The Prosperity Works Board of Directors announces that Michael Barrio will take over as President & CEO when Ona Porter retires this fall. Barrio, a Las Cruces native, has been serving as the Director of Advocacy at the nonprofit organization since 2017. Board and staff alike are excited about the commitment to economic equity, public and private sector experience and extensive network of New Mexico relationships that Michael brings to the role. “Michael's passion for the mission, his vision, and strategic approach to advance an opportunity agenda is precisely what we need at this stage,” says Ona Porter, who will assume a Founder Emeritus role on the Board of Directors. Please see the complete press release below.
0 Comments
Nancy Martira, Communications ManagerOna Porter, Founder & CEO of Prosperity Works, announces her retirement from the Albuquerque-based organization in late 2019. Porter founded the statewide nonprofit organization in 2000. “Understanding that poverty is a policy failure rather than the set of character flaws that are commonly assigned to the poor, Prosperity Works has proven that opportunity and social justice are what is needed for people to thrive. Addressing systemic barriers that prevent people from living a life of dignity while providing access to economic inclusion have been hallmarks of our work, and will continue to be so,” Ona said in her retirement announcement. “I am very proud of what we have accomplished with our partners across the state during my tenure.” The Prosperity Works Board of Directors is handling the search for the new CEO who will lead Prosperity Works into its third decade of service. The Board has engaged an external executive search consultant to ensure that the search will be appropriately comprehensive and inclusive. Download the Full Press Release HereWhen you dine out at Chello Grill on Tuesday, May 21st and show this flyer on your phone, 50% of your total sale will be donated to Prosperity Works. Bring your friends, bring your family, or bring your coworkers and help us make this a successful one-day fundraiser. Please read the fine print above. Thank you for the many ways you support Prosperity Works!
Nancy Martira, Communications ManagerThe Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is accepting public comment on a proposal to roll-back existing consumer protections on small-dollar loans. We know this industry is notoriously predatory and now the CFPB wants to make it easier to trap Americans in high-cost debt that they can't afford to pay back. We will be submitting our comment before the May 15th deadline. Please read our letter below. If you would like to have your name or organization added to our letter, please send us a message. You may submit your own comment on this proposal here. Dara Romero, Innovation & Technology ManagerThe best education is lived experience. And honestly, I don’t have a financial background. Instead, I have over 20 years of experience working in corporate human resources, as a small business owner and a non-profit consultant working with marginalized populations. During this time, and across all roles, I helped low- to moderate income employees overcome financial obstacles due to life events while understanding the need for easy to implement and low cost (or no cost) solutions, all while navigating my own financial well-being roller-coaster. My role at Prosperity Works is to support small and mid-sized businesses understand the financial well-being of their employees and provide/promote ways that they can empower their employees to move positively along the spectrum. During Financial Health Week, I’d like to highlight some of the information I’ve shared thus far. While the United States is experiencing record unemployment and a growing Gross Domestic Product, we continue to be inundated with headlines reminding us that Americans are overwhelmed by debt and struggling to save enough cash to cover basic household emergencies. 57% of U.S. consumers, or approximately 138 million adults, are financially unhealthy, according to the 2017 Market Size Study is presented by Center for Financial Services Innovation. Consumer Affairs reports that the latest TD Bank Love and Money Survey found that one-third of consumers admit to living paycheck-to-paycheck. This survey also found that financial stress has major consequences, beyond individual health and emotional well-being. Nearly 20% of all consumers (and 42% of Millennial consumers) have put off buying a home because they can’t make the finances work. The Federal Reserve reported that nearly half of all Americans couldn’t come up with $400 in an emergency. This litany of statistics was recently brought to life as people watched friends and neighbors affected by the five-week Federal Government shutdown struggle to pay bills and buy groceries. Thanks to stagnant wages, increasing costs of living and general workplace instability, we have more and more full-time employed Americans who are falling short of basic middle class milestones. In the 21st Century, workers and employers are renegotiating their obligations to each other. The lack of resilience that results from living paycheck to paycheck has a ripple effect, reducing both workplace productivity and demand, and creating downward pressure on the overall economy. Employers who see the value in providing financial wellness benefits and creating a balanced work environment are the business leaders who will thrive during this transition. We love to sharing tips and content with New Mexico businesses to start the conversation on how businesses of all sizes can help employees build financial well-being. Click on the document below to download some tips on how to maximize personal savings during Tax Time. Michael Barrio, Director of AdvocacyProsperity Works begins our campaign for change at the New Mexico State Capitol with the opening of legislative session on Tuesday, January 15, 2019. The 2019 session is looking to be fast-paced and intense, with a flurry of proposed legislation expected to hit the Roundhouse. With a new Democratic Governor, a host of eager newly-seated legislators and a revenue surplus we anticipate significant movement on education, healthcare and public safety-focused legislation. We’re looking forward to working with our new Governor and her administration to address the systemic issues that continue to undermine our progress as a state.
Prosperity Works' mission is to remove barriers and increase opportunity for all New Mexicans to build assets and financial stability for their families. These opportunities and barriers are often systemic - the result of policy decisions at the local, state and federal level. As such, legislative advocacy is the key to realizing financial equity and inclusion for every New Mexican. If you would like to receive all of the latest news and calls to action from the Prosperity Works team during legislative session, please sign up for our advocacy newsletter here. Please note: if you are signed up to receive the PW Quarterly Newsletter, we also ask that you use the link above to subscribe to our advocacy list. For your consideration and support, our legislative agenda for the 2019 Legislative Session follows: HB 150 INSTALLMENT & SMALL LOAN CHANGES – Sponsors: Rep. Georgene Louis, Sen. Sander Rue, & Sen. Benny Shendo Every New Mexican deserves access to fair loans at reasonable rates. In order to help hardworking New Mexicans make smart financial decisions, the public and our legislature need to know how the small lending industry operates in our state. Although New Mexico's first across-the-board interest rate cap has gone into effect, there are gaps in enforcement and loopholes that prevent New Mexican families from receiving the benefit of the law's protections. With a lower interest rate to contend with, lenders are using high fees and rollovers as profit generators that simply drain income from New Mexico consumers. HB 150 provides commonsense updates to address inconsistencies in NM small loan laws and introduces transparent data sharing practices that would eliminate loopholes, gaps, and confusion that circumvent the intended consumer protections. |
AuthorProsperity Works Staff CategoriesArchives
November 2023
|