On December 7, Inland Economic Growth & Opportunity (IEGO) Executive Director, Jackie Melendez was featured on a panel entitled “RESOURCES TO DRIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH” at the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Annual Economic Summit in Downtown LA.

The event highlighted voices in business , planning, public policy, housing and academia to assess the status of the region’s economy and to define strategies for harnessing Southern California’s unique resources to maintain our status as a national and international economic powerhouse.

The panel covered how to take advantage of the major influx of federal and state funding, as well as regional workforce development needs. Jackie spoke about the importance of collaboration and partnership to take advantage of this historic moment.

“I am inspired by new funding sources, like the Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF), which challenges us to leverage new partnerships and strategies to accomplish our equity and sustainability goals. I am inspired by the leaders in our region who are taking advantage of this moment to ensure our communities have a voice and a seat at the table. This work is hard and requires us to work differently, collaboratively.” – said Melendez.