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Dr. Leah Brooks, professor at the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at George Washington University, will be the keynote speaker at the University of Akron’s (°µºÚ±¬ÁÏ) Ohio Economic Forum, on Thursday, April 11, from 3-5 p.m. There will be a one-hour networking event from 2-3 p.m. with light refreshments before Brooks’ address. This year's forum will cover “A Pathway to Economic Growth: Improving Ohio’s Quality of Life.”

The Ohio Economic Forum allows students, faculty, business professionals, civic leaders and community members to listen and engage with economic experts, discussing current economic issues in Ohio and beyond.

This year’s Ohio Economic Forum will be hosted by the Department of Economics in the Jean Hower Taber Student Union, Grand Ballroom, Room 308. Event registration is required and can be found

Following the presentation by Brooks, a panel of experts will discuss how quality of life can boost economic productivity by keeping and attracting a highly skilled workforce, encouraging entrepreneurship and stimulating local spending.

The panel will include:

• Shammas Malik, mayor, City of Akron
• Angela G. Mago, chief human resources officer at KeyCorp
• Emily G. Pacetti, vice president and community affairs officer, community development department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
• Steve Potash, president and chief executive officer at OverDrive

The panel will be moderated by Dr. Amanda Weinstein, director of research, knowledge and evaluation at Center on Rural Innovation (CORI).

“We are so excited to have Brooks as our keynote speaker at this year’s Ohio Economic Forum,” said Dr. Sucharita Ghosh, professor and chair of the Department of Economics. “Brooks is a leading urban economist in her field with expertise in infrastructure costs, land use and public finance. As Director of the Center for Washington Area Studies, she also leads the organization in conducting research, leading to better regional policymaking. Her insight on quality of life as an economic growth strategy will be useful to all constituents that play a role in increasing economic growth in Ohio.”

“This year’s Ohio Economic Forum focuses on research that demonstrates how a higher quality of life as perceived by households can play a role in creating robust local economies, especially in the Midwest," Ghosh continued. "Quality of life is an important aspect of economic growth that towns and cities need to consider as they strategize how to optimally allocate their limited resources. Having a distinct panel of experts from the private and public sectors who can speak to this issue is what makes this year’s Ohio Economic Forum especially relevant for policymakers, educators and business professionals.”

To learn more about this year’s Ohio Economic Form, and see the full speaker’s bio, visit here.

Media Contact: Cristine Boyd, 330-972-6476, cboyd@uakron.edu