Building Together 2026 - Plenary Sessions
Plenary Sessions
The Building Together plenaries will take attendees on a three-part journey into building the heartset, mindset, and skillset needed to constructively engage across differences, find common ground, and solve shared problems. These sessions are designed to ground participants in the realities of our moment, translate those realities into everyday practice, and culminate in a clear call to action.
Each session will explore three core questions:
- What does the science tell us?
- What does our work show us?
- What does that leave us with?
All plenaries will be facilitated by author and curiosity expert Scott Shigeoka, who will weave the plenary themes together.
Meeting Conflict with Courage and Hope
Tuesday, May 5 | 9 - 10:30 a.m.
Division continues to shape our politics, our communities, and even our sense of one another. In this plenary we’ll take a clear-eyed look at the stark challenges of our time—including the growing realities of political violence and extremism. Together, we’ll consider what it means to live in a society capable of holding and valuing differences, without losing its humanity. Featuring speakers with deep experience in peacebuilding, anti-extremism, and depolarization, this plenary invites us to step into our roles with courage and align philanthropic investments, partnerships, and leadership to meet these challenges.
Welcome from Host Committee: Lara Littlefield, Executive Director, Allen Family Philanthropies; Alesha Washington, President & CEO, Seattle Foundation
Civic Science Talk: Professor Kurt Gray, Weary Foundation Endowed Chair in Social Psychology, The Ohio State University
Video Interview: Rt. Hn. Dame Jacinda Ardern, Patron, Christchurch Call Foundation; Kathleen Enright, President and CEO, Council on Foundations
Fireside Chat: Shamil Idriss, CEO, Search for Common Ground; Kathleen Enright, President and CEO, Council on Foundations
Funder Reflection: Michael Brown, Chief Architect; Civic Commons; Ali Noorani, President, Barr Foundation
Emcee: Scott Shigeoka, Author, Speaker, and Curiosity Expert, Lead With
Which Values Lead Toward Change?
Wednesday, May 6 | 9 - 10:30 a.m.
What motivates us to build the heartset and mindset to bring communities across the country together? Join us to listen in on a conversation among faith leaders as they grapple with humbling questions about moral authority, what is truly within our power to change, and how we know if our work is making things better—or inadvertently worse.
Welcome from Working Group: Ali Noorani, President, Barr Foundation; Nancy Van Milligen, President and CEO, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque
Civic Science Talk: Dr. Samantha Moore-Berg, Assistant Professor of Social Psychology, University of Utah
Panel Discussion: Aaron Alexander, Senior Rabbi, Adas Israel; Hurunnessa Fariad, Vice President of Strategic Funding and Relations, TAOFL; Andrew Hanauer, President and CEO, One America Movement; Dr. Joel Rainey, Lead Pastor, Covenant Church
Award Presentation and Funder Reflection: Kayce Ataiyero, Chief External Affairs Officer, The Joyce Foundation; Shelly O'Quinn, CEO, Innovia Foundation
Emcee: Scott Shigeoka, Author, Speaker, and Curiosity Expert, Lead With
Belonging, a Bridge to Possibility
Thursday, May 7 | 9 - 11 a.m.
What becomes possible when people feel seen and valued? And how can belonging be cultivated in unexpected places—both in practice, and in culture? Together, we’ll discuss what a more connected society could look like, and what kind of commitment it will take to build.
Civic Science Talk: Sohad Murrar, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Illinois Chicago
Spark Talks: Joey Clift, Comedian/TV Writer; Adrian H. Molina, Co-Director, Warm Cookies of the Revolution
Keynote: Eric Liu, Co-Founder and CEO, Citizen University
Funder Reflection: Sarah Cross, Senior Vice President, Stand Together; Carla Fredericks, CEO, The Christensen Fund
Practice Team Reflection: Kristen Scott Kennedy, Executive Vice President, Council on Foundations
Emcee: Scott Shigeoka, Author, Speaker, and Curiosity Expert, Lead With
Civic Science Talks sponsored by Rita Allen Foundation
