Forum features IEDC President Jeff Finkle

The current environment for local, national and international economic development will be the topic of the next Levin College Forum hosted by Cleveland State University. The event will feature a keynote address from Jeff Finkle, president and CEO of the International Economic Development Council and a panel discussion by recognized experts in the field. The program will seek to assess the current workforce and inclusion challenges facing nations, development organizations and businesses as well as the opportunities for future growth and investment.

“There are many aspects of modern global politics, culture and business that make economic development at all levels more challenging than ever,” notes Roland Anglin, dean of the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at CSU. “However, there are also many opportunities to think outside the box and develop innovations that can help countries, organizations and businesses rise above these issues to create real economic growth for the benefit of all.”

The event will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday, March 21 in the Roberta Steinbacher Atrium, in the Levin College on the CSU campus. It is free and open to the public.

The panel discussion will feature Sasa Drezgic, associate professor of economics at the University of Rijeka, Croatia; Deborah Hoover, president & CEO of the Burton D. Morgan Foundation; Shilpa Kedar, program director for economic and workforce development for the Cleveland Foundation and Matt Waldo, senior manager of research and analysis at JobsOhio. It will be moderated by Iryna Lendel, research associate professor and director of the Center for Economic Development at the Levin College.

Jeff Finkle is a recognized leader and international authority on economic development and has been president of the IEDC since 2001. He previously served as president of the Council for Urban Economic Development from 1986 to 2001 and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the Reagan Administration.

The event is sponsored by the Unger Family Foundation through the Unger Program at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs. For more information or to register, visit http://www.csuohio.edu/urban/forum/levin-college-forum-032118-the-changing-landscape-of-the-economic-development-field.

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