“Best Practices in Financial Education” Regional Summit Panel

April 20, 2009 - Federal Reserve Bank - Houston Branch

Co-hosted by Money Week Houston and the Federal Reserve Bank - Houston Branch, this regional summit will convene fellow financial industry leaders, governmental agencies and private sector experts to discuss how to address the significant economic challenges facing people of all ages. The goal of Houston's regional summit is to examine best practices in financial education and determine how, in light of the economic crisis, we can apply best practices in making sure that consumers have the necessary tools and resources to make wise financial decisions.

Some key questions that the summit will seek to address are:

• Given the current state of the economy, what are the most pressing personal finance issues facing people today?
  
  
• What successes have we experienced in the area of financial education that we might learn from? What challenges?
  
  
• What specific measures have worked to alleviate the problems associated with the lack of financial education, and what role should educators and policymakers play in these solutions?
  

Confirmed Panel Participants (to date)

Mr. Kelvin Boston Author and Financial Journalist, PBS Money Wise
Baltimore, Maryland

Ms. Shannon Buggs Financial Columnist, Houston Chronicle
Houston, Texas

Ms. Laura Jaramillo, Community Development Manager, Wells Fargo – Social Responsibility Group
Houston, Texas

Ms. Debby Loomis, Assistant General Counsel, Texas Department of Banking
Austin, Texas

Ms. Alfreda Norman Community Affairs Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
Dallas, Texas

Dr. Tim Shaunty, Executive Director, Texas Council on Economic Education
Houston, Texas

Ms. Brooke Stephens, Author, Financial Advisor, 20 year Veteran of Wall Street
New York, NY

Mr. Eloy Villafranca, Community Affairs Officer, FDIC Dallas
Dallas, Texas

Who Should Attend the Kick-off Event? 

• Non-governmental organization (NGO) members
• Educators and students interested in financial literacy and the economy
• Economic and Education policy makers including Congressional staff, Education Department representatives, and members of agencies interested or involved in economic and financial literacy education
• Members of financial literacy and education advocacy organizations
• Regional Economic Organization members
• Charitable foundations that support community and economic development
• Academic professionals researching or developing curriculum in the fields of financial and economic literacy
• Journalists or reporters on matters relating to financial education and the economy.