The Community's Conversation

In fewer than three decades, Central Ohio is projected to be home to three million people. Covering just 40 square miles in 1950, the City of Columbus now stretches over 225 square miles. Just how all these residents will move through this vast space is just part of the challenge facing the LinkUS mobility initiative, the topic of today’s CMC forum.

“The LinkUS Columbus Mobility Initiative” was sponsored by HNTB and by AARP Ohio. This forum was recorded before a live audience following COVID protocols at the Boat House in Columbus, Ohio on September 15, 2021.  

The speakers are: 

Andrew J. Ginther, Mayor, City of Columbus

Christie Angel, President and Chief Executive Officer of the YWCA Columbus  

Shannon G. Hardin, President of Columbus City Council  

Monica Jones, Chief Equity Officer with the Central Ohio Transit Authority  

William Murdock, Executive Director of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission  

The host is Mike Thompson, Chief Content Director of News and Public Affairs with WOSU Public Media  

We all remember where we were on September 11, 2001, and probably find it difficult to believe it was 20 years ago. Today’s panelists were in places we heard about on the news: New York, the Pentagon, and stranded on a plane outside the country. Today we’ll hear their compelling personal accounts of September 11, 2001. This forum was recorded before a live audience at the Boat House in Columbus, Ohio on September 8, 2021.

The speakers are:

Scott Light, Journalist and owner of Scott Light Consulting

Shirley Brooks-Jones, Delta Flight 15 Passenger

Special Guest Joe Comartin, Canada’s Consul General to Ohio 

And our host, Jerry Revish, Retired Television News Anchor, WBNS-10TV

While the uncertainty of the past 18 months has challenged us, some things remained constant. One of those, thankfully, has been the Columbus Metropolitan Club Wednesday forums. Throughout the time of COVID restrictions, CMC presented newsworthy, relevant, and current programs every week via livestreaming to thousands of viewers and in house whenever possible.

We’re grateful for the hundreds of people who willingly came to the CMC stage at the Boat House to share their stories, their insights, their expertise, and their unique and varied perspectives.

As a community, we are indebted to the 13 women leaders whose minds conceptualized an organization that welcomed everyone to the conversation. Their vision created the Columbus Metropolitan Club, which held its first forum on September 10, 1976.

We are happy to celebrate their achievement and recognize 45 years of community conversations! The September 1 CMC lunch forum celebrates co-founders Sally Bloomfield and Mary Lazarus as they reminisce about the past decades and explore the future with a new generation of CMC leaders, represented by CMC Board of Trustees members and forum co-hosts Josh Harrison and Toni Bell.

Featuring

Sally Bloomfield, Co-Founder Columbus Metropolitan Club, and Partner, Bricker & Eckler

Mary Lazarus, Co-Founder, Columbus Metropolitan Club

Toni Bell, CEO and Lead for Learning Development, Phoenix Consulting Company, LLC., and Member, CMC Board of Trustees

Josh Harrison, President, Improving – Columbus, and Member, CMC Board of Trustees

Working at a job that keeps your family comfortable enough to own a home, pursue education and have reliable transportation and healthcare were once attainable goals of the middle class. But as we look around at the country today, we see more and more Americans being squeezed by the rising costs of the same things that once felt rightfully within reach. 

After recovering from the Great Recession in 2007-2009 the U.S. has enjoyed 10 years of a bull-market economy, but the median income of middle-class households in 2016 is about the same as it was in 2000. Any financial gains that have been experienced have been modest in comparison to higher-income households, creating an ever-widening disparity between the groups. 

With the stagnating wages and growing income disparity, policy makers struggle on how to define, or redefine, the American middle class. Growing struggles with eviction and restrictive building codes, a lack of point-to-point transit amid an urban sprawl, and high health insurance deductibles and surprise billing prompt new discussions about what it takes to stay ‘middle class’ in the 21st century.

Featuring

Jennifer Carlson, Associate VP External Relations & Advocacy OSU Wexner Medical Center and Health Science Colleges

Michael Pires, Project Manager, John Glenn College of Public Affairs

Laura Koprowski, Executive Director, Ohio Public Transit Association

Hosted by Edward [Ned] Hill, Ph.D., Professor of Economic Development at The Ohio State University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs and the College of Engineering’s Ohio Manufacturing Institute

The Ohio State University is top tier in both men’s and women’s athletics competition across many sports.  College sports are a $13 billion dollar industry with Ohio State 2018 sports revenue bringing in more than $205 million with $110 million in revenue from football alone. Should athletes be paid?

There are myriad reasons against paying athletes, not the least of which are the elimination of amateur status and the prioritization of athletics over academics. On the other hand, you have thousands of young people who sacrifice their time and bodies for what is essentially entertainment. While there is a lot of revenue in college sports, most programs aren’t profitable, begging the question of where salary money would come from and how would it be equitably paid between schools and players.  Would only the biggest stars get paid?

Coming off a banner year for the football team, we welcome Gene Smith, Athletic Director, The Ohio State University. Maria Durant, Reporter, WSYX ABC 6, will interview.

On Aug. 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, granting American women the right to vote. As our nation celebrates 100 years of women’s suffrage, we look back at the push for women – including minority segments of African American and Native American women – to not only have their voices heard and counted among the public, but also among our country’s leadership.

While 50.8 percent of the U.S. population is female, only 23.2 percent of the House of Representatives and 26 percent of the Senate is female. At the state level in Ohio, only 28.9 percent of legislators and 29.3 percent of elected officials are female. And to this day, our country has yet to elect a woman to the Oval Office.

It was once said by Madeleine Albright that women in power “can be counted on to raise issues that others overlook, to support ideas that others oppose, and to seek an end to abuses that others accept.” In this forum, our panelists will look at the women’s suffrage movement in the context of the political landscape we see today and explore why women do not have more of a presence in today’s politics.

Featuring Megan Wood, Director, Cultural Resources Division, Ohio History Connection, Jen Miller, Executive Director, League of Women Voters of Ohio, and Treva Lindsey, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies, The Ohio State University. Hosted by Ann Fisher, host of All Sides with Ann Fisher at WOSU Public Media.

With more than 8,000 nonprofit organizations employing more than 75,000 people in Franklin County alone, board governance is a critical element of our community’s health.

Nonprofit organizations are woven throughout the fabric of our society from hospitals, universities, and museums to food pantries, youth sports leagues, and civic associations. With nonprofits’ vast appeal, nearly all aspects of American life are impacted by board governance.

The panel will discuss what’s working and what’s not in terms of board roles and responsibilities; board composition including diversity, equity, and inclusion practices; board engagement; and the partnership between board and staff. Best practices at the national and local levels will be discussed so that guests learn new ideas and insights.

Featuring Andy Davis, Senior Director, Education and Outreach, BoardSource, Kerri Mollard, Founder and CEO, Mollard Consulting, Deborah Aubert Thomas, President & CEO, Philanthropy Ohio, and host Michael Bongiorno, AIA, Managing Principal & Design Director, Columbus Regional Office, AECOM.

Going by data alone, the US economy is thriving. The national GDP is growing at 2% and Ohio’s is growing at 1.3%. Job growth and employment numbers are strong but wage growth is slim to none. The effects of punitive tariffs and trade disputes are creating uncertainties in manufacturing and agriculture but the new USMCA appears to be well received. Ask the average American and their personal story may paint a different picture.

Join CMC for our annual first forum of the New Year featuring Bill LaFayette, Ph.D., Founder, Regionomics, as he releases his 2020 Columbus Economic Forecast. LaFayette will be joined by George Mokrzan, Ph.D., Director of Economics, Huntington National Bank, and host Mark Williams, reporter, The Columbus Dispatch.

Recorded on 01/08/2020 at the Boat House at Confluence Park in Columbus, Ohio.

From doorbells to refrigerators and pet food dispensers it seems like technology is everywhere!  And, when it comes to gifts, the tech gadgets and toys category provides an endless array of choices.  From gaming to VR we’ve invited some of our favorite techie experts to choose and review their favorites in a lighthearted discussion on what they think are the coolest, techiest and most practical gifts and gadgets for the holidays.  Plus, come a little early (11 a.m.) to try out virtual reality demos and other fun items on display.

Featuring Kristy Campbell, COO, Rev1 Ventures, Will Burrus, Chief Technology Officer, Lower.com, Justin Kogge, Owner, Game Arena, and host Alex Bandar, Founder & Chief Mischief Maker, Idea Foundry.

This is the entire event description verbatim from the website. Paste the following paragraph at the end: Recorded on December 4, 2019 at the Boat House at Confluence Park in Columbus, Ohio.

It’s no secret that Columbus City Schools have struggled for many years.  The attendance scrubbing scandal of several years ago, continued poor grades on the statewide evaluations, the threat of a state takeover and an awkward 14-month long process to find a new superintendent after Dan Good’s retirement have left voters, parents, the business community wondering what can be done.

March 2019, enter new Superintendent Talisa Dixon.  In the few short months since, what is her evaluation of the city’s schools?  What initiatives has she put in place and what are her plans to improve performance and community support?  What is her vision for the future of our schools?

Featuring Talisa Dixon, Ed.D., Columbus City Schools Superintendent, interviewed by Alan Miller, Editor of The Columbus Dispatch

Recorded on November 6, 2019 at the Boat House at Confluence Park in Columbus, Ohio.