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Women and Asset Development Workshop

NCSL Spring Forum
Thursday, April 6, 2006
Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill
Washington, D.C.

9:30 a.m - 11:30 a.m.        Asset-Building: A Look at State Policies Affecting Women

Speakers: Andrea Levere, President, Corporation for Enterprise Development Andrea Levere is President of CFED, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that focuses its work on building assets and expanding economic opportunity in low-income people and financially underserved communities.  Ms. Levere has worked for CFED for 14 years, and has served in various capacities.  Major projects have included, "Saving for Education, Entrepreneurship and Downpayment," and a partnership with the Federal Reserve System.  Prior to joining CFED, Ms. Levere was a director with the National Development Council where she was a lead trainer for the Economic Development Finance Certification Program and designed and conducted a financial management program.  Ms. Levere has a master’s degree in public and private management from the Yale School of Management. Heather McCulloch, Principal, Asset Building Strategies Heather McCulloch is the founder of Asset Building Strategies, and consults on a range of asset-building initiatives at the national, state and local levels. She is the author of two recent reports: Building Assets While Building Communities and Promoting Economic Security for Working Families: State Asset-Building Initiatives.   Ms. McCulloch provides technical assistance to statewide asset policy initiatives.  Her work includes support for the design and development of local asset-building funds, including current work as project manager for the Mission Asset Fund in San Francisco, with the Levi Strauss Foundation.  Prior to opening her consulting practice, Ms. McCulloch was a senior associate at the national nonprofit, PolicyLink.  Ms. McCulloch has a master’s degree in international political economy.  Representative Dave Clark, Utah Utah state Representative David Clark serves on NCSL's Executive Committee as well as on NCSL's Financial Services Committee.  In Utah, he serves as vice chair of the Executive Appropriations Committee and Retirement and Independent Entities Appropriations Subcommittee. He also serves on the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee, Business and Labor Committee, and Transportation Committee. Rep. Clark is a banker, and has served as past president of his local Chamber of Commerce and has participated in numerous economic development initiatives.  He is a graduate of Brigham Young University, the National Commercial Lenders Graduate School, and the  Pacific Coast School of Banking.

Today, 45 percent of women in the U.S. do not have enough financial resources to cover basic needs for more than three months. Without assets--cash savings, stocks, homeownership and business equity--families have little chance of surviving a job loss, a divorce or a major illness.  State legislators, legislative staff and other interested parties gathered to learn about state policy approaches to increase and protect savings, homeownership and business opportunities for working families. To view Andrea Levere's PowerPoint presentation, click here. To view Heather McCulloch's PowerPoint presentation, click here.

11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.      Women and Wealth: How Asset-Building Leads to
                                            Financial Self-Sufficiency

Keynote Speaker: Sheila Maith , Assistant Director and Community Affairs Officer, Federal Reserve Board Sheila Maith serves as Assistant Director and Community Affairs Officer for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.  In that capacity she oversees the community affairs function housed in the Board’s Division of Consumer and Community Affairs, which conducts community development activities and promotes increased access to capital and credit in underserved markets.  Ms. Maith also oversees the Board’s Consumer Advisory Council, a group that provides input into the Federal Reserve Board’s consumer protection policy decisions.  Prior to joining the Board of Governors, Ms. Maith served as Managing Director of Policy and Leadership Development at the Fannie Mae Foundation where she provided counsel and direction for the Foundation’s efforts to elevate national, state, and local awareness of the need for affordable housing. Before joining the Fannie Mae Foundation, Ms. Maith worked for Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Enterprise Foundation, and the Boston Redevelopment Authority. She is a graduate of from Harvard Law School and the Kennedy School of Government.

One in four female-headed households has zero or negative net worth.  Public policies, such as the GI Bill and the Homestead Act, have helped millions of American families build assets that lead to self-sufficiency.  Participants learned what the Federal Reserve Bank is doing to help working families save and invest and why it's important to women.   Sponsored by Key Bank

5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.         Women's Legislative Network Reception

State Legislators and friends gathered for the unveiling of the new DVD, Resolution: Women, Power and Change in America. The DVD featured U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Mary Landrieu, as well as seven state legislators, Kansas Representative Barbara Ballard, California Senator Debra Bowen, Maryland Delegate Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, Delaware Senator Liane Sorenson, Texas Senator Leticia Van de Putte and Louisiana Representative Diane Winston.

Return to the Women's Legislative Network of NCSL