Registration Opens

Morning Movement

• Trauma Informed Yoga with Resilient Georgia

Pre-conference (Optional)

• Kick off your conference experience with a dynamic morning of collaborative learning, open dialogue, and peer exchange. This pre-conference “unconference” is designed to spark new ideas, deepen relationships, and turn insight into action. The following sessions are confirmed, but we encourage participants to bring fresh ideas and spark new conversations. A community board will be available to post additional topics, with space set aside (rooms, tables, and open areas) for those discussions to take shape.

From Talk to Action: Conversations that Drive Change

• 
  Kira Hamman, Urban Rural Action

Coalition Building in Action: Wisdom from the Midwest

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  Suzanne Morley, Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging
• 
  Helen Sampson, Bureau of Aging and Disability Resources within the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and Division of Public Health

Measuring Connection in Your Community: How to Leverage Data and Center Community Voice

• 
  Kimberly Burrowes, Urban Institute
• 
  Samantha Fu, Research to Action Lab at the Urban Institute
• 
  AJ Calhoun, Leading on Opportunity

Come Propose Your Own!

• While there are a few topics already going, we encourage attendees to come with a topic or conversation to propose.

Opening Lunch: Seeds of Connection Welcome & Conference Kickoff!

Opening Plenary

Planting Seeds: A Conversation about Connection and Community

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  Moderator: Karabi Acharya, ScD, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• 
  Suzanne McCormick, YMCA of the USA
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  john a. powell, Othering & Belonging Institute

Grounding in Place: Belonging in the Peach State

• 
  Moderator: Elizabeth Brown, The Arthur Blank Family Foundation
• 
  Bem Joiner, Atlanta Influences Everything
• 
  Stan Sonu, MD, Emory School of Medicine
• 
  Shannon Jolly, PhD, Atlanta Mayor’s Office

Concurrent Sessions

Transformative Service: Reimagining Volunteerism to Build Connection

• 
  Moderator: Frederick J. Riley, Weave: The Social Fabric Project
• 
  Asiaha Butler, RAGE (Resident Association of Greater Englewood)
• 
  Aaron Hurst, US Chamber of Connection
• 
  Shana Chaplin, Winthrop Rockefeller Institute

Catalyzing Connection: Urban Hubs for Community Transformation

• 
  Moderator: Erin Peavey, AIA, HKS Inc.
• 
  Sanjay Patel, Soccer in the Streets
• 
  Sheba Ross, HKS Inc.
• 
  Odetta MacLeish-White, J.D., LLM, Bay Area Health Equities Initiative

Bridging Generations in the Age of AI: A Live Dialogue on Youth, Tech and Trust

• 
  Moderator: Alison Lee, PhD, The Rithm Project
• 
  Cyra Alesha, The Rithm Project
• 
  Brinleigh Murphy-Reuter, Digital Wellness Lab
• 
  Jorge Alvarez

Live Music to Power Connection

• Presented by the Levitt Foundation

Evening Reception

Closing of Day 1

Optional Morning Movement

Breakfast & Time for Connection

Opening Plenary

25 Year Survey on Social Connection in America

• 
  Moderator: Edward Garcia III, MHS, Foundation for Social Connection
• 
  Julianne Holt-Lunstad, PhD, Foundation for Social Connection Scientific Leadership Council, Brigham Young University

Now What? Policy, Design, and the Future of AI & Youth Well-Being

• 
  Julia Freeland Fisher, JD, Clayton Christensen Institute
• 
  Atiksh Bhan, Lookupp
• 
  Chloe Autio, Autio Strategies

Concurrent Sessions

Flamboyant Futures: Slow Salon Gatherings Through Art, Identity, and Kinship

• 
  Moderator: Chris Joseph, Thyrd Space
• 
  Laila Kabongi, Thyrd Space

A New Roadmap: Structural Investment in Relationships to Build Social Capital and Economic Mobility

• 
  Moderator: Frances Kraft, PhD, Foundation for Social Connection
• 
  Shamichael Hallman, Urban Libraries Council
• 
  Danielle Varda, PhD, Visible Network Labs
• 
  Kevin Howard, Gates Foundation
• 
  Edna Ishayik, Formerly of the US Surgeon General’s Office

Measuring What Matters: Tools for Evaluating Connection in the Real World

• 
  Moderator: Ashwin Kotwal, MD, Foundation for Social Connection Scientific Leadership Council, University of California – San Francisco
• 
  Matthew Lee Smith, PhD, MPH, Foundation for Social Connection Scientific Leadership Council, Texas A&M University School of Public Health
• 
  Amber Carroll, Front Porch
• 
  Ali Hodin-Baier, DOROT USA

Parks and Public Spaces as Hubs for Community Collaboration and Connection

• 
  Moderator: Cary Simmons, MEM, Trust for Public Land
• 
  Daniela Paz Peterson, Trust for Public Land
• 
  Kimberly Serrano, MURP, American Immigration Council

Concurrent Sessions

Connection in the Digital Age: A World Café on Designing Tech for Human Thriving

• 
  Moderator: Jen Lipsey, Sunny
• 
  Iain Smith, PhD, Sunny

Public Designs that Spark Belonging and Community: Confluence, Resonance, Connection

• 
  Moderator: Draven Pointer, Better Block Foundation
• 
  Jordan Bowman, Journeymen Triangle
• 
  Zac Feltoon, Zac Feltoon Design
• 
  Nnennia Mazagwu, N’ụlọ Adaeze

From Seeds to Systems: Local Leaders Growing Connection in Community

• 
  Moderator: Phil Bors, MPH, Healthy Places by Design
• 
  Jonna Johnson, Community Works, Isabella County Michigan
• 
  Billie “BJ” Woods, JD, MPS, The Village Place
• 
  Rick Brush, Transform Together

Centering Parent Collaboration in Advancing Early Relational Health and Transforming Early Childhood Systems

• 
  Dani Dumitriu, MD, PhD, Columbia University
• 
  Bryn Fortune, Family Network Collaborative
• 
  David Willis, MD, FAAP, Georgetown University.
• 
  Nicole Loveless

Community Lunch

Concurrent Sessions

Can Intergenerational Connection Heal Us?

• 
  Moderator: Eunice Nichols, CoGenerate
• 
  Arielle Galinsky, The Legacy Project
• 
  Karen Morris, PhD, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Social Prescribing: Bridging Systems to Advance Social Connection

• 
  Moderator: Lucy Rabinowitz Bailey, DrPHc, MPH, Art Pharmacy
• 
  Emily Pinto Taylor, MD, Emory University School of Medicine
• 
  Christopher Moses, Alliance Theatre
• 
  Carla Perissinotto, MD, Foundation for Social Connection Scientific Leadership Council, University of California San Fransisco
• 
  Alan Siegel, MD, Social Prescribing USA

Fostering Economic Connectedness: Action For Community Leaders

• 
  Moderator: Calista Small, More in Common
• 
  Kelsey Ensign, PhD, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• 
  David Jay, Relationality Lab

The Corporate Call to Connection

• 
  Moderator: Josh Penny
• 
  Madlen Rösch, Beiersdorf
• 
  Jen Young, The Cigna Group
• 
  Aaron Lavery, Coca-Cola

Concurrent Sessions

We All Need to be Needed: Disability, Mattering & Loneliness

• 
  Moderator: Bryan P. McCormick, PhD, Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion of People with Psychiatric Disabilities
• 
  Krys Standley, PhD, University of Montana, RTC on Disability in Rural Communities
• 
  Medha Saharya, Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion of People with Psychiatric Disabilities

Percent for Place: Advocating for the Places that Connect Us All

• 
  Moderator: Kelly Humrichouser, MPA, Main Street America
• 
  Bridget Marquis, Reimagining the Civic Commons
• 
  Kristina Cannon, Main Street Skowhegan

Beyond the Chair: Barbershops and Beauty Salons as Hubs of Healing and Connection

• 
  Moderator: Abeni El-Amin, PhD, Project Ricochet, Inc.
• 
  Quinton Marks, PhD, LSSBB, Project Ricochet, Inc.
• 
  Anthony Burdette, Project Ricochet, Inc.

Building the Aging Ecosystem: Cross-Sector Roles in Advancing Social Connection

• 
  Moderator: Rani Snyder, MPA, The John A. Hartford Foundation
• 
  Meredith Hanley, USAging
• 
  Andrew MacPherson, Foundation for Social Connection Action Network
• 
  Moses Dixon, PhD, Senior Connection, Inc.

Afternoon Plenary

Shaping Cultural Change: Stories of Care and Connection

• 
  Moderator: Chi Nguyen, Einhorn Collaborative
• 
  Nellie Beckett, Gulf States Newsroom
• 
  Lydia Storie, Caring Across Generations
• David Fortune

Closing of Day 2

Optional Group Dinners

Welcome, Breakfast and Community Field Visits Kick-off

• On our final day together, we’ll venture into the Atlanta community to explore real-world examples of social connection in action—from neighborhood-led initiatives to cross-sector collaborations. Attendees will be asked to rank their top three site choices from the options below and will be assigned to one visit. Transportation will be provided.

Blueprint 58

• Blueprint 58 is a hub for community building in Atlanta’s Pittsburgh neighborhood. For nearly 15 years, the organization has strived to foster a village-like culture, with community members collectively taking care of each other and raising future generations. This involves youth mentorship programs, job readiness services, and small groups focused on personal development. In 2023—five years after the organization’s founders purchased a property in the heart of Pittsburgh, which had to be completely rebuilt—Blueprint 58 opened its new community building. With a desire to feel less like a center and more like a home, the space includes a kitchen, a classroom, a library, and more. Learn about how Blueprint 58 supports neighbor-led events and community partnerships that bring people of all ages and backgrounds together.

Civil Bikes

• Much of our sense of connectedness to people in our community can be derived from how connected we feel to the place we all call home. Through biking and walking tours, Civil Bikes helps people create and deepen their relationships with Atlanta by understanding its history, culture, and stories. These immersive experiences shed light on the city’s role in the Civil Rights movement, current efforts to uphold human and civil rights, and how specific groups were—and continue to be—integral to Atlanta’s story. This site visit will take participants on a biking tour, demonstrating the power of deepening your understanding of your own community’s history and how it helps address social isolation and loneliness today. Stops along the way will highlight bright spots in the local economy, which plays a vital role in any community’s social connectedness. *This site visit will be on bikes!*

The Supermarket

• Join The Bakery Atlanta team for a tour of The Supermarket, an in-town arts and creative event space! This organization is committed to growing and sustaining the city’s vibrant arts scene. Through art exhibitions, community programming, and more, The Bakery Atlanta serves as a platform for bringing the city together through creativity, experimentation, and play. The Bakery Atlanta is the anchor tenant and programming partner at The Supermarket, a 12,500 square-foot space with various venues for events all within one building. In this site visit, The Bakery Atlanta will share the history of the space, how it is activated today, and what lessons have been learned along the way about fostering social connection through the arts. The space will also be getting ready for its annual Halloween event, so get ready to connect with fellow participants over making Halloween decorations!

The Atlanta Beltline

• The Atlanta BeltLine is a 22-mile loop of trails, parks, and future transit that connects 45 neighborhoods in the city of Atlanta. With local businesses, new residences, office spaces, art galleries, and restaurants along the way, Atlanta has repurposed what was once a network of railroad tracks into a vibrant public space for all. However, the initiative has not been without its challenges. Shifting political priorities, changes in neighborhood demographics, and gentrification are just some of the issues the BeltLine has wrestled with to ensure that all Atlantans are truly able to reap the full benefits of this generational investment. Join Kevin Bacon, an urban designer whose career has intersected with the project from different perspectives over the years for a walking tour of the BeltLine’s Eastern Trail. Participants will learn about the history of its planning and development, its challenges, and how transformative infrastructure projects can be a powerful tool for fostering social connection at a citywide level.

Refugee Women’s Network

• For more than 20 years, the Refugee Women’s Network has inspired and equipped refugee and immigrant women to become leaders in their homes, businesses, and communities. Many of these women live in Clarkston, located just outside of Atlanta and long been considered the “Ellis Island of the South,” given that it is the most diverse square mile in America. People from over 40 countries now call Clarkston home, including refugees fleeing wars and persecution. Through a variety of programs, the Refugee Women’s Network seeks to support immigrant and refugee women in having a sense of community in their new home. One such initiative is a women’s hiking group, which challenges the notion that immigrant and refugee women are not traditional audiences for outdoor activities. Through a walk near the Refugee Women’s Network’s office and a circle discussion, participants will unpack their perceptions of refugees and learn about how they can build a sense of belonging for people from diverse backgrounds in their own communities through nature and physical activity.

StationSoccer

• Soccer in the Streets has been providing free soccer programs for underserved youth in the Metro Atlanta area for more than 35 years. In 2016, it launched the first soccer field project inside a train station in the world through its StationSoccer program. About to open its seventh location, StationSoccer has flourished into a cross-sectoral partnership between The City of Atlanta, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), the Atlanta United Foundation, and other supporters. The initiative captures how public/private collaborative tables can create impactful change through social infrastructure. Through visits to two of StationSoccer’s locations, attendees will experience how transportation and leisure have come together to create an enabling environment for social connection throughout Atlanta. Soccer in the Streets staff will share how the program came to be and the impact it has had on families in the surrounding communities. Participants will witness how adding a social development program to the built environment leads to positive community development. This tour will take place using public transit, allowing attendees to experience a real-life journey of a community participant in the program.

Closing Reflections & Lunch

Closing of 2025 Conference