2025 ANCHOR LEARNING NETWORK ACTION SUMMIT

Thriving Neighborhoods

June 3–4, 1–3 p.m. ET, Virtual Event

CUMU members and non-members are invited to join us for a two-day virtual summit exploring how urban and metropolitan campuses can help build thriving neighborhoods through place-based strategies, partnerships, and innovation.

Day 1: June 3, 2025

1–2 p.m. ET: Opening remarks and keynote address (open to CUMU members and non-members)

2–3 p.m. ET: Anchor Learning Network cohort breakout session (open to current ALN members only)

Day 2: June 4, 2025

1–2 p.m. ET: Panel discussion and Q&A
(open to CUMU members and non-members)

2–3 p.m. ET: Anchor Learning Network cohort breakout session (open to current ALN members only)

Tuesday, June 3, 1–2 p.m. ET

Keynote: Connecting for success: New opportunities for economic mobility in the places you anchor

Presented by Carol Coletta, Bloomberg Fellow in Public Innovation, Johns Hopkins University

Anchor institutions connect with their communities in many ways that add value. But there is one opportunity for connection that has outsized value and requires surprisingly few resources. And it’s one you may be overlooking. Carol Coletta will share what decades of planning, funding, and managing public space have revealed about its remarkable potential to spark more happiness and more economic opportunity. It’s all about connecting.

Carol Coletta is a national figure in the revitalization of cities and public spaces. Since 2017, she has served as president and CEO of Memphis River Parks Partnership, a public-private partnership responsible for six miles along the Mississippi River in downtown Memphis.

Last fall, the Partnership celebrated the opening of Tom Lee Park, transforming 31 acres of flat monoculture into a lush, sustainable park. Designed by Studio Gang and SCAPE, the park is the centerpiece of the Memphis riverfront and a national model for welcoming and ecologically restorative urban parks.

Carol previously served as senior fellow in the American Cities Practice at The Kresge Foundation where she led a $50+ million national collaboration to Reimagine the Civic Commons.

She was vice president of Community and National Initiatives for the Knight Foundation, managing grantmaking in 26 communities.

Carol led the start-up of ArtPlace, a public-private collaboration to accelerate creative placemaking nationally and was president and CEO of CEOs for Cities for seven years. She was executive director of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design, a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, U.S. Conference of Mayors and American Architectural Foundation.

Wednesday, June 4, 1–2 p.m. ET

Panel discussion: Thriving neighborhoods

Join us for individual presentations, a panel discussion and audience Q&A

This session highlights innovative, place-based approaches to building stronger, healthier, and more resilient communities. Presenters share how small-scale public investments, campus-community collaboration, and applied learning projects are transforming infrastructure, advancing student success, and promoting health and well-being. A panel discussion explores how these distinct strategies can be adapted and scaled across diverse urban and regional contexts.

John Pattison, Community Builder, Strong Towns

A Strong Towns approach to public investment

Presented by John Pattison, Strong Towns

For decades, cities across North America have prioritized expansion—more roads, more infrastructure, more debt—chasing growth at the expense of resilience. This relentless pursuit has left many communities overextended and financially fragile. It’s time to shift our focus from building more to making better use of what we already have. By obsessively maintaining existing infrastructure and embracing small, incremental investments—what we call “little bets”—we can revitalize our neighborhoods and foster enduring prosperity.

John Pattison is the Community Builder for Strong Towns. In this role, he works with advocates in hundreds of communities as they start and lead local Strong Towns groups called Local Conversations. John is the author of two books, most recently Slow Church (IVP), which takes inspiration from Slow Food and the other Slow movements to help faith communities reimagine how they live life together in the neighborhood. He also co-hosts The Membership, a podcast inspired by the life and work of Wendell Berry, the Kentucky farmer, writer, and activist. John and his family live in Silverton, Oregon.
mark overmyer velazquez
wiley dawson

How UConn Hartford is transforming students and communities

Presented by Mark Overmyer-Velázquez and Wiley Dawson, UConn Hartford

At the heart of UConn Hartford’s mission is an unwavering focus on student success — the kind of success that transforms lives and drives progress in Connecticut’s communities. And it’s working. Nearly 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students at UConn Hartford are learning in and outside the classroom. They benefit from the city’s vibrant business, cultural, and social resources, helping them engage with real-world opportunities and build lasting professional networks.

Dr. Mark Overmyer-Velázquez is the inaugural dean and chief administrative officer of the University of Connecticut-Hartford, where he is a professor of history and Latine studies. Serving 3500 students, UConn Hartford is a federally designated Minority Serving Institution with a mission of academic excellence focused on community-based, collaborative learning. The first Latino elected official in West Hartford, CT, he served a six-year term as a member and chair of the West Hartford Board of Education. He continues to be an active leader in civic and educational organizations, serving on the Boards of Directors of the Hartford Public Library and the MetroHartford Alliance. He also chairs both the Greater Hartford Consortium for Higher Education and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

Wiley Dawson is the assistant director of the Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills at the University of Connecticut-Hartford, where he also serves as a Ph.D. student in educational leadership with a concentration in higher education, racial justice, and decolonization. A proud first-generation college graduate, Wiley earned his Master of Science in counselor education and family therapy from Central Connecticut State University, with a focus on student development in higher education. He has over a decade of experience supporting student success through career development, experiential learning, and culturally responsive programming. He serves on multiple university and community-based committees, advancing initiatives promoting student equity, access, and post-graduate success. He is also an active mentor and collaborator in regional efforts to support men of color and first-generation students throughout Greater Hartford..

Kristi M. King, University of Louisville

A community-engaged walk audit to promote physical activity

Presented by Kristi M. King, University of Louisville

Engaging in regular physical activity offers numerous physical, mental, emotional, social, economic, and environmental benefits. However, most adults and children remain insufficiently active. To support healthier, more active communities, it is crucial for individuals to advocate for safe, walkable environments. As part of an interdisciplinary course, faculty and students from the University of Louisville, in collaboration with Age-Friendly Louisville and Vision Zero Louisville, conducted a Walkability Audit of a one-mile route. Built prior to the city’s Complete Streets ordinance and located within the High Injury Network, this route is heavily used by community and campus residents traveling by vehicle, public transit, bicycle, scooter, and by walking. Faculty and students presented their Walkability Report to community partners to inform broader citywide efforts through ongoing, interdisciplinary research, teaching, and service.

Kristi M. King, Ph.D., FACSM, CHES is a professor in the Department of Health and Sport Sciences and a Community Engagement faculty fellow at the University of Louisville. Dr. King conducts community-engaged, interdisciplinary research focused on physical activity and public health. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), a Physical Activity and Public Health research fellow, an America Walks, Walking College fellow, and an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) fellow. Dr. King serves ACSM as an associate editor for ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal and as a member on the Health and Science Policy Committee. She’s an active supporter of local efforts to improve walkability, promote active transportation, and connect communities with outdoor and nature-based spaces.