U.S. Secretary of Education to Join Governor Rick Scott at South Florida Economic Summit

MIAMI, Jan. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce South Florida Economic Summit landed another influential speaker to its already stellar lineup.  U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan will join JPMorgan Chase Senior Economist Jim Glassman who will discuss the economic outlook for 2011 at the summit's closing lunch session, while Governor Rick Scott will give the keynote address in the opening session.  The half-day Economic Summit on Tuesday, January 11 from 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at Jungle Island will feature panel discussions featuring business leaders from the key economic engines in South Florida devoted to discussions about the 2011 economic outlook for South Florida.  The event is presented by JPMorgan Chase.

Arne Duncan was nominated to be secretary of education by President-elect Barack Obama and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2009.  In his confirmation hearings, Duncan called education "the most pressing issue facing America," adding that "preparing young people for success in life is not just a moral obligation of society" but also an "economic imperative." "Education is also the civil rights issue of our generation," he said, "the only sure path out of poverty and the only way to achieve a more equal and just society."  Prior to his appointment as secretary of education, Duncan served as the chief executive officer of the Chicago Public Schools, a position to which he was appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley, from June 2001 through December 2008, becoming the longest-serving big-city education superintendent in the country.

The Economic Summit will feature business leaders from South Florida who will give insight and perspective on economic indicators for a variety of industries including commercial and residential real estate, healthcare and technology, banking, travel and tourism, retail and automotive sales, and international trade.  Speakers include:

Tere Blanca, President/CEO, Blanca Commercial Real Estate

Joe Caruncho, CEO, Preferred Care Partners

Paco Diaz, Senior Vice President, CB Richard Ellis

Al Dosal, President & CEO, Compuquip Technologies, Inc.

Daniel Hanrahan, CEO/President, Celebrity Cruise Lines

Ted Fernandez, Chairman/C.E.O., Hackett Group

Alphonse Ferrara, Partner, BDO

Dario Fuentes, President, Florida International Bankers Association

Julie Goldman, General Manager, The Falls Shopping Center

Wendy Kallergis, President & CEO, Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association

Keith Koenig, President, City Furniture

Jack Lowell, Vice President, Flagler Development

Manny Mencia, Senior Vice President & COO International Trade, Enterprise Florida

Mario Murgado, President & CEO, Brickell Motors

Raul Pedraza, President and Chief Executive, Magno International

Linda Quick, President, South Florida Hospital and Healthcare Association

Alex Sanchez, President & CEO, Florida International Bankers Association

Ron Shuffield, President, Esslinger Wooten Maxwell Real Estate

William Talbert, President/CEO, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

Ken Thomas, H.K. Thomas Associates, LLC

This event is presented by JPMorgan Chase and sponsored by South Florida Workforce, Check Point Software Technologies, Inc., Compuquip Technologies, Inc. and BDO.

For event details about the South Florida Economic Summit contact Cornelia Pereira, 305-577-5432 or [email protected].

About the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce

The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business in South Florida, representing more than 400,000 employees of member companies. To carry out its mission, the Chamber involves the private sector in community leadership. For more than a century, the Chamber has been widely recognized and respected for its extraordinary record of economic development and community improvement. The Greater Miami Chamber is a proactive chamber, regularly getting engaged in issues important to its member companies and individuals. Its program of work is organized in five areas: Domestic Business Development, Governmental Affairs, International Business Development, Leadership Programs and Marketing & Member Services. The Chamber is nationally recognized as one of the Top 10 Executive Speaking Forums in America.

SOURCE Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce