Announcing the Aspen Ideas: Economy Agenda - National Leaders to Gather to Explore Vital Questions on the Economy and Its Future

The first Aspen Ideas: Economy will take place in Newark, New Jersey from October 20-21 with Prudential Financial as Founding Sponsor. Speakers include New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Prudential Financial CEO Andrew F. Sullivan, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, Aspen Institute President and CEO Dan Porterfield, former Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin, Bread Founder Kyla Scanlon, PGIM Chief Global Economist Daleep Singh, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Audible CEO Bob Carrigan, and New Jersey Senate Majority Leader Maria Teresa Ruiz.

Newark, NJ, Oct. 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Newark, NJ, October 9, 2025––The Aspen Institute today announced the full agenda and speaker list for the inaugural Aspen Ideas: Economy to be held in Newark, New Jersey from October 20-21, 2025. This marquee event is set to be an essential forum designed to bring the public into direct conversation with leaders, scholars, and innovators whose perspectives and decisions are shaping our shared economic future. 

“Aspen Ideas: Economy is an exciting new event that will bring together participants and speakers from a range of backgrounds and points of view to explore critical questions about our economy and envision how we can build a prosperous society for all,” said Dan Porterfield, President and CEO of the Aspen Institute. “Newark, NJ embodies the spirit of optimism and entrepreneurialism that this convening will uplift, making it an ideal host city.”

“We are thrilled to bring such a dynamic group of leaders to Newark for the first Aspen Ideas: Economy. Whether they are a business owner, policymaker, investor, or community leader, we see a shared commitment to economic opportunity and growth, and many paths to get there,” said Ida Rademacher, Aspen Institute Vice President and co-executive director of the Aspen Financial Security Program. “Programming will take a fresh approach to questions about the economy as it is today and what it could be in future, while exploring cutting edge ideas to build prosperity in the years to come. We are grateful to our partners, including Prudential Financial , for their tireless efforts to make this event a reality.”

Aspen Ideas: Economy will expose attendees to mainstage talks and deep dive sessions, along with more intimate participatory roundtables, seminars, and immersive programming that define the Aspen Ideas experience. The event will take place within the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the Prudential Tower, and across the city of Newark. 

Programming will focus on three core themes: the Ownership Economy, the Longevity Economy, and the Creative Economy. Highlights include:

• The opening night mainstage program will pose the fundamental yet underexplored question: what - and who - is an economy for? Participants will hear from leaders including National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett,  former Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Aspen Institute President and CEO Dan Porterfield, Author and Educator Kyla Scanlon, The Debt Collector Lab Director Fred Wherry, and Equis Institute Senior Fellow Janis Bowdler.
  
  
• Tuesday morning’s mainstage program will be a sweeping journey through the ideas, individuals, and institutions that have shaped the economy we live in and the role they play in ensuring an economy that works for everyone. Speakers will include New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy; Prudential Financial CEOAndrew F. Sullivan; PGIM Chief Global Economist Daleep Singh; Manhattan Institute for Policy Research President Reihan Salam; Journalist and Author Jenny Wallace; Moody’s Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi; and the New York Times’ David Leonhardt.
  
  
• During the final evening’s program, participants will look ahead to the forces reshaping our shared future—and the choices that will determine how the economy can best serve people, businesses, and communities in the decades to come. Speakers will include Vanity Fair’s Bethany McLean; University of Chicago Booth Professor Luigi Zingales; and City University of New York Economist Branko Milanović.
  
  
• Throughout Tuesday afternoon, parallel “Deep Dive” panels will explore topics from longevity to investing in local talent. Participants will explore whether headline indicators are capturing true household finances, and how to protect creativity in an AI era. A second set of discussions later in the afternoon will explore ownership models, the “speculative economy,”  housing accessibility  as key to economic growth, and navigating the future of work. Speakers will include:

• • Shané Harris , Vice President, Inclusive Solutions, Prudential Financial
  • Robert Clark, Founder, Newark Opportunity Youth Network
  • Anu Madgavkar, Partner, McKinsey Global Institute
  • Fiona Greig, Global Head of Research and Policy, Vanguard
  • Bob Carrigan, CEO, Audible
  • Sasha Stiles, Poet
  • Catherine Godschalk, Vice President, Investments, Calvert Impact
  • Kyla Scanlon, Author and Educator
  • Ed Elson, Co-Host, Prof G Markets
  • Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin, President, UCNJ Union College of Union County, NJ
• Field trips and walking tours will trace Newark’s past and explore its current vibrancy and spirit of entrepreneurship, from manufacturing startups to creativity in art and food. Organized in partnership with Have You Met Newark?, Project for Empty Space, and Makerhoods Newark.

Passes for Aspen Ideas: Economy are available here and members of the media are invited to apply for press credentials here.

Aspen Ideas Economy is supported by Founding Sponsor  Prudential Financial ; Capital Sponsors Bloomberg Philanthropies, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Walmart; Main Street Sponsors Audible and McKinsey & Company; and Panasonic.

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The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

CONTACT: Jon Purves
The Aspen Institute
jon.purves@aspeninstitute.org