2025 Anchor Learning Network Action Summit: Thriving Neighborhoods
We know that being an anchor institution includes contributing to the economic well-being of our communities and creating welcoming places for people to live, work and study. Higher education institutions contribute to thriving neighborhoods through thoughtful investment, learning, network building, workforce development, community engagement, and more. CUMU members and non-members, join us to hear diverse perspectives on what it means for our campuses to contribute to thriving neighborhoods during this virtual two-day summit.
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.
OPEN TO ALL: LEARN MORE & REGISTER HERE
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
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.
Recently, 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