Events
Thursday, November 5th, 2020
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
LIVE WEBCAST
“Ventura County’s Road to Recovery”
The California Lutheran University Center for Economic Research & Forecasting (CERF) Annual Ventura County Economic Forecast LIVE WEBCAST will include an in-depth analysis of the county’s economic performance and an assessment of its economic and demographic future. The program will also include detailed analysis and forecasts for the United States and California economies. Speakers will include: CERF Executive Director, Matthew Fienup; CALmatters opinion columnist Dan Walters, who will analyze California election results and the impact on the state’s political landscape; and a panel of innovative leaders in our community, who will focus on the impacts of COVID-19 and the various policy responses and discuss Ventura County’s road to recovery.
Ticket Price – $55; CLU Students/Staff/Faculty with a valid CLU ID should contact Victoria Young (vyoung@callutheran.edu) or Ashley Freas (freas@callutheran.edu) for free event registration.
Keynote Speakers
Matthew Fienup, Ph.D. | Matthew Fienup is Executive Director of the Center for Economic Research & Forecasting (CERF) at California Lutheran University and teaches graduate courses in the school’s Master of Quantitative Economics Program. Matthew’s specialties are applied econometric analysis, the economics of land use, and environmental markets. Matthew is a member of the Wall Street Journal Economic Forecasting Survey. He was the recipient of a 2019 Crystal Ball Award for the Zillow Home Price Expectations Survey (formerly the Case-Schiller Home Price Expectations Survey). CERF’s U.S. home price forecast received multiple top-5 rankings among the more than 100 forecasts included in the survey. He is frequently sought to speak on the issues surrounding urban growth restriction and groundwater management policies as well as the general economic outlook for the Nation, the State and the region.
Dan Walters | Dan Walters has been a journalist for nearly 60 years, spending all but a few of those years working for California newspapers, and has written more than 9,000 columns for the Sacramento Union and the Sacramento Bee and continues his column for CALmatters, a non-profit journalistic organization which distributes to dozens of California news outlets. He has written about California and its politics for a number of other publications, including the Wall Street Journal. He is also an author and contributor, two books of which are, “The Third House: Lobbyists, Power and Money in Sacramento” and “The New California: Facing the 21st Century”.
Emcee
Marni Brook
Director of Lending, Women’s Economic Ventures
Marni serves as the Director of Lending for Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV), overseeing the loan program that serves businesses in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Prior to joining WEV, she spent 24 years in community banking in various positions including Community President- Ventura, Director of Commercial Services and Commercial Lending Officer. Her passion is working with small business owners to help them achieve success and sustainability.
Marni graduated from UCSB with a B.A. in English Literature. She graduated from Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington and completed the California Bankers’ Association Commercial Lending Academy. She is active as a community volunteer, providing leadership for a number of non-profit organizations including the Housing Trust Fund Ventura County, Casa Pacifica, Economic Development Collaborative, the Ventura Chamber Political Action Committee, the Ventura County Civic Alliance and the Cal Lutheran Center for Economic Research and Forecasting.
Ventura County Road to Recovery: Expert Panel
HEALTHCARE
Dr. Gabriella Sherman, MD
Chief Medical Officer, Los Robles Medical Center
Dr. Sherman was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. She graduated summa cum laude from Virginia Commonwealth University with a dual degree in Biology and Spanish. She went on to complete her Internal Medicine residency at Huntington Hospital, in Pasadena. Dr. Sherman is Board Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. In addition to her medical studies, she received her MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
EDUCATION
Hani Youssef, Ed.D.
Asst. Superintendent of Educational Services, Simi Valley Unified School District
As Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, Dr. Youssef is responsible for directing, supervising, coordinating and evaluating District-level programs and personnel involved in categorically-funded programs, curriculum development, educational technology, instructional process and procedures and student assessment for preschool through Adult Education.
SMALL BUSINESS
Gabrielle Moes
Founder & President, Seasons Catering Inc.
Gabrielle’s love of food began early in life, in her family’s kitchen, where she learned flavors and techniques from her mother. It was here where she experienced first-hand the elemental way that food could bring people together and fill their lives with comfort and joy. It was not surprising to anyone that she would follow this passion into her adult life and become a true connoisseur of food, training at the prestigious California Culinary Academy and working as a chef in various restaurants before starting Seasons Catering in 2000.
