18th Annual Rainbow PUSH Wall Street Project Economic Summit "Where Wall Street, Main Street & Silicon Valley Converge" Speakers to include Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Black Enterprise CEO Earl G. (Butch) Graves, Jr. & Abyssinian's Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts ....

buzzz worthy. . .

Rev. Jesse Jackson's Annual Economic Summit Takes Place On
Tuesday, January 13 - Thursday, January 15, 2015 

(New York, NY) - The Rainbow PUSH Coalition and Citizenship Education Fund will host the 18^thAnnual Wall Street Project Economic Summit, January 13 - January 15, 2015 at The Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, 811 Seventh Avenue at 52^nd Street, New York, NY, 10019. The Summit, "Where Wall Street, Main Street & Silicon Valley Converge" will feature sessions on technology, entrepreneurship, best companies for diversity, the role of corporate boards, and investing in communities.

 The Wall Street Project's Economic Summit brings entrepreneurs, corporate executives and the nation's political leadership together to increase business and employment opportunities for minorities.

 "While many strides have been made in America," says Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and organizer of the Wall Street Project, "the leadership and workforce of too many corporations still don't look like America or reflect the population and consumers they rely on for success."  The summit will address this ongoing issue.

 Highlights of the three-day summit will include:      

• Release of the Wall Street Project's Asset Management Study during the "Money Where It Matters: Managing Corporate, Endowment and Foundation Funds" session which features data on the utilization of MWBE asset management firms by corporations and foundations. Sabrina Philson, Principal, Epsilon Advisors, LLC, will present the study. Money Where It Matters will be moderated by Ralph G. Moore,and will feature John W. Rogers Jr., Chairman, CEO & Chief Investment Officer, Douglas J. Brown, CIO, Exelon Corporation,Emmett T. Vaughn, Director, Office of Diverse Business Empowerment, Exelon Corporation and Orim Graves, Executive Director, National Association of Securities Professsionals
• Black Enterprise Magazine presents "The 40 Best Companies for Diversity" during the opening day's joint Wall Street Project/Black Enterprise luncheon.
• Access to Capital - Part I: How to Secure Venture Capital for your Business, and
  Access to Capital | Part II: Securing The Money Minority Businesses Need to Grow: Moderated by JoAnn H. Price, Co-Founder/Managing Partner, Fairview Capital Partners and featuring panelist Louis Green, Former President and CEO, Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council.
• Why Strategic Partnerships Work: The most successful minority financial firms have strategic partnerships with larger majority companies. Chris Williams, Chairman & CEO, Williams Capital, Jim Reynolds, Chairman and CEO, Loop Capital Markets will discuss the need to give up some equity in order to grow. 
• The Urban Tech Boom: (Silicon Valley, Silicon Alley, Silicon Harlem) - encouraging and creating collaborations to drive tech economic development.
• Convergence: The Intersection of Tech and Wall Street: This panel will explore the many areas in which technology and Wall Street intersect, how technological innovation occurring both internally and externally is impacting large and small financial institutions.  Panel will also address how data, automation, mathematics and science are creating both efficiencies and challenges within the industry.
• The Role of Corporate Boards When Driving Diversity: Moderated by Earl G. (Butch) Graves, Jr., President & CEO, Black Enterprise and featuring panelists such as John Rogers, Chairman and CEO, Ariel Investments.
• WSP Tech Meetup (WSPTM): Silicon Harlem and NY Tech Meetup will co-host a special "Meetup" where attendees can view and participate in live demos from entrepreneurs developing great technology.
• Faith and Community Leader's Session: With a focus on access to capital for churches and community development corporations and initiatives, this session will examine what faith-based communities can do to promote financial literacy as a means to achieve economic justice and how they can effectively work with banking institutions on partnerships that stabilize and invest in their communities and create housing, businesses, and jobs. 
• Investing in Communities: Featuring Mayor Ras Baraka, City of Newark, NJ. This panel will cover public-private partnerships that are helping our communities through dynamic initiatives that foster the development of housing, businesses, and jobs.
• Thinking Outside The Box To improve Minority Hiring: Featuring Pat Harris, Global Chief Diversity Officer, McDonald's Corporation, and Robert F. Smith, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Vista Equity Partners, Gale V. King, Nationwide EVP & Chief Administrative Officer, and Seth Welty, Senior Vice President, Diversity and Veteran's Recruiting, Citi.
• Focus on Africa: Africa Economic Expansion Forum: Moderated by Mrs. Roslind McLymont, Editor- In-Chief, The Network Journal and featuring Texas Senator, Rodney Ellis, Hon. Benson Fihla, Mayor, Nelson Mandela Bay Metro - South Africa and more.
• Access to Capital Luncheon: Honoring Sidney Dillard, Partner, Corporate Investment Banking Division, Loop Capital; Robert F. Smith, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Vista Equity Partners, and Donna Sims Wilson, President, Smith Graham & Company.
• The Business of Hip Hop: Featuring Rakim Allah, Hip Hop Artist; Rah Digga Hip Hop Artist; Freeway Rick Ross; and Erick Sermon, President, Def Squad Enterprises.
• Google Small Business Supplier Diversity Program: Featuring Allison Bernstein, Diversity Markets Program Manager, Google.

The 2014 Honorary Co-chairs are: Cloves C. Campbell, Jr., Chair, National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), Cynthia D. DiBartolo, Esq., Chief Executive Officer, Tigress Financial Partners LLC and Chairperson, Greater New York Chamber of Commerce, Earl G. (Butch) Graves, Jr., President & Chief Executive Officer, Black Enterprise, Alfred C. Liggins, Chief Executive Officer and President, Radio One, Inc./TV One, LLC, The Honorable Charles B. Rangel, U.S. Representative, D-NY 13th Congressional District, James Reynolds, Jr., Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Loop Capital Markets, John W. Rogers, Jr., Chairman, CEO & Chief Investment Officer, Ariel Investments, LLC, and Clifford C. Swint, Executive Vice President, Capital Markets, MFR Securities, Inc.

The full agenda can be found online at www.rainbowpushwallstreetproject.org. The Rainbow PUSH Coalition is a progressive organization protecting, defending and expanding civil rights to improve economic and educational opportunity. 

To register, visit: www.rainbowpushwallstreetproject.org or call (646)-569-5889