – Welcome and Opening Remarks – Kenneth Long, ESU President
  • 9:00 a.m. – Keynote Address: Rick Siger, Secretary, PA Department of Community and Economic Development
  • 9:30 a.m. – Ryotaro Tashiro, Senior Outreach Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, 2023 Economic Scorecard Data Presentation
  • 10:30 a.m. – Mike Kingsella, CEO, Up for Growth, Housing Underproduction in the Poconos
  • 11:15 a.m. – Carbon, Monroe, Pike and Wayne County Commissioners’ Video Update & Q&A
  • 11:45 a.m. – John Blake, District Director and Economic Development Specialist at the Office of Congressman Matt Cartwright, Amtrak Service to the Poconos – Rail Update