The Community's Conversation

People can order groceries, deposit checks, and manage their healthcare from a smartphone. So why does dealing with government still sometimes require paperwork, phone trees, waits, and multiple websites?

Across Ohio and Central Ohio, that's changing. From the Ohio BMV's digital upgrades to COTA's "Tap to Pay" fare technology, local broadband efforts, and AI-enabled traffic management, public agencies are rethinking how government serves residents and businesses.

The goal isn't just to digitize paperwork. It's to make public services more capable, faster, and centered on citizens. Who benefits when government goes digital? Can government funding be equally innovative across a huge spectrum of complex services? And what does it take to build public systems that are not only faster, but fairer?

This week's forum unpacks how innovation, technology, and better design are helping public agencies earn trust, save time, lower barriers, boost Ohio's competitiveness, and even strengthen democracy.

Featuring:

Remard Colston, InnovateOhio Platform Administrator, State of Ohio

Angel Mumma, Chief Administrative Officer, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium; former Chief Financial Officer, COTA; and former Director of Finance, City of Dublin

Daniel Poliquin, Principal, Digital Trust & Privacy / Government and Public Sector, Deloitte & Touche

The host is Megan Kilgore, Co-Founder of BKC Group and Former Auditor for the City of Columbus.

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

This forum was also supported by Downtown Columbus, Inc. and The National Veterans Memorial and Museum.

CMC's theme music was composed by Jeffrey Ciampa.

If you would like to keep exploring this week's forum topic, our fantastic partners at The Columbus Metropolitan Library recommend reading Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better, by Jennifer Pahlka (2023).

America's experiment in democracy was designed and launched 250 years ago—and it hasn't stopped evolving since. As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, we reframe America's semiquincentennial not as a momentary celebration, but as a democratic handoff with a commitment to the future.

Can the age-old promise of American democracy be refined, improved, nurtured, and preserved? With a panel of key thought leaders, we explore what the next era of democracy in America may demand, including ethical and corruption-free leadership, responsive institutions, stable and solid democratic norms, civic education, and redesigned systems and processes that better serve the public.

Centering Ohio and Columbus as testing grounds, we ask how American communities can move from reflection to renewal—and what responsibility today's leaders and citizens have to future generations of Americans.

Featuring:

Robert Alt, President and CEO, The Buckeye Institute Rita McNeil Danish, Interim CEO, The Matriots Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries, College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Associate Professor of History, The Ohio State University

The host is Lee Strang, Executive Director, Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society, and Professor of Law, Moritz College of Law, The Ohio State University.

This forum was sponsored by JPMorgan Chase & Co. CMC's forum partner was The League of Women Voters of Metropolitan Columbus.

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

This forum was also supported by Downtown Columbus, Inc. and The National Veterans Memorial and Museum. CMC's theme music was composed by Jeffrey Ciampa.

If you would like to keep exploring this week's forum topic, our fantastic partners at The Columbus Metropolitan Library recommend reading "On Mindful Democracy: A Declaration of Interdependence to Mend a Fractured World," by Jeremy Engels (2026)

This forum was recorded before a live audience at The National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio on August 12, 2026.

Public monuments tell us what a community chooses to remember — and who it chooses to see. For generations, the Ohio Statehouse grounds have honored presidents, governors, astronauts, and statesmen — but not actual women.

That will change this fall, when the new Ohio Women's Monument is unveiled on Capitol Square, becoming the first monument on the Statehouse grounds to depict real women and their role in shaping Ohio's history.

Ahead of the unveiling, we explore the story behind this landmark project: the women it honors, the artist bringing it to life, the public-private partnership making it possible, and the larger question of who gets remembered in the civic spaces we all share.

As Ohio and the nation mark America's 250th birthday, we ask what it means to finally place women's courage, leadership, and fight for equality at the center of Ohio's public memory.

Featuring:

Brenda Councill, Ohio Women's Monument Artist and Sculptor

Stephanie Kunze, Chair of the Ohio Women's Monument Commission, Capitol Square Foundation Board Member, and Former State of Ohio Senator

Charley Moses, Capitol Square Foundation Board Chair

The moderator is Charlene Brown, Co-Host, WOSU Public Media's "Columbus Neighborhoods" TV Series. CMC President & CEO Sophia Fifner delivers closing remarks.

This forum was sponsored by KeyBank. Our forum partner was the League of Women Voters of Metropolitan Columbus.

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

This forum was also supported by Downtown Columbus, Inc. and The National Veterans Memorial and Museum.

CMC's theme music was composed by Jeffrey Ciampa.

If you would like to dive more deeply into this topic, our friends at the Columbus Metropolitan Library suggest checking out "Buckeye Women: the History of Ohio's Daughters," by Stephanie Elise Booth, 2001. This forum was recorded before a live audience at The National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio on August 5, 2026.

For generations, the Midwest built the products, industries, and institutions that powered America. Now we're racing to build what comes next: AI companies, advanced manufacturing ventures, health innovations, and more, all with new models of work and ownership. Across the region, founders are launching companies that are going to revolutionize how we manufacture, move, heal, learn, and live. What will this new Midwest look like? How can everyone contribute? How can more people benefit? Can Midwest cities collaborate instead of compete for the same talent and capital?

Featuring:

Brian Brackeen, Managing Partner, Lightship Anchor Fund

Shannon McGhee, CEO, SEED SPOT

Ted Velie, CEO, Midwest House, and Co-Founder, Start Midwest

Your host is Wolf Starr, Founder and CEO, Venture Atlas.

This forum was sponsored by 614 Tech Week. CMC's forum partner was Midwest House.

The presenting sponsor of the CMC livestream is The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. CMC's livestream partner is The Columbus Dispatch. This forum is also supported by Downtown Columbus, Inc. and The Idea Foundry.

CMC's theme music was composed by Jeffrey Ciampa.

If you would like to keep exploring this week's forum topic, our fantastic partners at The Columbus Metropolitan Library recommend reading "Midwest Futures" by Phil Christman (2020).

This forum was recorded before a live audience at The Idea Foundry in Columbus, Ohio on July 29, 2026.

Community need is growing while many people feel increasingly disconnected—from their neighbors, their workplaces, and even their sense of purpose. What if one solution could begin to address all three? In this Columbus Metropolitan Club forum, leaders from philanthropy, business, and the nonprofit sectors explore how volunteering and community engagement strengthen organizations, improve employee culture, and build healthier, more resilient communities.

Featuring:

Matthew Goldstein, CEO, Besa

Carrie Maun-Smith, Assistant Vice President, Inclusive Culture, Change & Community Impact, Grange Insurance, and Foundation President, Grange Enterprise Gives

Kerri Mollard, Founder and CEO, Mollard Consulting

Your host is Janelle Coleman, President, American Electric Power Foundation.

This forum was sponsored by The AEP Ohio Foundation, Besa, GBQ, Grange Insurance, Ian Alexander Photography, Installed Building Products, Mollard Consulting, and Taft Law.

The presenting sponsor of the CMC livestream is The Center for Human Kindness at The Columbus Foundation. CMC's livestream partner is The Columbus Dispatch.

This forum is also supported by Downtown Columbus, Inc. and The National Veterans Memorial and Museum.

If you'd like to keep exploring this week's forum topic, our fantastic partners at The Columbus Metropolitan Library recommend reading "Mastering Community: The Surprising Ways Coming Together Moves Us from Surviving to Thriving," by Christine Porath (2022). This forum was recorded before a live audience at The National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio on July 22, 2026.

Columbus' major airports are much more than places to catch a flight. John Glenn International, Rickenbacker International, and Bolton Field are the region's front doors — a first impression for visitors, a critical link for global businesses, and a major piece of the critical infrastructure needed to support Central Ohio's next chapter of growth.

As Daren Griffin takes the helm as the new President & CEO of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, he arrives at a truly defining moment. John Glenn International is building a new $2 billion terminal, Rickenbacker International continues to play a major and ever-growing role in cargo and economic development, and Columbus travelers are asking the question every growing region faces: where can we fly from here?

Meet Daren Griffin as we explore what's ahead for aviation in our region and how Central Ohio's growth will depend on bold airport innovations and investment. How will John Glenn's gleaming new terminal change the passenger experience? What will it take to attract more nonstop flights and stronger global connections? How are new technology, airline economics, cargo logistics, workforce needs, and customer expectations reshaping the future and the experience of air travel?

Featuring:

Daren Griffin, President & CEO, The Columbus Regional Airport Authority

Deborah Scherer, Senior Vice President, Global Trade & Investment, One Columbus

Your host is Jerod Smalley, Anchor, WCMH NBC4, and Host, Columbus 2.0.

This forum was sponsored by The Columbus Regional Airport Authority. The presenting sponsor of the CMC livestream is The Center for Human Kindness at The Columbus Foundation. CMC's livestream partner is The Columbus Dispatch. This forum was also supported by Downtown Columbus, Inc. and The National Veterans Memorial and Museum.

If you'd like to dive more deeply into this topic, our fantastic partners at the Columbus Metropolitan Library suggest checking out "Building of an Airport: Port Columbus," by Robert F. Kirk (2019).

Central Ohio's future promises growth, momentum, and opportunity. But as the region adds more people and faces mounting pressure on housing, health care, and human services, a challenging question is emerging: will the systems we rely on be able to keep up? In this forum, we take one of the first public looks at a major new long-range study on human needs in Central Ohio through 2050. Commissioned by Columbus City Council and the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County, an all-new Regionomics report examines how population growth and change are likely to reshape housing, poverty, homelessness, health, disability, workforce participation, and more across the 10-county region. With experts, we'll unpack the study's most urgent findings and explore what they mean for the future of the region. Where will the greatest strain show up first? Who is most at risk of being left behind? And what must public leaders, service providers, and all of us do now to prepare for the needs of a future Central Ohio? Featuring: Michael Corey, Executive Director, The Human Service Chamber of Franklin County Rhea Cunningham, CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio Melissa Green, Columbus City Councilmember Dr. Bill LaFayette, Owner, Regionomics The host is Jordan Laird, Columbus Government and Politics Reporter, The Columbus Dispatch. This forum was sponsored by The Bank of America Foundation. The presenting sponsor of the CMC livestream was The Center for Human Kindness at The Columbus Foundation. CMC's livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch. This forum was also supported by Downtown Columbus, Inc. and The National Veterans Memorial and Museum. To read the complete new Regionomics report, "Columbus in 2025, 2035, and 2050: A Survey of Human Needs Now and in the Future," please visit the website of the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County. If you would like to keep exploring this week's forum topic, our fantastic partners at The Columbus Metropolitan Library recommend reading Another World is Possible: Lessons for America from Around the Globe, by Natasha Zapata (2025). This forum was recorded before a live audience at The National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio on July 8, 2026

There might be more public resources for mental health than ever before — awareness months, crisis lines, wellness apps, and hashtags. But when someone's real life falls apart, many of us still don't know what to say, what to do, or how to show up.

In a deeply personal essay recently published in The Columbus Dispatch, CMC President and CEO Sophia Fifner wrote about grief, depression, coming out, divorce, trauma, and the loneliness that can hide behind leadership and practiced smiles.

Retired U.S. Army Colonel Bill Butler, now president of Columbus' National Veterans Memorial and Museum, described himself as a "hot mess" struggling with nightmares and guilt following the chaotic withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in 2021.

Their stories raise a larger civic question: What happens when the hardest parts of human experience don't fit neatly into the rituals we already know, like births, weddings, funerals, cards, and yes - casseroles?

How do loneliness, grief, trauma, and isolation shape our ability to live well? What can veterans, parents, nonprofit leaders, and our friends and neighbors teach us about resilience? What are the limits of resilience when people are left to carry too much alone? Can Central Ohio build a stronger culture of care, where people are not expected to disappear politely behind the mask of being "fine"?

Featuring:

Dr. John Ackerman, Suicide Prevention Clinical Manager, Center for Suicide Prevention and Research, Nationwide Children's Hospital

Bill Butler, President, The National Veterans Memorial and Museum

Sophia Fifner, President & CEO, The Columbus Metropolitan Club Your host is Stacia Naquin, News Anchor, WBNS 10TV.

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

This forum was sponsored by The Thanks Be to God Foundation. It was also supported by Downtown Columbus, Inc. and The National Veterans Memorial and Museum.

If you would like to keep exploring this week's forum topic, our fantastic partners at The Columbus Metropolitan Library recommend reading A Little More Social: How Small Choices Create Unexpected Happiness, Health, and Connection by Nicholas Epley (2026).

This forum was recorded before a live audience at The National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio on June 24, 2026. If you, or someone you know, is in crisis, please call, text, or chat 988 for free, confidential, 24/7 support from trained crisis counselors.

When communities face urgent challenges—from housing instability and food insecurity to family crisis—nonprofits often respond first and stay the longest. Yet many organizations are being asked to do more while navigating outdated funding systems, delayed reimbursements, and growing financial pressures. This week, leaders from philanthropy, government, and the nonprofit sector explore how funding models can evolve to better support the organizations that help communities thrive. What would it look like to fund nonprofit work in ways that are more flexible, responsive, and sustainable? And what role do government, philanthropy, businesses, and community partners play in making a better future possible?

Featuring:

Lindsay Baker, Vice President and Director of Philanthropy and Engagement - Central Ohio, The Huntington National Bank Emmalyn Jerome, CEO, Lower Lights Ministries Hannah Jones, Deputy Director, Department of Development, City of Columbus Phil Washburn, President & CEO, The Furniture Bank of Central Ohio

The host is Sheldon K. Johnson, Executive Director, Partners Achieving Community Transformation (PACT).

The presenting sponsors of this forum are The Columbus Foundation, Huntington Bank, and Nationwide.

This forum is also sponsored by Bath & Body Works, Benefactor Group, Columbia Gas of Ohio, Cramer & Associates, Encova Insurance, Installed Building Products, and Mollard Consulting.

The presenting sponsor of the CMC livestream is The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. CMC's livestream partner is The Columbus Dispatch.

This forum was also supported by Downtown Columbus, Inc. and The National Veterans Memorial and Museum.

If you would like to keep exploring this week's forum topic, our partners at The Columbus Metropolitan Library recommend reading Reimagining Nonprofits and Philanthropy: Unlocking the Full Potential of a Vital and Complex Sector by Vu Le (2026).

This forum was recorded before a live audience at The National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio on June 17, 2026.

Columbus is getting a National Women's Soccer League team—and with it, a powerful new chapter in the region's sports story is beginning. Set to begin play in 2028, the franchise brings major-league momentum, prominent ownership, and growing excitement around the future of women's sports in Central Ohio.

How did Columbus land the bid, and how can the region make the most of the opportunity? How are leaders navigating both the opportunities and tensions surrounding the project? As anticipation builds, we examine not just what it took to win a team—but how Columbus can turn its win into lasting and equitable public value.

Featuring:

Andrew J. Ginther, Mayor, City of Columbus Linda Logan, CEO & President, The Greater Columbus Sports Commission Mary Shepro, President of Business Operations, Columbus Crew

The host is Kristen McFarland, former professional soccer player and News Reporter, WBNS 10TV.

This forum was sponsored by Downtown Columbus, Inc. and Osborn Engineering.

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

This forum was also supported by Downtown Columbus, Inc. and The National Veterans Memorial and Museum.

If you would like to keep exploring this week's forum topic, our fantastic partners at The Columbus Metropolitan Library recommend reading The Fast Track by Jane McManus (2025).

This forum was recorded before a live audience at The National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio on June 10, 2026.