Dayton_cabinet2012

This week I was pleased to honor an invitation from Governor Mark Dayton's government in Minnesota, representing the Subcommittee on the Underserved and Community Empowerment for the U.S. President's Advisory Council on Financial Capability, and the interest of the approximately 100 million Americans we reflect, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
As Subcommittee Chairman, I was hosted in the state by Minnesota Commerce Commissioner Michael Rothman, and met in a roundtable with an impressive group of State officials for Governor Mark Dayton, including:
  • Commissioner Michael Rothman, Commerce
  • Commissioner Kevin Lindsey, Human Rights
  • Commissioner Mark Phillips, Employment and Economic Development
  • Commissioner Brenda Cassellius, Education
  • Commissioner Larry Pogemiller, Higher Education
  • Assistant Commissioner Mike Haley, Housing Finance Agency
  • Assistant Commissioner Erin Sullivan Sutton, Human Services
  • Assistant Commissioner Terri Steenblock, Revenue
  • Assistant Commissioner Rose Chu, Education
  • Executive Director Don Kerr, Military Affairs
  • Director George Kimball, Corrections
Also present as a special guest was:
  • Nancy Homans, Policy Director, City of St. Paul, Office of Mayor Chris Coleman

Later, the State Town Hall on Financial Literacy was full and the discussion extremely substantive. The 2-hour session was also attended by a representative of Council Subcommittee Member Ted Beck.
The State has indicated that they are going to put some leadership attention around helping cities and municipalities to create Local Financial Literacy Councils, which is an effort that my Subcommittee and the Partnership Subcommittee, chaired by my friend Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, are heavily engaged in.
That said, the thing that I was most impressed with is the State's commitment to make financial literacy curriculum a requirement for every child, K-12, in state public schools.
John Hope Bryant is a thought leader, founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE and Bryant Group Companies, Inc. Magazine/CEO READ bestselling business author of LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass), the only African-American bestselling business author in America, and is chairman of the Subcommittee for the Under-Served and Community Empowerment for the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability, for President Barack Obama.  Mr. Bryant is the co-founder of the Gallup-HOPE Index, the only national research poll on youth financial dignity and youth economic energy in the U.S. He is also a co-founder of Global Dignity with HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Professor Pekka Himanen of Finland. Global Dignity is affiliated with the Forum of Young Global Leaders and the World Economic Forum.   Mr. Bryant serves on the board of directors of Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation, an NYSE Euronext publicly traded company, and a division of $54 billion Ares Capital.

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