The COVID-19 crisis has created unique challenges for community-focused organizations, businesses and groups. While we all practice social distancing, many organizations are working tirelessly to develop new ways to engage with their communities while also staying connected with the people they serve.

Join us as we explore innovative strategies you and your team can utilize to engage with and in your community as we all navigate these uncertain times. From organizing virtual engagement opportunities to securing funding for essential programs, we'll explore a range of topics to help you and your organization stay active and connected.

The event will feature a diverse panel of local and national community leaders who are implementing impactful solutions for their organizations in response to COVID-19.

Exciting news! We've extended this event! Based on feedback and excitement around sharing actionable ways to get involved in communities, we've added a bonus session of Community Engagement Organizations to share ways that you can get involved today! From 5:15 to 5:30 you'll hear about virtual and in person volunteer opportunities from United Way for Southeastern Michigan, Eastside Community Network, and more!

PANELISTS

Burnell Holland

Deputy Director, My Brothers Keeper Alliance, Obama Foundation

Burnell Holland is currently Deputy Director of the My Brother’sKeeper Alliance, an initiative of the Obama Foundation. MBKAlliance was born out of President Obama’s call to action to ensure all of our nation’s boys and young men of color have equal opportunity to achieve their full potential. In this role, he is primarily responsible for managing the development and implementation of the MBK Community Challenge Competition, a national grant competition focused on community investment in the areas of youth violence reduction and effective mentoring practices. The MBK Community Challenge Competition anchors the MBK Alliance’s place-based strategy to accelerate impact in targeted communities throughout the United States.

Charli Cooksey

Founder and CEO, WEPOWER

Charli Cooksey is a proud and committed native and resident of North St. Louis City and founder of WEPOWER, an organization committed to activating community power to redesign systems to be just and equitable for all. Through this work, Charli and her team and many amazing partners like the Clark-Fox Policy Institute work with everyday folks to support them with building political and economic power in service of community led systems change. To date, WEPOWER has engaged 20,000+ community members, activated over 150 community members who have launched four different advocacy campaigns, completed comprehensive policy design to improve K12 education, early childhood education, and economic policy change, and who are leveraging entrepreneurship to spark job growth across the St. Louis region.

Kayla Roney Smith

Portfolio Manager, SE Michigan , Ballmer Group

Kayla Roney Smith is a portfolio manager with Ballmer Group's southeast Michigan office, directing resources to improve conditions for children and families disproportionately likely to remain in poverty with a focus on college and career. Previously, Kayla served as Executive Director of the Hazel Park Promise Zone and College Access Network, working to increase opportunity for low-income, first-generation college students and to mobilize cross-sector partners around college attainment and workforce alignment goals. Before that, Kayla served as a College Advising Corps member and youth development program coordinator. Kayla is a Michigan Political Leadership Program alumna, and she has been honored as one of Crain's Detroit Business' "20 in their 20s" and the Oakland County Executive Office's "Elite 40 Under 40."

Kalisha Davis

CS Equity Curriculum Project Director, Kapor Center

Kalisha Davis is the CS Equity Curriculum Project Director, who guides and develops all aspects of the Equitable Computer Science Curriculum Initiative, a multi-year endeavor led by Kapor Center. Before this role, Kalisha served as the Director of Community Outreach and Engagement and Detroit Revitalization Fellow at the Detroit Historical Society. While there, she was the architect of more than 200 community-focused partnerships endeavors and played a critical role in creating the now internationally lauded and nationally award-winning Detroit 67 Project: Looking Back to Move Forward. This multi-faceted community engagement initiative honors and elevates the history and stories behind Detroit’s July 1967 Uprising.

After contributing her time and talents to such organizations as Search Institute, the Forum for Youth Investment, the National League of Cities: Institute for Youth Education and Families, and the Thrive Foundation for Youth, she returned to her native Detroit in 2015. She remains a committed servant leader.

MODERATOR

Chanel Hampton

Founder and CEO, Strategic Community Partners

Chanel Hampton serves as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Community Partners (SCP), a Detroit-based mission-driven consulting firm. Her educational, professional, and civic career has shaped her expertise in equity, leadership development, performance management, operations optimization, and diversity recruitment. Her career has taken her across the country and globally to impact missions and offer her expertise to a broad and diverse span of communities and partners.

This virtual workshop is the third installment of the Culture for Change Preview Series! Hosted by Strategic Community Partners, the inaugural Culture for Change Conference will take place July 13-16. Stay tuned for more Preview Sessions and for details on the conference in the coming weeks.

Engaging With and In Community Beyond COVID-19