Gathering at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences

Still sitting with the past few days of gathering at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences with 30+ people from 28 states working to improve civic life where they live. The challenges, triumphs, frustrations, and joy they've endured in their work for years can't be measured. I'm bringing so much inspiration from them back to Kentucky.

I'm in so many rooms where I feel like I have to justify how I approach my work, and this is one of the first rooms I've been in with dozens of people that are all starting from the same page and going to the same north stars. I haven't ever quite felt so seen and understood.

More to think about and takeaway, but sitting in gratitude of Jessica Lieberman, Betsy Super, and Laurie Patton for letting me play a role in building a space like this and Archon Fung and Martha McCoy for co-chairing this interesting project with me. And to Zachey Kliger for the unenviable task of documenting and summarizing a conversation like this (good luck!).

Ever grateful to the practitioners for taking time out of their lives to talk: David Allred, Orlando Bailey, Savannah Barrett, Arianna Bellizzi, Nathalia Benitez-Perez, Barbara Cheives, Lisa Duty, Julia Gitis, Ash Hanson, Lizzy Hazeltine, Michele Holt-Shannon, Scotty E. Kirkland, V. Kaye Monk-Morgan, Devin Morton, Nancy Petitto, Daniel Rice, Amy Stansbury, Jason Von Driesche, Nancy Van Milligen, Sonam Vashi, & Evan Weissman.

And thank you to all the Working Group members and advisors who joined us: Courtney Bengtson, Shamichael Hallman, Liz Joyner, Matt Leighninger, Bridget Marquis, David Martinez III, Andrew Perrin, Hollie Russon Gilman, Ph.D., & Sterling Speirn. (did I miss anyone??)

Here's to bringing clues to the cluefree. The future is bright!