AUSTIN, Texas – December 9, 2009 – PeopleFund welcomes Lisa Servon, Dean of Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy, who will be leading a discussion on “The Role of Micro-Lending in the U.S.” as part of our PeopleTalk Speaker Series. The lunchtime discussion is this Thursday, December 10 from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Alamo Drafthouse South, 1120 South Lamar. Tickets, which include lunch, are $15 in advance at www.peoplefund.org and $20 at the door.
Dean Servon will be discussing microcredit models in the United States and developing countries with an emphasis on opportunities for innovation in underserved communities. In an economy dictated by restricted credit opportunities, the issue speaks directly to President Obama’s recent incentives for community lenders to continue to provide small business loans.
Author of several books, including Gender and Planning: A Reader (Rutgers 2006), Bridging the Digital Divide: Technology, Community, and Public Policy (Blackwell 2002), and Bootstrap Capital: Microenterprises and the American Poor (Brookings 1999), Dean Servon also teaches and conducts research in the areas of urban poverty, community development, economic development, and issues of gender and race.
PeopleFund’s quarterly PeopleTalk Speaker Series features provocative thinkers in the fields of economic opportunity and is open to the public. Featuring discussions led by nationally-recognized experts, the issues addressed at our PeopleTalk events are snapshots of the conversations that are taking place on a national level. The event challenges Central Texas leaders to implement strategic solutions that address key issues in our region.
About PeopleFund
PeopleFund is a Central Texas non-profit organization dedicated to creating economic opportunity through small business loans, affordable housing initiatives and community outreach. Since its inception in 1994, PeopleFund has loaned $20.4 million to small businesses such as Escuelita Del Alma Learning Center, RCR Auto Repair, Ecology Action, Rosy’s In-Home Health Care Services, Blue Dahlia, Juan in a Million and numerous other small businesses. PeopleTrust, an affiliate of PeopleFund, specializes in affordable home-ownership by providing innovative and responsible financing opportunities. PeopleTrust has assisted 132 families achieve home ownership since 2008. For additional information, please visit www.peoplefund.org .
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