The Community's Conversation

For the first time since 2019, the all-new Columbus Foundation Community Benchmarking Report has measured how Central Ohio compares to more than 20 peer regions across more than 50 metrics and indices.

Building on more than a decade of community tracking, this newest research across a range of metrics offers a clear window to understanding how Central Ohio stacks up to comparable metro areas and gives us one of the best snapshots of where our region finds itself on this side of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The findings dive deeply into five overall categories – population vitality, economic strength, personal prosperity, lifelong learning, and overall community wellbeing.

In this first of two forums, we'll reflect on the results of the last benchmarking study in 2019 before diving deep into the findings of the first two categories: Population Vitality & Economic Strength – to see how Central Ohio measures up to its peers.

The complete new report can be downloaded here.

Featuring:

Matt Martin, Director of Community Research, The Columbus Foundation

Kenny McDonald, President and CEO, One Columbus

Padmini Roy-Dixon, Economic Development Director & Regional Innovation Officer, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission

The host is Doug Buchanan, Editor in Chief, Columbus Business First.

This forum was sponsored by The Columbus Foundation. The presenting sponsor of CMC's livestream was The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation.

CMC's livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch.

It was also supported by The Ellis. This forum was recorded before a live audience at The Ellis in Columbus, Ohio's historic Italian Village on November 13, 2024.

This extraordinary and historic forum welcomes The Reverend Nontombi Naomi Tutu as we gather following the election to reconcile and reflect on the common goal of preserving democracy, upholding justice, and to re-commit to listening to one another in good faith and with open minds and hearts.

The Reverend Nontombi Naomi Tutu, daughter of Archbishop Desmond and Nomalizo Leah Tutu, knew from early in life that the one thing she would never be is a priest. She has always said, "I have my father's nose, I do not want his job" but life had other plans… After years spent as a development consultant, educator and race and gender activist she accepted her call to ordained ministry.

The challenges of growing black and female in apartheid South Africa have been the foundation of Reverend Tutu's life as an activist for human rights. Those experiences taught her that our whole human family loses when we accept situations of oppression, and how the teaching and preaching of hate and division injure us all.

Featuring The Reverend Nontombi Naomi Tutu, Daughter of Archbishop Desmond and Nomalizo Leah Tutu, and Priest Associate, All Saint's Episcopal, Atlanta, Georgia, and with moderator Colleen Marshall, Anchor, NBC4.

This forum was sponsored by Otterbein University and The Health Policy Institute of Ohio. It was supported by Urban Strings Columbus.

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 November 6, 2024.

Optimal Health Series Central Ohio is home to global leaders in healthcare, but access to healthcare remains uneven in the region as it is for much of the country. What are the costs of uneven healthcare coverage to our region, and what are the factors that prevent many from getting the care they need? With a panel of passionate healthcare leaders, we dive into the true costs of uneven access to healthcare in Central Ohio and how the doors to quality healthcare can be opened for all.

Featuring:

Dr. Chyke Doubeni, Chief Health Equity Officer, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Carrie Harris-Muller, Senior Vice President and Chief Population Health Officer, OhioHealth

Amy Rohling McGee, President, Health Policy Institute of Ohio

Kate Tullio, Associate Vice President for Health Equity, CareSource

The moderator is Angela Dawson, Executive Director, Ohio Commission on Minority Health

The presenting sponsors of CMC's long-running Optimal Health Series are The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, OhioHealth, and Nationwide Children's Hospital.

This forum was also sponsored by AstraZeneca and Cardinal Health.

The livestream presenting sponsor was The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. The livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch.

It was also supported by The Ellis.

This forum was recorded before a live audience at The Ellis in Columbus, Ohio's historic Italian Village on October 23, 2024.

With early voting already underway, Ohio voters are being asked to decide if a new approach to redrawing the state's electoral districts is necessary. At stake is potentially nothing less than the future control of Ohio's statewide legislative bodies.

The nonprofit Citizens Not Politicians asserts that Ohio's current electoral districts are gerrymandered – or drawn unfairly to tilt the electoral playing field – and favors Republicans who currently control both the Ohio House and Senate, while Republican leaders have said no such unfairness exists and that the Democratic failure to secure more of Ohio's legislative seats is simply an accurate reflection of voter preference.

If the proposed ballot initiative passes, control over drawing Ohio's electoral districts will pass from politicians to a new 15-member nonpartisan board.

Will the state's voters agree that gerrymandering is an issue Ohio needs to solve with a fresh approach, or will the status quo win out? We unpack the future of Ohio's legislative districts and the stark choice the state's voters face this fall.

Featuring:

Kareem Crayton, Vice President, The Brennan Center for Justice

Keith Faber, Ohio Auditor of State

Maureen O'Connor, Former Chief Justice, The Supreme Court of Ohio

Bradley Smith, The Josiah H. Blackmore II / Shirley M. Nault Professor of Law, Capital University

The moderator is Jessie Balmert, State Government Reporter, The Columbus Dispatch | Gannett | USA Today Network.

This forum was sponsored by The Charles F. Kettering Foundation, The Ohio Chamber of Commerce, and The Ohio Debate Commission. Our forum partner was The League of Women Voters of Metropolitan Columbus.

The livestream presenting sponsor was The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. CMC's livestream and marketing partner was The Columbus Dispatch. It was supported by Vue Columbus.

This forum was recorded before a live audience at Vue Columbus in the Brewery District on October 16, 2024.

An erosion of LGBTQ+ rights seems to be the latest casualty of America's deepening polarization. This week's panel takes stock of the trajectory of LGBTQ+ rights and what the future may hold for LGBTQ+ Ohioans and their families.

Featuring:

The Honorable Nickie J. Antonio, Ohio State Senate Democratic Leader

Karen Hewitt, Founder and CEO, K Hewitt Consulting, and Co-Founder and COO, The Ohio REST Collective

Cam Ogden, Policy Manager, Equality Ohio

Ken Schneck, Editor, The Buckeye Flame

The moderator was Ronald Murray, Associate Director of Health Advocacy at Equitas Health, and Community Engagement Liaison, Stonewall Columbus.

This forum was sponsored by the Lynn Greer Legacy in Civic Engagement Fund Celebrating Inclusion & Equity for the LGBTQ Community, Huckleberry House, and Encova Insurance.

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 the Brewery District on October 9, 2024

Could fresh thinking about philanthropy help save the lives of mothers and babies in Central Ohio? This 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?

For the most part, this is now just a dream for many central Ohioans. Our region is experiencing a severe housing shortage because we've built an average of only 8,000 housing units per year for more than a decade, while 20,000 units per year were needed to balance supply and demand. This caused the price of housing for both renters and buyers to increase by more than three times the increase in median income for both renters and homebuyers.

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 panelists:

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 (including opening remarks)

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 and by Families Flourish.

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, our state 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. What would it take to end hunger once and for all in Central Ohio? This forum brings together passionate experts to spotlight hunger in our midst and discuss 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, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Adam Troy, Executive Director, Community of Caring Development Foundation

The moderator was Michelle 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 Former Dean of the Executive Committee for the Divided Community Project, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law

The moderator is Laurel Beatty Blunt, Judge, 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.