Columbus Metropolitan Club

Could fresh thinking about philanthropy help save the lives of mothers and babies in Central Ohio? This CMC panel explores how participatory grantmaking, trust-based philanthropy, and low-barrier funding promise to improve the lives of Central Ohio’s mothers and babies. Featuring: Isi Ikharebha Green, President, Physicians CareConnection Kelley Griesmer, President and CEO, The Women's Fund of Central Ohio Jill Miller, President and CEO, Bethesda Inc. and bi3 Danielle Tong, Executive Director, CelebrateOne The moderator was Jennifer Bullock, Weekday Anchor, NBC4. This forum was sponsored by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. The livestream presenting sponsor was The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. The livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch. It was supported by Vue Columbus. This forum was recorded before a live audience at Vue Columbus in Columbus, Ohio's Brewery District on October 2, 2024.

What would Central Ohio's future look like with safe, affordable mixed-income neighborhoods as a part of everyday life? How much healthier, stronger, and more equitable would our region be? Today, we examine the links connecting housing, health, and opportunity and spotlight the will to act that could open the gates to healthier outcomes for all. Featuring: Merisa Bowers, Council President & Member At-Large, Gahanna City Council Michael B. Coleman, Former Mayor, City of Columbus, and Partner, Ice Miller Dr. Craig Pollack, Katey Ayers Endowed Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Kenneth L. Wright, Mayor & Council Member At-Large, City of Westerville The moderator was Darci Congrove, Managing Director, GBQ. This forum was sponsored by The Robert Weiler Company and the Thanks Be To God Foundation. The livestream presenting sponsor was The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. The livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch. It was supported by The Ellis. This forum was recorded before a live audience at The Ellis in Columbus, Ohio's historic Italian Village on September 25, 2024.

Will an innovative new collaboration help Central Ohio attract and build the workforce it needs? The Central Ohio Workforce Development Network is a new large-scale collaborative between thirteen organizations that backers say will open a wide new pipeline funneling eager workers to employers. With a panel of employment advocates and regional leaders, we unpack this newest effort to keep Central Ohio’s talent pool filled to the brim. Featuring: Toni Cunningham, President & CEO, Godman Guild Lisa Divine, Manager, Learning and Development, Worthington Steel Scott Johnson, Director, Central Ohio Workforce Development Network The moderator is Bo Chilton, CEO, IMPACT Community Action This forum was sponsored by Accenture, Battelle, Otterbein University, Regionomics, and The United Way of Central Ohio. The livestream presenting sponsor was The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. The livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch. It was supported by The Ellis and Aspyr. This forum was recorded before a live audience at The Ellis in Columbus, Ohio's historic Italian Village on September 18, 2024.

According to Hunger Ohio, Ohio has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the country, with over 400,000 children across the state living in food-insecure households. That’s 1 in 5 children unsure of where their next meal is coming from. While the U.S. average hunger rate is 10.4%, Ohio’s is even higher at 11.5%. A food-insecure household can’t provide, or is worried about providing, enough food for a household member because of a lack of money or resources. It’s a daunting – and daily – challenge for thousands, even in an area as relatively prosperous as Central Ohio. Hunger is an issue that impacts Ohioans of all ages, families of all sizes, and can even be found on the region’s college campuses. And while pandemic-era relief programs were a windfall to many food assistance programs, much of this funding has ended, and recent inflation has further stretched already-inadequate food budgets. What would it take to end hunger once and for all in Central Ohio? To help answer this question, and to mark Hunger Action Month, CMC brings together a lineup of passionate experts to spotlight hunger in our midst and the actionable steps we can take together. Featuring Matt Habash, President & CEO, Mid-Ohio Food Collective; Dr. Mysheika W. Roberts, Health Commissioner, Columbus Public Health; Dr. Carol Bradford, Dean of the Ohio State University School of Medicine and Vice President of Health Sciences at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; Adam Troy, Executive Director, Community of Caring Development Foundation with moderator Michelle Moskowitz Brown, President & CEO, Children’s Hunger Alliance. This forum was sponsored by The Jeffrey Family Legacy Fund, Kroger, Nationwide, and The Osteopathic Heritage Foundation. The livestream presenting sponsor was The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. The livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch. It was supported by The Ellis. This forum was recorded before a live audience at The Ellis in Columbus, Ohio's historic Italian Village on September 11, 2024.

In today’s polarized landscape, can we still have constructive bipartisan dialogue, especially with a contentious election season underway? Are good-faith discussions across divides even possible in America’s white-hot political climate? Our panelists say not only are they possible, they’re essential if our democracy is to survive and thrive. By fostering respect and understanding – and most importantly, by truly listening to one another - we can still bridge gaps, collaborate, and succeed. Join us with an incredible panel of public servants who believe bipartisan dialogue in a democratic society is both possible and indispensable. Featuring: Lee Fisher, Former Ohio Attorney General, and Dean and Joseph C. Hostetler-BakerHostetler Chair in Law, Cleveland State University College of Law; Betty Montgomery, Former Ohio Attorney General, and Of Counsel, Mac Murray & Shuster; Nancy Rogers, Former Ohio Attorney General, and Professor Emeritus and Director of the Law and Leadership Program, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. The moderator is Judge Laurel Beatty Blunt, 10th District Court of Appeals, State of Ohio. This forum was sponsored by The Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer Legacy Committee of the Ohio State Bar Association and Porter Wright Morris and Arthur. The livestream presenting sponsor was The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. The livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch. It was supported by The League of Women Voters of Metropolitan Columbus and by The Ellis. This forum was recorded before a live audience at The Ellis in Columbus, Ohio's historic Italian Village on September 4, 2024.

It’s no secret that Central Ohio’s women face unique barriers in the creation and accumulation of their personal wealth. The cost of the disparity is enormous: the Federal Reserve estimated that closing gender and racial wealth gaps could have increased Ohio's GDP by $67 billion between 2005 and 2019. This week’s forum digs into the challenges Central Ohio women face in the creation of personal wealth and the new data and policies needed to close the disparity. Featuring: Courtney Falato, Vice President and Program Officer, Global Philanthropy, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Hannah Halbert, Executive Director, Policy Matters Ohio Kimberly Minor, President and CEO, Women of Color Retail Alliance Lillian Morales-Laster, Executive Director, Empowering Latinas Leadership Academy (ELLA) The moderator was Kelley Griesmer, President and CEO, The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio. This forum was sponsored by The Ohio State University and The Ellis. The livestream presenting sponsor was The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. The livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch.  This forum was recorded before a live audience at The Ellis in Columbus, Ohio's historic Italian Village on August 28, 2024.

The free press and democracy draw strength from each other. When one fails, or is deliberately targeted for destruction, the other is likely to also be a casualty. This week’s forum dives into the importance of a free press and the role journalism plays in keeping democracy vigorous. Featuring: Rita McNeil Danish, CEO of Signal Ohio Dr. Kelly Garrett, Director, School of Communication at The Ohio State University Michael Shearer, Executive Editor of The Columbus Dispatch The moderator is Rodney Dunigan, Assistant News Director with ABC 6. The forum partner was The Columbus Dispatch.  The livestream presenting sponsor was The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. The livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch. It was supported by The Ellis. This forum was recorded at The Ellis in Columbus Ohio's historic Italian Village on August 21, 2024.

Get ready for retirement, because it’s coming: while not everyone in Central Ohio is ready to clock out for the last time, the region will soon have more residents reaching the age of 65 than starting kindergarten. It’s a situation with enormous implications for employers, school districts, healthcare providers, and taxpayers. The 65 age group of Franklin County residents is the fastest growing segment of the county’s population, increasing over 50% between 2010 and 2022. During that time, the number of kindergartners – the 0-4 age group – grew by just 2.4%. According to a Columbus Dispatch article published earlier this year, the median age nationally is now 39 years old, rising steadily from 37.2 in 2010 and 35.2 in 2000. Ohio’s average age is even higher at 39.6 years. What policy and infrastructure changes are needed now to meet the housing, transit, homecare and healthcare needs of what’s rapidly becoming most of us? It’s a situation with HUGE implications for employers, school districts, healthcare providers, and taxpayers. Featuring: Dr. Holly Dabelko-Schoeny, Director of Research for The Age-Friendly Innovation Center, The Ohio State University College of Social Work Katie White, Director, The Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging Kalitha Williams, Outreach and Advocacy Manager, AARP Ohio Chanda Wingo, Director, Franklin County Office on Aging The moderator is Tasha Booker, Caregiver and Senior Vice President for External Engagement, City Year. This forum was sponsored by AARP Ohio, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, and The Isabelle Ridgeway Foundation. The livestream presenting sponsor was The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. The livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch. It was supported by The Ellis. This forum was recorded at The Ellis in Columbus Ohio's historic Italian Village on August 7, 2024.

Columbus, Ohio has been stacking up impressive accolades for some time. The city is home to some of the country’s top attractions, world-class sports, a great restaurant and bar scene, and a growing and diversifying population that’s significantly younger than the statewide average. Recently, Experience Columbus – the destination marketing organization for Columbus – launched a new campaign to bring attention to the great things Columbus has and is. Its “yes, Columbus” campaign has set its sights on sharing the city’s greatness with potential visitors and residents and draws on findings from a communitywide perception study from 2023 that showed that while those who know Columbus are positive, familiarity with Ohio’s capital city is low outside of Ohio. What is the new campaign and what will its reach be? What is the Columbus brand? Columbus has long sought to shape a unique identity that’s appealing, aspirational, and authentic to who we are and what we want to become. Can we? Featuring: Yohannan Terrell, CEO, Warhol & WALL ST., and Director, Columbus Fashion Initiative Sarah Townes, Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer, Experience Columbus Stephanie Spicer, President, Luquire Steve Susi, Senior Director, Brand Strategy, Northwestern Mutual The moderator is Jennifer Walton, Chief Brand Officer, Sky Nile Consulting. The livestream presenting sponsor was The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. The livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch. It was supported by The Ellis. This forum was recorded at The Ellis in Columbus Ohio's historic Italian Village on July 31, 2024.

More than 1.5 million Ohioans – over 13% of the state’s population – lives in the cities governed by our three July 24 forum panelists. We welcome the current mayors of Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland, Ohio for an extraordinary program as these three dynamic leaders discuss the unique challenges and opportunities facing their 21st century cities. We’ll hear their strategies for economic growth, urban development, transit, community engagement, and much more. Join us for this rare opportunity to hear firsthand from the mayors shaping the future of Ohio’s three largest cities. Featuring:  Andrew Ginther, Mayor, City of Columbus Justin Bibb, Mayor, City of Cleveland And Aftab Pureval, Mayor, City of Cincinnati The moderator is Yolanda Harris, News Anchor, WBNS-10TV This forum was sponsored by Bricker Graydon, The Columbus Region, The Ohio Mayors Alliance, and Spectrum. The livestream presenting sponsor was The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. The livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch. It was supported by The Ellis. This forum was recorded at The Ellis in Columbus, Ohio's historic Italian Village on July 24, 2024.