HOPE Economic Mobility Forum – Capitalizing on Federal Investments for Under-Resourced Communities
April 29th, 2024
Cleveland, Mississippi – April 16, 2024 – The Economic Mobility Forum, held in Cleveland, Mississippi, concluded with resounding success as community leaders, policymakers, and experts gathered to discuss the effective utilization of federal investments in the Deep South to enhance economic mobility.
Keynote Speaker Dr. Basil Gooden, Under Secretary for Rural Development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, opened the forum with insightful remarks about the potential impacts of federal resources on rural development. Kiyadh Burt, Vice President of the Hope Policy Institute, set the stage by addressing the economic mobility challenges and opportunities in the Deep South.
The forum also featured a panel on Community Perspectives, moderated by Ed Sivak, Chief Policy & Communications Officer at HOPE. Esteemed panelists included Mayor Evereth Stanton of Shaw, Mississippi, Supervisor Gloria Dickerson of Sunflower County, and Emily Roush-Elliott, a Social Impact Architect at Delta Design-Build Workshop. They shared valuable insights into the local factors influencing economic mobility and the utilization of resources to address community needs.
Another highlight was the Investing in America panel, led by Bill Bynum, CEO of HOPE. This session brought together federal agency representatives and other resource providers, including Anisha Steephen, Senior Advisor at the U.S. Treasury Office of Tax Policy; Tonantzin Carmona, Senior Advisor at the U.S. Treasury Inflation Reduction Act Program Office; and Charles Wallace-Thomas IV, Senior Advisor at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. The panelists discussed federal programs designed to increase economic mobility and how communities can leverage these opportunities alongside private investment and technical assistance.
Recordings of the forum are available for public viewing on the Hope Credit Union YouTube page.
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