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StraightTalk tackles myths and solutions to economic mobility
Caroline Cox ’26, a Furman education major from Maryville, Tennessee listens as Melanie Barton ’84 answers a question at the StraightTalk CLP on Sept. 2. Photo by Jeremy Fleming, Furman University.
Is it possible to pull yourself up by your bootstraps? Furman University’s StraightTalk 2025: Bootstraps – Myths and Solutions to Economic Mobility will dive into this question, exploring the challenges that make it difficult to break the cycle of poverty.
The speaker series kicked off Sept. 2 with its first session, and the next two will be Sept. 9 and 16, from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. in McAlister Auditorium on Furman’s campus. It is open to the public, presented in partnership between the Riley Institute at Furman and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI@Furman), in collaboration with campus partners and Hollingsworth Funds.
David Trone ’77, founder and owner of Total Wine & More and three-term U.S. Representative for Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District, joined the Riley Institute’s StraightTalk discussion on Sept. 2. Photo by Jeremy Fleming, Furman University.
“We know there are barriers and systems in place that make it very difficult for many low-income households to achieve economic mobility,” said Julie Meredith, the Riley Institute’s director of the Center for Critical Issues, who arranged the StraightTalk series. “How do we make the economic growth that Greenville is enjoying accessible for more people in our communities?”
Tuesday’s session, “A Look at Education,” featured Melanie Barton ’84, deputy chief of staff and senior education advisor for South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, and David Trone ’77, founder and owner of Total Wine & More, a three-term U.S. Representative for Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District and a former Furman trustee.
“There are deep economic divides in this country,” Trone said. “Education is the foundation of how these problems can be solved.”
Riley Institute Advance Team member Lily Robins ’26 from Winston-Salem, North Carolina connects with an attendee of the StraightTalk education discussion on Sept. 2 at McAlister Auditorium. Photo by Jeremy Fleming, Furman University.
Session two, on Sept. 9, takes “A Look at Work” with guest speakers Chandra Childers, a senior policy and economic analyst with the Economic Analysis and Research network at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C.; Ray Lattimore, founder of Marketplace Staffing; and David Lominack, commercial market president of South Carolina for TD Bank.
Session three, on Sept. 16, takes “A Look at Place” with keynote speaker Raj Chetty, the William A. Ackman Professor of Economics at Harvard University and director of Opportunity Insights. He’s joined by Terril Bates, CEO of the Greenville Housing Authority; Tiffane Thompson Davis, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Michelin North America; Shannon Lavrin, city manager for the City of Greenville, South Carolina; and moderator Gage Weekes, president and CEO of Hollingsworth Funds.
Entry for the public is $15 per session. There is no charge for Furman students, faculty and staff. To learn more, visit the StraightTalk website. Tickets may be purchased on Eventbrite.