Key White House Immigration Advisor to Keynote Convening
Today, the Welcoming Economies Global Network (WE Global Network) announced that Felicia Escobar, White House Special Assistant to the President for Immigration Policy, will deliver the keynote address at WE Global’s 3rd Annual Convening on July 9 at the Dayton Convention Center. Escobar will discuss the White House Task Force on New Americans and the new federal action plan. Ms. Escobar has been a key staff person for President Obama on immigration policy and the creation and implementation of the first-ever federal immigrant integration policy.
“I can’t think of a more important keynote speaker given the exciting efforts and visionary new policies coming from the White House and federal government on immigrant welcoming and integration,” said David Lubell, Executive Director of Welcoming America. “The White House recognizes that if America is to remain competitive in the global economy, we must support and maximize the efforts of local initiatives that welcome, retain, integrate, and empower immigrant communities. That’s why the WE Global Network is so important.”
The July 9 WE Global Conference in Dayton is the third annual gathering of regional leaders of local immigrant economic development initiatives working in 10 states to promote immigrants as valued contributors to local economies. Members of the network benefit from peer-to-peer learning exchanges, policy and research tools developed for immigrant economic development organizations, access to technical assistance, other capacity building resources, and the opportunity to build relationships and networks with other practitioners.
“To think that in just two short years, our network has grown from an initial gathering organized in less than two months to a national event with participation from the White House is pretty amazing,” said Global Detroit Executive Director Steve Tobocman. “The Dayton Convening promises to blaze new ground in this field.”
The White House Task Force on New Americans report includes recommendations to recognize and expand local initiatives like those in the WE Global Network and Ms. Escobar will share more about ongoing federal efforts to engage with local communities on immigrant integration and economic development.
