ASBC Board Member to Testify at Economic Democracy Event at NYC City Hall
NEW YORK – A board member of the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC), which has a member network representing over 250,000 businesses, will testify at a historic joint hearing this evening at City Hall. The joint city and state hearing will showcase how the city can develop an equitable economy that works for New Yorkers of color.
The board member, April De Simone, is Co-founder of Designing the We, a social impact design studio that helps community economic development efforts incorporate local businesses and local entrepreneurship. She joins 13 New York City and State legislators representing the Bronx and Central Brooklyn. Additional diverse stakeholders from across the five boroughs will also testify on the strategic collaborations and grassroots initiatives advancing economic democracy that are positioning New York as a national and global leader in innovative and equitable urban development.
The Hearing on Economic Democracy will be held 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, Tuesday, Nov 20, 2018, in the New York City Council Chamber, New York City Hall, 250 Broadway (Between Barclay and Murray Streets), New York, NY.
De Simone has more than 15 years of experience in the strategic design, development, and launching elements of for-profit and non-profit projects. She is the co-chair and founding member of Social Enterprise Alliance, an initiative to increase the capacities of social innovation, enterprise and entrepreneurship within the New York community. She has a Master of Science in Design and Urban Ecologies from Parsons the New School for Design.
The 13 legislators are this year’s MIT CoLab Mel King Community Fellows. During their fellowship, the fellows explored local and global examples of economic democracy in action, including visiting the Mondragon Cooperatives in Spain and the Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative in NYC.
As part of its policy advocacy work, ASBC promotes economic democracy and equity in its High Road Workplace focus.
The American Sustainable Business Council advocates for policy change and informs business owners, policymakers and the public about the need and opportunities for building a vibrant, sustainable economy. Through its national member network it represents more than 250,000 businesses in a wide range of industries. www.asbcouncil.org