Economic Development

Panels and Presentations

Regional Economic Forums

The Wright School of Business Finance and Applied Economics professors hosted a November 2022 panel of business advisory council community members to discuss the “Economic Performance Pre and Post Pandemic”.

The Panel included Lesa Downey, Bryan Macon, Manuel Martinez, Tom Bundros, Wesley Barrel, and Larry Winter.

Insider Trading

Dalton State Wright School of Business finance students in Dr. Pat Ryle’s Intermediate Corporate Finance class had the opportunity in November 2022 to discuss “insider trading” with one of Wall Street’s biggest news insiders, Charles Gasparino. Formerly of the Wall Street Journal, and currently with Fox Business, as well as, the New York Post, Mr. Gasparino has reported on many of the biggest events on Wall Street for the past several decades. Students had an opportunity to discuss many important topics including:

• the wild-west environment of the rapidly growing hedge-fund industry in 90’s and 2000’s and how the HF industry transitioned from an industry designed to “hedge” against risk, to an industry trying to conquer high alpha returns;
• the concept of inside information as “edge” and criminal prosecutions of those at some of Wall Street’s biggest firms, including SAC Capital;
• what ethical lessons young, soon-to-be graduating business majors, can learn from recent insider trading cases, as well as “Circle of Friends” (a book authored by Mr. Gasparino); 
• finally, the question of “will we ever be capable of eliminating insider trading?” 

Understanding Financial Statements

Dr. Carl Gabrini’s understanding financial statements class welcomed Jim Dawson the Director of Financial Reporting for DeKalb County Schools in November 2022. Mr. Dawson talked to the students about careers in government, his career path, and presented an overview of government financial reporting.