Registration for 2026 Imagining Community Symposium is now open!

Annual Imagining Community Symposium

2026 Imagining Community Symposium:
Civic Hope & Belonging

Registration is open!

The symposium is free and open to all.
Registration is required (Pre-registration is preferred. On-site registration offered.)

View Agenda

Event Maps & Parking

Join the Conversation

How do we cultivate a future where everyone truly belongs?

In an era marked by polarization, displacement, and erosion of trust, the practices that sustain democratic life have never been more essential: hope, belonging, civic virtue, and the courage to act with and for one another. Join us for two days of dialogue, collaboration, and practical strategies focused on this year's theme of Civic Hope & Belonging.

Who should attend?

The symposium is free and open to all. This includes:

Community members and organizers
Nonprofit practitioners
Faith leaders and spiritual practitioners
Artists, writers, musicians, and creatives
Public officials and civic leaders
Health & human service professionals
Faculty, staff, students, educators, and researchers
YOU!

Why should you attend?

Engage in transformative dialogue & workshops around the central themes of Civic Hope & Belonging, examining how communities build trust, purpose, and connection.
Learn actionable strategies from civic leaders, educators, nonprofit directors, and spiritual practitioners working directly on the ground.
Experience creative & narrative showcases demonstrating how storytelling and expressive arts cultivate shared identity.
Build lasting relationships with partners throughout the Dayton community dedicated to building inclusive, resilient communities.

Maps & Parking

ADDRESS
Daniel J. Curran Place is located at 1700 S. Patterson Boulevard, Dayton, OH 45469.

PARKING
Upon entering the complex, follow the road to the left. Follow signs to park in lot R2. Please do not park in lot R3 or any spots marked "Visitor Parking".

RIDESHARE
Please instruct all rideshare drivers to take the road to the right and drive all the way up to the Main Entrance (glass front).

MAIN ENTRANCE
Please enter the building through the Main Entrance (glass front). Check-in and on-site registration will take place in the Main Lobby of Daniel J. Curan Place. Do not enter through the North Entrance/Center for Leadership.

Parking Map

Main Entrance

Driving Directions

Traveling North on I-75

Take Exit 51 (Edwin C. Moses Blvd.), turn right and follow to Stewart St.
Turn right onto the bridge, then right onto S. Patterson Blvd.
Proceed to the 2nd traffic light (intersection of S. Patterson Blvd. and Carillon Blvd.)
Turn left at the light into the gated drive, which will lead you up to the 1700 S. Patterson Blvd. building.
Upon entering the complex, turn left along the drive and follow signs to park in lot R2.

Traveling South on I-75

Take Exit 51 (Edwin C. Moses Blvd.), turn left, and follow to Stewart St.
Turn right onto the bridge, then right onto S. Patterson Blvd.
Proceed to the 2nd traffic light (intersection of S. Patterson Blvd. and Carillon Blvd.).
Turn left at the light into the gated drive, which will lead you to the 1700 S. Patterson Blvd. building.
Upon entering the complex, turn left along the drive and follow signs to park in lot R2.

2026 Keynotes

Timothy J. Shaffer, PhD

Biography

As an interdisciplinary scholar and practitioner of deliberative democracy, civic education, and group communication, Dr. Timothy J. Shaffer focuses on the advancement of democratic practices by focusing on the role of civic professionals in institutional settings such as higher education, local government, and non-governmental organizations in relationship with diverse communities.

Dr. Shaffer is the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Chair of Civil Discourse and director of the SNF Ithaca Initiative in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware. He is also senior advisor with the National Institute for Civil Discourse at the University of Arizona. Shaffer is author or coeditor of seven books, including Deliberative Pedagogy: Teaching and Learning for Democratic Engagement, Creating Space for Democracy: A Primer on Dialogue and Deliberation in Higher Education, and the latest book, Teaching Public Affairs Students to Serve With the People: Findings and Reflections from Diverse Course Designs with Thomas Andrew Bryer from Routledge. He earned his PhD from Cornell University.

Sierra Leone, M.A., M.B.A.

Biography

As the inaugural 2025 Poet Laureate for the City of Dayton, Sierra Leone is a multidisciplinary writer, playwright, and teaching artist who bridges performing arts and social discourse. A 2018 Ohio Arts Council Governor’s Award recipient and Artist-in-Residence at the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, her extensive portfolio features permanent public installations at the Dayton Metro Library, musical librettos for the Bach Society, and commissions for the Dayton Philharmonic.

As a local civic voice, she has authored impactful tributes such as the 8/4 memorial poem, "Remember the Seed," collaborated with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and delivered featured performances for Levitt Pavilion and TEDxDayton. Currently, Sierra leads The Belonging Project and recently curated and contributed to the ekphrastic anthology "Visual Voices: Storytelling Through Poetry." She continues to anchor her practice in an unwavering belief in freedom of speech and creative expression.