COO 2021 Speaker Series: Cultivating Community

Communities of Opportunity launched our six-part “Cultivating Community” Speaker Series in June of 2021 to amplify and learn from the efforts of our community-driven partners and explore common themes across work happening in different areas of King County for greater equity, justice and well-being.

Below you will find the descriptions of each session as well as links to watch each speaker series event — journey with us as we explore community-led transformations and engage our imaginations to cultivate abundance, healing, and new possibilities! 

This 6-part series was funded by the COO Learning Community and designed and produced by La Roxay Productions and BDS Planning. We look forward to continuing this series in 2022 and inviting more of community to join us in these discussions that imagine a new and better future for all.

Register here for the 2022 Speaker Series: GROUNDED - a FREE, online offering designed to learn from the efforts of community-driven programs, projects, initiatives, and organizations.

Cultivating Community Transformation

June 24, 6-7:30pm

About the session: What does it mean to cultivate transformation? How do cross sector partnerships and collaborations support transformative work? Join us for Cultivating Community Transformation where panelists will share reflections about the start of Communities of Opportunity, how this work came to be, lessons learned and opportunities for growth.

Panelists: Michael Brown, Civic Architect, Civic Commons, Seattle Foundation. Sili Savusa, Executive Director, White Center CDA, A.J. McClure, Executive Director, Global to Local.

Moderator: Aaron Robertson, Managing Director, Policy & Civic Engagement, Seattle Foundation.

Cultivating Community Imagination: The New Economy

July 22, 12:00pm-1:30pm

About the event: In part 2 of “Cultivating Community” learn from our panelists about the ways in which they are engaging their imagination to reimagine land ownership and our local economies. 

Panelists: Evana Enabulele, Queer the Land, Tepatasi Vaina, UTOPIA WA, Njuguna Gishuru, People’s Economy Lab.

Moderator: Deric Gruen, Front & Centered & People’s Economy Lab

Cultivating Community Imagination: Culture Shifts

August 26, 12-1:30pm

About the event: In part 3 of “Cultivating Community” join our panelists as they share the ways in which they are shifting culture in their organizations, communities, and our region. 

Panelists: Jaimée Marsh, FEEST, Mary Kummer, Seattle Urban Native Nonprofits (SUNN), and Ginger Kwan, Open Doors for Multicultural Families

Moderator: Paola Maranan

Cultivating Community abundance

October 7, 12pm-1:30pm

About the event: What does philanthropy mean to a society that has been deeply impacted by a global pandemic?  Join us in part 4 of Cultivating Community as we delve into this topic with Communities that are leading the charge of imagining philanthropy as we continue to move through the impacts of COVID-19. 

Panelists: Senator T’wina Nobles (Black Future Co-Op Fund), Rebecca Berry (Skyway Coalition & Unincorporated BIPOC Economic Alliance), Alejandra Perez (Community Center for Education Results), Alejandra Tres (Comunidad Latina de Vashon & Unincorporated BIPOC Economic Alliance).

Moderator, Dionne Foster (Progress Alliance).