Akron Roundtable Podcast

Akron Roundtable - David Pelleg: The Crypto Conundrum - Breaking Down Bitcoin Basics

The Crypto Conundrum - Breaking Down Bitcoin Basics talk will trace the evolution of digital currencies and their importance in our modern digital world. It will cover Bitcoin's history, blockchain technology, and its decentralized nature. The chat also discusses mining, security, and privacy aspects. The discussion examines Bitcoin's advantages, risks, and drawbacks, as well as its impact on the economy and society. We will also explore the potential effects of widespread adoption on traditional banking systems and peer-to-peer transactions.

Akron Roundtable - Erin Fitzgerald, Michael Chadsey: Sustaining Our Future: Energy, Agriculture and Climate Change

Join us for a facilitated session as leaders from agriculture and energy come together to discuss the pressing issues and promising pathways for the future of climate change. Through an engaging facilitated discussion by Zaria Johnson, we will unpack the intricate relationship between energy, agriculture, and climate change. Panelist Mike Chadsey and Erin Fitzgerald will share valuable insights into the current state of affairs and explore the exciting opportunities that lie ahead. Discover how energy, agriculture, and climate-conscious business are reshaping industries and communities worldwide. This session will shed light on the interdependencies between energy production, agricultural systems, and climate action, emphasizing their profound influence on one another. Learn about the strategies, policies, business models, and technological advancements driving sustainability in these sectors. Explore innovative initiatives and collaborative efforts that are building a more resilient and environmentally responsible future. Don't miss this opportunity to be part of the conversation. Be prepared to delve into practical solutions and approaches to address the challenges posed by climate change. Together, we will explore how we can foster economic growth, achieve energy independence, ensure food security, and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Akron Roundtable - Brent Leggs, National Trust for Historic Preservation: Preservation as a Social Movement

What does freedom mean to the individual citizen or an entire race? Whose history, whether made by an individual or an entire community, deserves reverence, protection, and preservation? In celebration of Juneteenth, this talk by Brent Leggs will highlight a galaxy of Black American sites representing generational citizenship and a profound national identity.

Akron Roundtable - Cindy Hohl: Ohio Unbanned: Librarians Protect Your Rights to Read and View Against Censorship

Cindy Hohl, MBA/MLIS, is a member of the Santee Sioux Nation and director of policy analysis and operational support at the Kansas City Public Library She is a past president of the American Indian Library Association and committed to focusing her work around creating welcoming spaces where library workers know that they belong there. In her work on the DEIA committee with the National Information Standards Organization and as a North American representative to the International Federation of Library Associations Indigenous Matters Section she works with librarians to share information across the globe. Cindy serves as treasurer on the executive board of the Freedom to Read Foundation and on the steering committee for the Joint Council of Librarians of Color conference. As an ALA Spectrum Scholar, she strives to increase diversity in the library field through mentorship, recruitment, and advocacy. She currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Spectrum Advisory Group and on the PLA Membership Advisory Group. Cindy is also on the ballot running for President of the American Library Association and with 55,000 members, is the largest and most influential library association in the world. Cindy supports systemwide planning and analysis of the Kansas City Public Library and she has earned an award-winning management and leadership career in marketing, finance, operations, and public libraries. With a passion for learning, she strives to connect others to the value of the information field, and she is always looking for new ways to share her love of libraries by highlighting the positive impacts that librarianship has on the community using the tools of data analysis and storytelling. Cindy holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Friends University, a Master of Business Administration degree from Baker University and a Master of Library and Information Science degree from Wayne State University. Libraries have the power to help people live their best lives, and Cindy actively seeks out opportunities to help BIPOC students connect to the field by applying for the ALA Spectrum Scholarship Program. Proudly representing the Santee Sioux Nation, she was selected as a Spectrum Scholar in 2016 and she is passionate about leadership, equal access, relationship building, Indigenous Knowledge systems, decolonizing classification standards, equity in data & information, training, learning, policy development, identifying trends, and honoring the oral-storytelling tradition of tribal communities. Librarianship is the gateway to protecting intellectual property and expressing intellectual freedom in every community and Cindy encourages everyone to celebrate their right to read. In her work as treasurer of the Freedom to Read Foundation and while serving on the Missouri Library Association Intellectual Freedom committee, Cindy advocates for everyone to have equal access to library services and materials and she is passionate about supporting community members with their right to use libraries without barriers. Cindy believes that censorship has no place in an educated society and speaks to the tenets of librarianship to ensure equal access to information and materials. She often says there has never been a better time to be a librarian!

Akron Roundtable - Loretta J. Mester, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland: An Update on the Federal Reserve

As president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Loretta J. Mester participates in the formulation of U.S. monetary policy and oversees more than 1,000 employees in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh who conduct economic research, supervise banking institutions, and provide payment services to commercial banks and the U.S. government. She assumed her role as president and CEO in June 2014. Dr. Mester was born in Baltimore, MD. She graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics and economics from Barnard College of Columbia University. She earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in economics from Princeton University, where she was a National Science Foundation Fellow. Prior to being named president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Dr. Mester was executive vice president and director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, where she served as the chief policy advisor, attended meetings of the Federal Open Market Committee, and oversaw the economists and analysts in the Research Department, as well as professionals in the Financial Statistics Department and the Payment Cards Center. She joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia in 1985 as an economist, becoming senior vice president and director of research in 2000, and executive vice president and director of research in 2010. Dr. Mester is an adjunct professor of finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She has also taught in the undergraduate finance and M.B.A. programs at Wharton and in the Ph.D. program in finance at New York University. Her areas of research expertise and interest include the organizational structure and productive efficiency of financial institutions, financial intermediation and regulation, agency problems in credit markets, credit card pricing, central bank governance, and inflation. Dr. Mester has published numerous articles in refereed academic and professional journals on a variety of topics, including economics, central banking, and financial intermediation and regulation. In addition, she is a co-editor of the Journal of Financial Services Research and an associate editor of several other academic journals. Dr. Mester is a director of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, a trustee of the Cleveland Clinic, a trustee of the Musical Arts Association (Cleveland Orchestra), a director of the Council for Economic Education, a founding director of the Financial Intermediation Research Society, a member of the senior council of the Central Bank Research Association (CEBRA), and a member of the advisory board of the Financial Intermediation Network of European Studies (FINEST). She is a member of the American Economic Association, the American Finance Association, the Econometric Society, and the Financial Management Association International.