The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program (EOP) advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.
We hope you’ll join us at one of our upcoming events, which you can learn about below. Everyone who registers will receive a link to the recording, so feel free to sign up even if you can’t participate live.
April 9-10: Employee Ownership Ideas Forum 2025
In case you missed it, virtual sessions are now open for this year’s Employee Ownership Ideas Forum! Grab an all-day pass to take part in all discussions, or sign up for individual sessions on Zoom below.
Note: All programming is included with an all-day pass; you do not need to register for individual sessions.
Day 1 – April 9, 2025
8:00 -10:00 — Networking Breakfast
Freer Room, Royal Sonesta on Dupont Circle, 2121 P St NW, Washington DC
11:30 — Welcome — 100 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room SD-G11, Washington, DC
- Maureen Conway, Vice President at the Aspen Institute
- Joseph Blasi Director of the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing.
11:40 — Featured speaker
- Jim Bonham, CEO and President, The ESOP Association
11:50 — Featured Speaker
- Alex Brill, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
12:00 — Panel — The Ownership Advantage
- Dion Houchins, Houchens Industries, CEO and Chairman
- Leslie Kass, CEO, Lewis Tree Service
- Moderator: Mary Josephs, Founder and CEO, Verit Advisors, Contributor at Forbes Magazine
Learn more about this panel and register
12.40 Lunch
1.10 — Panel — Securing The Future of America’s Critical Industries
- Mike Garvey, Former CEO, M-7 Technologies
- Greg Graves, Former CEO and President, Burns & McDonnell
- Chris Griswold, Policy Director, American Compass
- Fidan Kurtulus, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Jack Moriarty, Executive Director, Lafayette Square Institute; Associate Director for Policy Analysis, Rutgers Institute
Learn more about this Panel and register
2:00 — Remarks
- The Honorable Bill Cassidy, US Senator from the State of Louisiana
2:05 — Remarks
- The Honorable Lori Trahan, US Congresswoman, Massachusetts, District 3
2:10 — Panel — Owning It: Experiences from the Front Lines of Employee Ownership
- Ashley Bell, Inventory Coordinator, A Few Cool Hardware Stores
- Adrian Flores, Project Manager, Accent Landscape Contractors
- Sarah St. Onge, Inside Sales Engineer, Admix
- Juan Carlos Lopez, Executive Associate, Cooperative Home Care Associates
- Moderator: Tim Garbinsky, Communications Director, National Center for Employee Ownership
Learn more about this Panel and register
3:05 Break
3:15 — Featured Speaker
- Danny Massey, Director of Policy and Communications, Expanding ESOPs
3:35 — Panel — The Ownership Agenda: Views From the Hill
- Cassie Brzezinski, Policy Adviser, Office of US Senator Christopher Van Hollen
- Greg Facchiano, Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs, The ESOP Association
- Richard Phillips, Pensions and Tax Policy Director, US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
- Moderator: Ike Brannon, President, Capitol Policy Analytics, Senior Fellow at the Jack Kemp Foundation
Learn more about this Panel and register
4:15 — Featured Speaker
- Tammy Miller, Former Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota, Former CEO of Border States
4:25 — Featured Speaker
- Julian McKinley, Co-Executive Director, Democracy at Work Institute
4:45 — Closing Remarks
- Sarah Keh, Vice President of Inclusive Growth, Prudential Financial
5:00 End
5.15 — Reception
- Rayburn Cafe, Rayburn House Office Building , 45 Independence Ave SW
Day 2 – April 10, 2025
9:00 – Welcome — The Aspen Institute, Washington DC
9:05 — Opening Remarks
- Dan Porterfield, President of the Aspen Institute
9.15 — Five Big Ideas for Employee Ownership
- Jessica Gordon-Nembhard, Professor of Community Justice and Social Economic Development, Department of Africana Studies, John Jay College, City University of New York
- Tammy Miller, Former Lieutenant Governor, State of North Dakota
- Phil Reeves, Founding Partner, Apis and Heritage
- Jesse Walker, Book Editor, Reason Magazine
- Leslie Wilson, Dean, Wilson College of Business, University of Northern Iowa
Learn more about this Panel and register
10:15 — Attendee Breakout Conversations
11:15 – Break
11.30 — The Future of the American Worker
- Xavier de Souza Briggs, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institute
- Chris Griswold, Policy Director, American Compass
- Adria Powell, President and CEO, Cooperative Home Care Associates
- Michael Quarrey, Vice President Corporate Development, Web Industries
- Moderator: Emma Goldberg, Reporter, The New York Times
- Closing Reflections: Christos Makridis, Associate Professor, Arizona State University; Previously Served on the White House Council of Economic Advisers
Learn more about this Panel and register
12:30 – Lunch
12.30 – 1.30 Optional in-person breakout
Employee Ownership Trust Lunch Time Breakout (optional) – Join the newly forming Purpose Trust Ownership Network (PTON) for a discussion on the current state and future field building needs of employee ownership trusts and perpetual purpose trusts in the United States. Space is limited. This is an in-person event and participants will convene on the second floor.
1:30 — Remarks
- Margot Brandenburg, Senior Program Officer – Mission Investments, Ford Foundation
1:35 Bridging the Gap: Institutional Investment and Employee Ownership
- Ted Margarit, Managing Partner, Paralign Capital Partners
- Catherine Toner, Managing Director of Impact Investing, Gary Community Ventures
- Lindsey Zizumbo, Executive Director, Sorenson Impact Foundation
- Moderator: Alison Lingane, Founder, Ownership Capital Labs
Learn more about this Panel and register
2:30 – Break
2:45 Strengthening Small Business Through Employee Ownership
- Kevin Clegg, CEO, Clegg Auto
- Rachel Hockenberger, CEO and Director, Parman Holding Companies
- Sean-Tamba Matthew, Shareholder, SES ESOP Strategies
- Moderator: Anne-Claire Broughton, Founder and Board Vice Chair, North Carolina Employee Ownership Center
- Closing Remarks: Loren Rodgers, Executive Director, NCEO
Learn more about this panel and register
3:45 Industry Spotlight: Healthcare
- Terrell Cannon, Director of Training and Workforce Development, Home Care Associates
- Katrina Kazda, Vice President of Home Care Innovations, The ICA Group
- Terry Leahy, CEO, MyPath Companies
- Moderator: Adria Scharf, Associate Director, Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing
Learn more about this Panel and register
4:30 — Featured Speaker
- Stephanie Silverman, President and CEO, Employee Owned S Corporations of America
4:40 — Closing Remarks
- Gwyneth Galbraith, Vice President of Global Small Business, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
April 30: Working and Homeless in America — A Book Talk with Brian Goldstone
Wednesday, April 30, 3:00-4:00 p.m. EDT, on Zoom
The US faces a national crisis of homelessness and housing affordability like few other times in our history. Increasing rents and housing shortages have had devastating effects on nearly every major metropolitan area in the US and many rural communities as well. This crisis has affected everyone including children, seniors, military veterans, people with disabilities, and people working full-time. In his new book, “There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America,” journalist Brian Goldstone exposes how the decline of work and pay in the US has left many full-time workers homeless. People who clock in at hospitals, drive for delivery apps, and care for others cannot afford stable housing as increases in rent continue to outpace wage growth.
Goldstone follows five families in Atlanta as they navigate the impossible demands of low wages, skyrocketing rents, and an inadequate social safety net. Through his reporting, Goldstone lived alongside families in extended-stay motels, witnessing the cycles of eviction and rejection, and capturing the resilience of those caught in a system designed to exclude them and in one that often doesn’t count them in official statistics. “There Is No Place for Us” not only brings these unseen lives into focus but also forces us to confront a pressing question: If hard work is no longer enough to keep a roof over one’s head, what does that say about the promise of economic opportunity in the US?
Join moderator Maureen Conway, a vice president of the Aspen Institute and executive director of the Economic Opportunities Program, for this important and timely book talk with Brian Goldstone, April 30, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Eastern, on Zoom. Register here.
Stay Tuned
We have a number of other exciting events in the works. Join our mailing list or connect on social media for updates and registration information.
May 21: Shared Success — Job Quality and Small Business Prosperity
External Events and Speaking Engagements
EOP staff are frequently called upon to lend their expertise to a variety of critical conversations and settings. We hope to see you at one of the many insightful discussions we’ll be participating in soon. To invite one of our experts to speak at an event, please send us an email at eop.program@aspeninstitute.org.
