REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. PLEASE CALL 831-457-3713 FOR ANY CANCELLATIONS. If, as a community, we really wanted to address seeming insolvable problems such as housing, jobs, education, public safety, and transportation could we do it? UCSC professor, Dr. Chris Benner went looking for answers and found some encouraging ones. Dr. Benner will describe these findings at the Chamber Lunch, March 1, presented by the Women in Business Committee. The Study by Benner and his UCSC research collaborator, Manuel Pastor, has been featured in stories NPR and in the Huffington Post. They looked at communities throughout the U.S.A - some that have succeeded magnificently, some that are still stuck, a few that have failed catastrophically. They found that some relatively simple structures, "soft-skills," and behaviors seem to separate the very successful communities from those that are less so. Of course simple skills, structures, and behavior are not always so easy to come by. Dr. Benner will tell the inspiring stores of communities that have overcome the limitations of divisiveness, long histories of intricate problems, and widespread mistrust to achieve remarkable transformations. Join us, March 1, for a vision of what Santa Cruz County, its cities, and its neighborhoods could be and how we could achieve it.
Dr. Chris Benner is the Dorothy E. Everett Chair in Global Information and Social Entrepreneurship, Director of the Everett Program for Digital Tools for Social Innovation, and a Professor of Environmental Studies and Sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His research examines the relationships between technological change, regional development, and the structure of economic opportunity, focusing on regional labor markets and the transformation of work and employment. Significant authored or co-authored books include: Equity, Growth and Community (2015), which examines diversity and dynamics of regional knowledge communities, and their relationship to social equity and economic growth; Just Growth (2012) which helps uncover the subtle and detailed processes, policies and institutional arrangement that help explain how certain regions around the country have been able to consistently link prosperity and inclusion; This Could Be The Start of Something Big (2009) which examines new regional movements around community development, policy initiatives, and social movement organizing; and Work in the New Economy (2002), an examination of the transformation of work and employment in the information economy. He received his Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley.
Reservations are Required. Cost is $50 SC Chamber members $65 non-members Santa Cruz Women in Business Quarterly Luncheons take place in March, June, September, and December. These quarterly luncheons are a great opportunity to hear an interesting presentation and connect with other Santa Cruz business people. Women in Business luncheons are organized by the Santa Cruz Chamber Women in Business committee, but everyone is welcome, men included.. Annual Sponsor Speaker Gift Sponsor