La Paz Chattanooga is kicking off the second year of the Latino Awareness Series with a lunch-and-learn session entitled "Latinos and Economic Development." Chattanooga State Community College will host the event on Wednesday, and Dr. Nicholas Nagle from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville will present the keynote address. In 2012, Dr. Nagle published the first comprehensive census-based study examining the growth of Tennessee's Latino population, and how that growth impacts the state's economy.
"We are excited to continue the Latino Awareness Series, as it highlights various themes of importance associated with the region's fast-growing Latino population," said Stacy Johnson, Executive Director at La Paz Chattanooga.
"Chattanoogans, generally speaking, benefit from living and working in a city that has a thriving economy compared to many of its regional peers. In this upcoming session of the Latino Awareness Series, we want to investigate how our economy is experienced by Chattanooga's Latino residents."
The keynote speaker for the event is Dr. Nicholas Nagle, Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and a Joint Faculty Affiliate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Before joining ORNL in 2012, Nagle was on the research faculty at the UT Center for Business and Economic Research where he was responsible for forecasting demographic trends across Tennessee. This included research on trends in Latino immigration and their economic impact. Dr. Nicholas Nagle is an expert in estimating local population trends and his research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the US Census Bureau.
After presenting his keynote presentation, Dr. Nagle will join three Chattanooga-area panelists to localize the subject, discussing the barriers and opportunities facing Chattanooga Latinos economically. In addition to Dr. Nagle, the panel will be comprised of Gladys Pineda-Loher (Chattanooga State Community College), Marco Perez (Chalmers Center), and Mariano Cebrián (Panoram Imports). A question and answer session is also planned for the panel.
Space is limited for the event, and reservations are required. The cost to attend is $15, which includes lunch. Payment can be made at the door with cash, check, or credit/debit card. To RSVP, email dmartin@lapazchattanooga.org. The event will be held at Chattanooga State in the Center for Business, Industry and Health, lasting from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.