Renowned Big-Data Economist Raj Chetty to Visit Greenville
FOR INFORMATION:
Claudia Winkler
Director of Marketing and Communications
The Riley Institute at Furman University
864.294.3368; [email protected]
July 10, 2025 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
GREENVILLE, S.C. — While Greenville ranks highly on U.S. News and World Report’s Best Places to Live list, many community members find these quality-of-life benefits beyond reach. According to a national study from Opportunity Insights looking at “big data,” people’s access to achieving the American Dream is closely tied to their ZIP code, neighborhood, or even the street where they live.
Leading Opportunity Insights is Dr. Raj Chetty, a Harvard economist and MacArthur “genius grant” winner, who’ll be coming to Furman University this September to speak at The Riley Institute’s and OLLI@Furman’s annual StraightTalk series, Bootstraps: Myths and Solutions for Economic Mobility.
Chetty, whose visit to Greenville is made possible through the partnership and support of Hollingsworth Funds, will offer insights into what big data can tell us about extremely local economic opportunity challenges and solutions on the final evening of StraightTalk 2025, taking place on September 16. His visit will also include a meeting with community leaders to explore possible transformational opportunities to expand upward mobility for all in Greenville.
“Having Raj Chetty visit our campus and community is significant,” says Julie Meredith, who plans StraightTalk in her role as The Riley Institute’s director of the Center for Critical Issues. “Acting on insights from Chetty’s research holds the potential to further expand Greenville’s growth trajectory to include community members who are often left without opportunities to access the benefits of Greenville’s growth.”
Meredith points to Chetty’s work with Charlotte, North Carolina, to illustrate the potential of using his research to drive collective community action. A 2014 study led by Chetty’s Opportunity Insights team reached grim findings for Charlotte, ranking the city 50th out of 50 for upward economic mobility.
Charlotte took a hard look at policies and systems keeping the poorest of its community members down and committed to collective action through the establishment of Leading on Opportunity, an entity formed to support Charlotte on a generations-long journey to improve economic mobility for all.
Now, 10 years after the initial study, a 2024 ranking showed Charlotte at 38 of 50 cities for upward economic mobility outcomes—a sizeable improvement—and the city leaders have pledged an ongoing commitment to keep advancing community-level solutions.
Community leaders hope that Chetty’s visit and data insights can cultivate innovative solutions that position the benefits of Greenville’s economic success to fall within reach for every Greenvillian in the generations to come.
“When everyone is participating in and contributing to the economic and cultural vibrancy of our community, we all benefit,” says Gage Weekes, president and CEO of Hollingsworth Funds. “I am hopeful that Dr. Chetty’s visit can help highlight the pathways to opportunity, so that our community can work collectively to ensure that everyone lives their best life here in Greenville.”
The three-part StraightTalk 2025 series is open to the public and will take place at McAlister Auditorium on the Furman University campus from 6:30-7:45 p.m. on September 2, 9, and 16. In addition to Chetty’s big data insights on how place of origin affects economic mobility, series speakers will also look in depth at how education and workforce policies affect upward mobility. More information on speakers and ticketing information can be found at furman.edu/straight-talk.
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The Riley Institute empowers emerging and established leaders—across sectors and throughout society—with the knowledge and tools to advance equity and drive social and economic progress in South Carolina and beyond. We work to strengthen public education; promote the power of diversity to help teams, organizations, and communities thrive; and elevate informed, evidence-based approaches to critical public issues. In all it does, the institute is committed to nonpartisanship and a bias-free path to change.
OLLI@Furman is a diverse learning community of senior adults engaged in non-credit educational courses and programs, social opportunities and physical activities that inspire students to stay mentally and physically active in a supportive, nurturing and fulfilling university environment.
Hollingsworth Funds is a charitable support organization focused exclusively on Greenville, South Carolina. Endowed by the estate of textile machinery magnate John D. Hollingsworth Jr. Hollingsworth Funds envisions a vibrant, just, and inclusive Greenville where equitable opportunities exist for all to advance and thrive. Its mission is to collectively remove the systemic barriers that hold people back based on race, place, and socioeconomic status, and strengthen the pathways that propel all people forward.