2025 Imagining Community Symposium

David Pepper, a Charles F. Kettering Foundation Senior Fellow, author, and attorney, devotes his career to defending voting rights and strengthening democratic institutions. As Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party (2015–2021), he led critical litigation against voter suppression and spearheaded regional reform efforts to enhance voter access and end gerrymandering. A prominent voice in civic advocacy, David authored the influential books Laboratories of Autocracy (2021) and Saving Democracy (2023), providing everyday citizens with actionable blueprints to combat state-level attacks on democracy. His structural impact is furthered as an adjunct professor of election and voting rights law at the University of Cincinnati College of Law and as a board trustee for the Ohio State Parks Foundation. David’s extensive public service includes tenures on the Cincinnati City Council and as a Hamilton County Commissioner. He holds a BA magna cum laude and a JD from Yale University.

Maureen O’Connor, a Charles F. Kettering Foundation Senior Fellow and the tenth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio, is the first woman to lead the state’s judicial branch and the longest-serving statewide elected woman in Ohio history. A transformative leader, she modernized Ohio's judicial infrastructure by directing more than $35 million to local courts to enhance technology, a strategic foresight that ensured the continuous administration of justice through the COVID-19 pandemic. Nationally recognized for her dedication to judicial fairness, she co-chaired the National Task Force on Fines, Fees, and Bail Practices and served as president of the Conference of Chief Justices. In 2024, she received the Brennan Legacy Award for her relentless defense of democracy and her pivotal role in spearheading Citizens Not Politicians, a constitutional amendment campaign to reform redistricting in Ohio. Chief Justice O’Connor is a graduate and Hall of Fame member of the Cleveland State University College of Law.

Brad Rourke is the Charles F. Kettering Foundation’s Chief External Affairs Officer and Director of DC Operations, where he leads strategic efforts to amplify the foundation’s global impact on democracy. A seasoned leader in public innovation and civic infrastructure, Rourke has spent decades driving democratic participation across government, philanthropy, and media. His extensive background includes serving as Director of External Initiatives at the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, Vice President for Public Policy at the Institute for Global Ethics, and on the congressional and gubernatorial staffs of US Representative Jane Harman and California Controller Gray Davis. A dedicated champion for active citizenship, he serves as Vice Chair of Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE) and Treasurer of the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD). Rourke holds a BA from UC Berkeley and an MPA from American University.

Brian Martin serves as the Executive Director and CEO of the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC), a unit of local government serving six counties in Southwestern Ohio. Celebrating over a decade of leadership, Martin oversees all aspects of the organization’s $6 million operating budget, 27-member staff, and 90-member Board of Directors. Under his direction, MVRPC drives regional progress across critical pillars of community development, including transportation, clean air and water, land use, and disaster recovery. A dedicated champion for inclusive growth, Martin founded the Institute for Livable and Equitable Communities, uniting non-profit, government, and foundation partners to remove systemic barriers and help Miami Valley residents realize their full potential. He represents the agency at the regional, statewide, and national levels, collaborating alongside 24 peer agencies across Ohio to build a more resilient and equitable future.

Eric F. Spina served as the 19th president of the University of Dayton, leading the top-tier, national Catholic research institution with a distinct focus on equity, access, and community-building. Throughout his presidency, Spina has championed initiatives to expand college affordability for talented students from all walks of life, while deeply investing in innovative academic programming, faculty excellence, and hands-on learning. An aerospace and mechanical engineer by training, he infuses his leadership with the Marianist educational tradition—preparing students to become servant-leaders who are adept at working across differences, fostering inclusivity, and driving meaningful systemic change in the world.

Michelle Riley is the Chief Executive Officer of The Foodbank, Inc. located in Dayton, Ohio. A graduate of Wright State University and  Leadership Dayton, she devotes much of her time working to  strengthen the hunger relief safety net. She currently sits on the  Executive Board  of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks. As a  metrics-focused, culture-driven leader with a history of transforming nonprofits into best-class organizations, Michelle has an independent consulting practice. She has been recognized for her achievements including 2013 Leader of the Year from Leadership Dayton, 2016 Feeding America Network Leader of the Year, Dayton Daily News Top 10 Women of the Year award, and more recently the Smith-Moore award from United Way of Dayton. 

Sharon Davies is the President and CEO of the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, bringing a powerful legacy of academic leadership, civil rights advocacy, and legal scholarship to the forefront of democracy-building. Her career includes serving as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Spelman College, and Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion at The Ohio State University, where she spent 22 years on the Moritz College of Law faculty as the Gregory H. Williams Chair in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Davies also directed OSU’s Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity, driving national progress in social justice, equity, and inclusion, and served on the Ohio Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights. A former Assistant US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and author of the acclaimed narrative nonfiction book Rising Road, she has been honored with the Robert M. Duncan Award for her contributions to democracy and access to justice. Recognised in the Dayton Business Journal’s Bizwomen Power 50, Davies holds an undergraduate degree from UMass Amherst and a law degree from Columbia University School of Law. 

Reverend Vanessa Oliver Ward is the President of the Omega Community Development Corporation (Omega CDC) and Pastor Emerita of the Omega Baptist Church. A visionary leader in community revitalization, she directs Omega CDC’s mission to equip, develop, and improve the lives of children and families in Northwest Dayton. Under her executive leadership, the organization co-developed the Omega Senior Lofts—an 81-unit, $13 million affordable senior housing facility—and developed the $11 million Hope Center for Families, an innovative facility pioneering two-generation, whole-family wellness in partnership with Dayton Children’s Hospital, Sinclair Community College, and Mini University. Furthering this systemic impact, Reverend Ward successfully secured a historic $28.7 million Promise Neighborhood Grant from the U.S. Department of Education, serving as a monumental accelerator to drive equitable educational, health, and economic outcomes for the Northwest Dayton community.