Fogelman College of Business and Economics hosted MLK50 Panel on Financial Literacy

For release:  April 12, 2018

As part of the MLK50 commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy, over 40 students and faculty attended a panel discussion hosted by the Fogelman College of Business and Economics. The discussion highlighted Dr. King's later work addressing poverty and economic inequality, and the panel focused on how financial literacy can empower individuals to transform their communities. Highlights of the discussion include how a college degree can transform one's income prospects, the positive and negative spillover effects of a government-mandated minimum wage, and how an understanding of personal financial concepts such as taxes and investing can help create a more engaged citizenry capable of expressing informed perspectives regarding civic leadership and public policy.

The discussion included University of Memphis alumnus Andre Dean of Dean & Associates, a firm that works with businesses and leadership at the local, state, and federal government levels to implement strategies that support economic development in the Greater Memphis area. It also included fellow alumnus Dr. Jeff Wallace, a Research Associate Professor of Applied Economic Evaluation at the Sparks Bureau of Business and Economic Research who specializes in labor economics, public finance, and economic impact studies.

Rounding out the discussion, the panelists were joined by David Taylor, a researcher at the Memphis Center for Economic Education (MCEE), an organization designed to create a more informed citizenry capable of making better decisions as savers, investors, borrowers, voters, and participants in the global economy.

The panel was organized and hosted by Kelley Anderson, a finance instructor in the FCBE who teaches personal financial management and is passionate about issues regarding financial literacy and economic inequality.

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Picture from left to right:
David Taylor, Andre Dean, Dr. Jeff Wallace, and Kelley Anderson