2023 Event Guests and Staff
Moderator – Courtney Cole
Anchor/Reporter | WBZ-TV | WSBK-TV | CBSBoston.com
Cole, an Anchor/Reporter for WBZ News, joined the family in July 2022. She’s been enjoying learning more about the history and the community of Boston – and what makes it tick.
You can wake-up with her on Saturdays and Sundays beginning at 5AM and catch her during the week on Monday’s, Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s, beginning at 7:00 a.m. on CBS News Boston.
The Chicago native spent the last 4 ½ years in Jacksonville, Florida where she anchored a top-rated Weekend Morning Show. She enjoys covering stories that tackle tough-but-necessary conversations, that empower viewers to be civically involved and stories that help give a voice to those who feel like they haven’t been heard.
The proud Hampton University Alumna (#GoPirates!) looks forward to the opportunity to continue telling your stories here in New England!
Speaker – Chanda Smart
CEO, OnyxGroup
Chanda Smart is a long time resident of Roxbury, MA, studied (pre)law at University of Massachusetts and most recently served as an Executive Administrator to Lani Guinier and Yochai Benkler, at Harvard Law School. Her 20 years plus of corporate experience included executing operational strategy and delivering results for employers such as Deloitte & Touche LLP, The Gillette Company, American Express, Andersen Consulting and the Ritz Carlton (Atlanta, GA).
In 2021, Mrs. Smart co-founded The OnyxGroup Development LLC is a Boston based black woman owned & operated brokerage, planning & development. The OnyxGroup focuses on providing quality, programmatic workforce housing through public and private partnerships. We believe that affordable housing should not be synonymous with poverty.
The OnyxGroup has current development projects, such as 200 Senior Affordable units in Foxboro, MA; in collaboration with Peabody Properties and Affordable Housing Service Collaborative and Parcel 3 Roxbury, MA, a Boston Planning and Development (BPDA) project consisting of 7.7 acres a joint partnership with HYM and My City at Peace (MYCAP).
In 2022, the OnyxGroup expanded and launched property management division and partnered with Concord Square Development & Planning as Property Management at 28 Petronelli and 93 Centre, Street, Brockton, MA.
As of 2023, Mrs. Smart is serving on Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s Rent Stabilization Advisory Board, MBTA and MBTA Workforce and Development Subcommittee Board, Member on Children’s Advocacy Center (Boston, MA) Board and Madison Park Development Corporation (Roxbury, MA) Board.
Speaker – Ross DeLuca
ChFC®, CRPC® Vice President, Financial Advisor – Bluestone Bank
Ross DeLuca works as a senior instructor for the Department of Communication at Bridgewater State University. He has been teaching communication courses including Intro to Public Speaking for nearly 20 years.
Ross also works as a financial planner in Bridgewater, MA. He helps people plan for their financial goals and is passionate about supporting financial literacy in his community.
Music – Athene Wilson & Friends Band
Athene Wilson – Vocals
Rollins Ross – Keys
Daniel Day – Bass
David Fuller – Drums & Vocals
Nate Fuller – Sax
Judges
- Moon Han
- Stewart Dew
- Chris McHugh
- Nelia Arruda
- Jennifer Dooling
- Fred McKInney
- David Gulley
- Jennifer Rivers
- Martin Dias
- Scott Stephenson
- Joanne Schneider
- Ana Andrade
- Doug Banks
- Allan Kiser
- Leonel Senai
- Camille Baerga
- Jodi Doyle
- Madhavi Venkatesan
- Meg Woolhouse
- Stephanie Inniss
- Albert Barnor
- Kendra Edwards
Volunteers
- Sara Barber
- Bob Brooks
- Margaret Beisenbek
- Jim Cain
About Us
The Global Economic Symposium (GES) is an exciting event where students from across the country identify a global economic issue and attempt to solve it using realistic economic principles and creative thinking. Through the competition, students learn research and writing skills, effective cooperation, local/regional cultures, financial statuses and challenges, problem solving and public speaking.
The Global Economic Symposium nurtures the next generation of global leaders. It is a team-based and research-based learning experience for secondary students that requires them to identify a burning global issue, research the challenges this issue presents to nations, and recommend economic actions, policies, and practices that have helped mitigate the impact of this challenge on a global and local level. Students present their findings and defend their recommendations to a panel of industry executives, national thought and policy leaders, and post-secondary academicians.
Educator-advisors, GES staff, and college mentors provide just-in-time coaching to the student teams. The goal is to ensure students have the support they need to produce key deliverables and meet deadlines as they prepare for the culminating event.
Sponsors
Platinum Sponsors
Empower Yourself LTD
Empower Yourself is a year-long program whose goal is to educate underserved youth in urban areas in the fields of financial literacy, business and economics, so they can make informed financial and economic decisions.
CBS News
CBS News is the news and information division of CBS, dedicated to providing the highest quality journalism under standards it pioneered and continues to set in today’s digital age.
EF Educational Tours
For over 55 years, EF has been working to keep minds and the world wide open. We design tours to help educators teach, and so students can learn more—about tolerance, other perspectives, and themselves.
The Commonwealth Fund
Promoting a high-performing, equitable health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society’s most vulnerable, including people of color, people with low income, and those who are uninsured.
Brightcove
Helping customers discover and experience the power of video. The power of video is the power of connection. When we need to connect with each other, video brings us together.
The Nellie Mae Foundation
New England’s largest philanthropic organization focused solely on education, has worked for over 30 years to help our region prosper by preparing all of its learners for success.
Silver Sponsors
RI Council for Economic Education
Investing in Our Children’s Future. Incorporating personal finance and economic education in our nation’s schools.
RI JumpStart Coalition
A coalition of RI organizations, businesses, educators, individuals and other stakeholders dedicated to improving the financial capability of the region’s residents, including under-served populations.
Mitre Corporation
MITRE delivers objective insight and an innovative approach to our work with a single mission in mind: solving problems for a safer world.
Royal Jewelers
See the world’s most beautiful jewelry, our incredible watch selection, and have a Royal Experience.
Bentley University
Bentley University changes the world with a transformative business education, integrated with arts and sciences, that inspires and prepares ethical leaders who will confront the challenges of today and shape the opportunities of tomorrow.
BankFive
We wouldn’t be in business if it weren’t for the communities we serve. This is why BankFive is committed to volunteer work in our communities, offer products, programs, and events designed to benefit our neighbors, and invest financial resources in local charitable causes and organizations.
Lincoln Laboratory – MIT
MIT Lincoln Laboratory researches and develops a broad array of advanced technologies to meet critical national security needs.
Northeastern University
Through innovative, research-linked, experiential education, our students are empowered to be confident, entrepreneurial, problem-solvers, with flexible skills for a vast set of careers.
Eastern Bank
Committed. Inclusive. Courageous. That’s Eastern Bank. We have built a legacy of investing in the communities we serve and helping our customers, communities and employees thrive and grow.
Give-Get
Learn how money works with Give-Get, an all-new app that makes financial literacy fun.
Planning Committee
Mr. George “Scott” Guild
K-16 Mass Saves Advocacy Chair
Economics Visiting Lecturer at Bridgewater State University
Mr. Cedric Turner
Founder and Executive Director, EmpowerYourself, LTD
Dr. Margaret Brooks
President & CEO – RI Jump$tart Coalition
President – RI Council for Economic Education
Executive Director, MA Council for Economic Education
Mr. Robert Barber
Sr. Director, Head of Engineering – Brightcove
Vice President – RI Jump$tart Coalition
Ms. Deborah Bloomberg
Financial Literacy Educator
Mr. Michael Turner
Creative Communication Strategist
Mr. Austin Barber
QA Engineer