2022 Public Policy Summit - Agenda

Agenda

Agenda subject to change. All times in Eastern time.

Tuesday, November 15

12-12:15 p.m.

Opening and Welcome Remarks

Speakers:

  • Kathleen Enright, President and CEO, Council on Foundations

12:15-12:45 p.m.

Keynote: Midterm Election Analysis

With control of both chambers of Congress at stake, this year’s midterm elections have been contentious from the start. In this opening keynote, hear what happened in the midterms, why, and what it means for the U.S. as political analysts demystify the congressional landscape heading into 2023.

Speakers:

  • David Kass, Vice President of Government Affairs and Legal Resources, Council on Foundations (Moderator)
  • Laura Rodriguez, Vice President for Government Affairs, Center for American Progress
  • David Winston, President, Winston Group

12:45-1:15 p.m.

Panel: How the Midterm Elections Could Impact Your Work

Join a discussion on the midterm elections' implications for philanthropy as Council lobbyists Ken Kies, Managing Director of the Federal Policy Group, and Arshi Siddiqui, Partner at Akin Gump, analyze which policies you can expect the new Congress to prioritize and how they could impact your work.

Speakers:

  • Jenn Holcomb, Director of Government Affairs, Council on Foundations (Moderator)
  • Ken Kies, Managing Director, Federal Policy Group
  • Arshi Siddiqui, Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLC

1:15-1:30 p.m.

Break

1:30-3:00 p.m.

Keynote: Better Arguments: A National Civic Initiative Created to Help Bridge Divides

Social divisions and polarization have challenged U.S. philanthropy to deepen bridge-building work. This keynote conversation with philanthropic leaders, led by the Better Arguments Project – a collaboration between the Aspen Institute's Citizenship and American Identity Program, Facing History and Ourselves, and the Allstate Corporation – will provide a different perspective on bridging divides: not papering over them, but learning how to build common ground through understanding historical context, developing emotional intelligence, and recognizing power.

Speakers:

  • Brad Clark, President and CEO, Gill Foundation
  • Katrina Hall, Program Manager, Citizenship and American Identity Program, Aspen Institute
  • May Leong, Senior Institutional Partnerships Officer, East Bay Community Foundation
  • Eric Liu, Executive Director, Citizenship and American Identity Program, Aspen Institute and Citizenship University
  • Jamie Merisotis, President and CEO, Lumina Foundation
  • Steve Seleznow, President and CEO, Arizona Community Foundation

In Partnership With:

Better Arguments Project Logo

3:00-3:30 p.m.

Break

3:30-4:15 p.m.

Panel: Civic Engagement in the Wake of the Midterm Elections

Expanding voter bases and widening the spectrum of civic participation is essential to building common ground and advancing equity. This conversation, in partnership with Funders' Committee for Civic Participation, will feature experts on civic engagement and voter participation in communities of color, as well as opportunities for philanthropy to help improve civic engagement in future elections.

Speakers:

  • LaShanda A. Jackson, Executive Director, Funders Committee for Civic Participation (Moderator)
  • Malika Redmond, Co-founder and CEO, Women Engaged
  • Alejandra Ruiz, Executive Director, Youth Engagement Fund
  • Larry Wright, Executive Director, National Congress of American Indians

In Partnership With:

Funders Committee for Civic Participation Logo

4:15-5:00 p.m.

Panel: Biden-Harris Administration Domestic Priorities: Engaging Communities; Fostering National Unity

Opening Remarks

Inclusive economic development provides an important cornerstone for building common ground and advancing economic prosperity across communities with differing interests and demographics. We are pleased to welcome Don Graves, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Commerce, who will share the Department’s vision of how collaboration with philanthropic partners helps them to meet these goals.   

Speakers:

  • Don Graves, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce 

Agency Panel Discussion: The Priority of National Unity – Building Bridges Through Community Engagement 

At the recent United We Stand Summit, public and private sector entities announced their intent to collaborate with the President and his Administration to address hate-motivated violence and to foster national unity. The Council is pleased to welcome senior officials from the White House, AmeriCorps, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities for a talk on what a whole-of-society response to hate-fueled violence entails and an outline of their efforts to engage civic, faith, and local leaders to foster environments of empathy and unity in communities across the nation.

Speakers:

  • Stephanie Powers, Senior Advisor, Public Policy and Partnerships (Moderator)
  • Ra Joy, Chief of Staff, National Endowment for the Arts
  • Yasmeen Shaheen-McConnell, Senior Advisor for Strategic Partnerships and Acting Strategic Advisor for Native American Affairs, AmeriCorps
  • Anthony Mitchell, Senior Deputy Chair, National Endowment for the Humanities
  • Justin Vail, Special Assistant to the President for Democracy and Civic Participation, White House Domestic Policy Council 

Wednesday, November 16

12-12:15 p.m.

Welcome Back

Speaker:

  • Jay Williams, President and CEO, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving

12:15-1:00 p.m.

Panel: Why Foundations Should Engage in Public Policy

How can public policy and advocacy advance your foundation’s mission? Join this session, featuring the Council’s Policy and Advocacy Training Center, and discuss strategies for leveraging public policy to enhance your organization’s goals and impact. 

Speakers:

  • Sara Watson, Independent Consultant, Watson Strategies, LLC (Moderator)
  • Jennifer Heymoss, Vice President of Initiatives and Public Policy, Kalamazoo Community Foundation
  • Avenel Joseph, Vice President of Policy, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  • Deborah Kong, Program Officer, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
  • Ralph Serpe, President and CEO, Adams County Community Foundation

1:00-1:15 p.m.

Break

1:15-2:05 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions: Peer Policy Roundtables

Public Health's New Normal: How Philanthropy Can Influence Government to Create a Safer America

Facilitators:

  • Rachel Nuzum, Senior Vice President for Federal and State Health Policy, Commonwealth Fund
  • Catherine Patterson, Co-Executive Director of CityHealth, and initiative of the De Beaumont Foundation

Advancing Housing Justice Through Policy Transformation

Facilitators:

  • Lauren Bennett, Director of Communications and Policy, Funders Together to End Homelessness
  • Julian Pierce, Director of Economic Opportunity, Fairfield County Community Foundation

Building Partnerships Across Governments to Advance Economic Equity

Facilitators:

  • Meg Fosque, Manager of Economic Policy Investments, Rockefeller Foundation
  • Deidre Lind, President and CEO, Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles

How Civic Engagement Can Impact Early Childhood Development

Facilitator:

  • Christine Thorsteinson, Director of Early Childhood Development, Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Developing Advocacy Tools to Address the Mental Health Crisis

Facilitator:

  • Zainab Okolo, Strategy Officer, Lumina Foundation

* Additional roundtables to be announced as confirmed.

2:10-2:15 p.m.

Break

2:15-3:00 p.m.

Conversations with Members of Congress

Nothing gets accomplished on the Hill without strong relationships. Listen in on conversations between Members of Congress and foundation leaders about the issues affecting the nonprofit sector and what to expect from the legislative branch in 2023. 

Speakers:

  • Rep. Tom Cole, Member, House of Representatives 
  • Trisha Finnegan, President and CEO, Oklahoma City Community Foundation
  • Juan Martinez, Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, & Treasurer, Knight Foundation 
  • Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Member, House of Representatives 

3:00-3:45 p.m.

Panel: Exploring the Policies that Impact Philanthropy’s Ability to Thrive

As philanthropic giving reaches all-time highs just as Americans need it most, and as philanthropy’s power to address both emerging and long-term needs has never been more important, philanthropy and the policies that affect it have never been more intertwined. Join this exploration of the relationship between public policy and philanthropy and the key ways they intersect.

Speakers:

  • Sally Ehrenfried, Senior Principal of Government Relations, Blackbaud, Inc. (Moderator)
  • Robert Holste, Senior Director of Government Relations, The Pew Charitable Trusts
  • Heather Logelin, President, St. Croix Valley Foundation
  • Marlon Williams, Vice President of Collaboration and Policy, Philanthropy New York
  • Kyle Penney, President and CEO, East Texas Communities Foundation

3:45-4:00 p.m.

Closing Remarks

Speaker:

  • Kenneth Austin, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Wallace Foundation

We would like to recognize and thank the members of the Council's Public Policy Advisory Committee for their support and assistance with this event.

A special thanks to our sponsors

Leadership Partner

Lumina Foundation logo

Supporting Partner

Silicon Valley Community Foundation Logo

Supporting Partner

Wallace Foundation Logo

Supporting Partner

WK Kellogg Foundation Logo

Contributing Partner

Arizona Community Foundation Logo

Contributing Partner

James Graham Brown Foundation logo

Additional Support

Spartanburg County Foundation logo

Media Partner

The Chornicle of Philanthropy logo

Questions?

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