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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 9, 2008 |
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT
Elizabeth Pittman 404.364.8868
epittman@oglethorpe.edu |
Expert Explores Microfinance
ATLANTA – As part of Oglethorpe University’s Microfinance and Social Investment Seminar Robert Pattillo, founder of The Gray Ghost Funds, will speak Thursday, January 17, at 4:30 p.m. in Lupton Auditorium. The lecture is open to the public and is the first of many which support the Microfinance and Social Investment course at Oglethorpe.
This lecture is part of a series of interactive seminars, used to examine the role that microfinance, as popularized by Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Mohammad Yunus, has played in lifting millions out of poverty. As a measure of poverty, economists estimate that over one billion people in the world today live on less than the equivalent of $1 a day. The course is a result of a unique collaboration between Atlanta-based Gray Matter Capital and Oglethorpe University. In addition to gaining insights into the causes and scope of poverty, students will analyze underlying economic theories related to growth and development. Additionally, students will have an opportunity to interact with micro-lenders and micro-enterprises in the Atlanta area and develop a service learning project.
An entrepreneur and philanthropist, Robert (Bob) Pattillo has over 10 years experience in microfinance. A visionary business and community leader, Bob is committed to global poverty alleviation and the social empowerment of the poor. Prior to creating Gray Ghost, Bob built and managed a successful industrial real estate development firm and established The Rockdale Foundation, a family foundation which reflects a service commitment to social enterprise and education. A member of the Council of Microfinance Equity Funds, he sits on the board of directors of several microfinance organizations and investment funds, including ACCION Investments, MicroVest, Deustche Bank Microcredit Development Fund and Catalyst Microfinance Investors. Bob is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the Harvard Owner/President Management Program.
A reception will follow the lecture at 6:30 p.m. in the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art. Free and open to the public. For more information please call 404.364.8347.
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