AFL-CIO chief economist to kick off the fall speakers for the Economic Roundtable of the Ohio Valley

Two other speakers also lined up for October and November

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MARIETTA, OHIO (08/23/2018) William Spriggs, a chief economist with the AFL-CIO, is the first of three speakers scheduled for the Fall 2018 Economic Roundtable of the Ohio Valley.

Spriggs will speak about "All of Us or None of Us: The Political Economic Challenge of Inequality," at noon, Tuesday, September 11th, at the Marietta Country Club.

A professor in the Department of Economics at Howard University, Spriggs' role with the AFL-CIO is to chair the Economic Policy Working Group for the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and serves on the board of the National Bureau of Economic Research.

From 2009-12, Spriggs served as assistant secretary for the Office of Policy at the Department of Labor, having been appointed by President Barack Obama. His previous work experience includes roles leading economic policy development and research as a senior fellow and economist at the Economic Policy Institute and executive director for the Institute for Opportunity and Equality of the National Urban League.

Spriggs graduated from Williams College and holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He will also be conducting a Leadership Q&A at 7 p.m., Monday, September 10th, in the Timothy O. Cooper Auditorium (Thomas 124).

The other presenters this Fall are Dwight Smith, President and CEO of Sophisticated Systems, Inc., at noon, Wednesday, October 17th at the Parkersburg Country Club; and Mark Hamlin, Senior Policy Advisor with the Ohio Department of Commerce, at noon, Wednesday, November 14th, at the Marietta Country Club.

The Economic Roundtable of the Ohio Valley is a non-partisan non-political educational organization that formed in 1982 as a result of collaboration between the Business and Economics Department at Marietta College and a mix of business, civic and educational leaders. The object of the Economic Roundtable is to promote an interest in and to enlighten its members and others in the community on important governmental, economic, and social issues. Since its inception, the Economic Roundtable of the Ohio Valley has presented the Ohio Valley with more than 160 distinguished speakers who have enlightened and informed ERT members with their fascinating discussion on a broad scope of governmental, economic and social issues.

The ERT's speaker series is open to its members only. The ERT's membership is open to all interested individuals at $35 a year. To join ERT, please contact Greg Delemeester at delemeeg@marietta.edu or call him at (740) 376-4630. You may find more information on the ERT at economicroundtable.org.

Located in Marietta, Ohio, at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, Marietta College is a four-year liberal arts college. Tracing its roots to the Muskingum Academy back in 1797, the College was officially chartered in 1835. Today Marietta College serves a body of 1,200 full-time students. The College offers 49 majors and is consistently ranked as one of the top regional comprehensive colleges by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, as well as one of the nation's best by Forbes.com. Marietta was selected seventh in the nation according to the Brookings Institution's rankings of colleges by their highest value added, regardless of major.

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