Post Date: June 01, 2023

Forum Focus Will be “Social Equity in Action”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) Standing Panel on Social Equity in Governance will co-host its 22nd annual Social Equity Leadership Conference (SELC) in-person and virtually June 12-14 in Kansas City, MO. Co-hosted with the University of Kansas School of Public Affairs & Administration and the Mid-America Regional Council, the meeting will focus on “Social Equity in Action.” Registration can be found here.

The SELC is a widely anticipated annual gathering of scholars and practitioners who discuss and share their expertise on how public administrators can develop a broader understanding of social equity and recognize social equity’s implications within the administrative context.

Speakers and presenters during the three-day conference will provide innovative suggestions for government, non-profits and the private sector to foster social equity in order to achieve a more equitable and just society. The 2023 SELC will focus on putting social equity policy, practices and processes into action via the following themes: urgent equity challenges; generational shifts; leveraging technology; political context; tools and strategies for sustained organizational social equity action.

Highlights of the 2023 SELC will include (please note that all times are CDT):

June 12

Plenary Session (9:05 AM – 10:30 AM CDT):

Advancing Racial Justice Across National, Regional and Local Scales Through Partnership

Chris Koliba, Convener, University of Kansas

Valerie Lemmie, Kettering Foundation

Julie Nelson, Race Forward

Joshua Robinson, Living Cities

Lynne Scott, International City and County Association

Concurrent Session 3 (2:15 PM – 3:30 PM CDT)

Racial Equity, COVID-19, and Public Policy: The Triple Pandemic

Susan Gooden, Convener, Virginia Commonwealth University

RaJade Berry-James, Virginia Commonwealth University

Curtis Brown, Virginia Commonwealth University

Nakeina Douglas-Glenn, Virginia Commonwealth University

Brittany Keegan, Virginia Commonwealth University

Blue Wooldridge, Virginia Commonwealth University

Elsie Harper-Anderson, Virginia Commonwealth University

Award Ceremony (3:45 PM – 4:00 PM CDT):

Philip J. Rutledge Social Equity Leadership Award

Charles Menifield, Chair, 2023 Philip J. Rutledge Social Equity Leadership Award Committee

RaJade Berry-James, Chair, NAPA Standing Panel on Social Equity in Governance

Susan Gooden, 2023 Rutledge Award winner, Virginia Commonwealth University

June 13

Plenary Session (9:00 AM – 10:30 AM CDT):

H. George Frederickson Memorial Lecture

Terry Gerton, Convener, NAPA

Leonard Pitts, Featured Speaker, Commentator, Journalist and Novelist

Rosemary O'Leary, University of Kansas

Norton Bonaparte, City of Sanford, Florida

DeAngela Burns-Wallace, University of Southern California

Marcia Conner, National Forum for Black Public Administrators

Susan Gooden, Virginia Commonwealth University

Plenary Session (10:45 AM – 12:00 PM CDT):

Evolving Nature of Equity in Practice

Jacob Benoy, Convener, University of Wisconsin Madison

Nancy Augustine, Center for Intergovernmental Partnerships, NAPA

D'Arlyn Bell, University of Kansas

Jonathan Fisk, Auburn University

Plenary Session (3:45 PM – 5:15 PM CDT):

One Nation, Many Publics: The Challenge of Governance

David Warm, Convenor, Mid-American Regional Council

Doug Linkhart, National Civic League

Quinton Lucas, Mayor, City of Kansas City, Missouri

Sylvya Stevenson, Jackson County, Missouri

June 14

Closing Plenary Session (9:45 AM CDT):

Equity Taking Flight - Making Space for All of Us

RaJade Berry-James, Convener, Virginia Commonwealth University

Kesha Lee, Third Sector

Emily Nwakpuda, University of Texas-Arlington

Jamilah Stephens, City of Atlanta

Blue Wooldridge, Virginia Commonwealth University

To view the full SELC program, visit here.

** Media interested in attending should RSVP to bholahan@greatpointstrategies.com with requested sessions for registration purposes. **

About the National Academy of Public Administration

Chartered by Congress to provide non-partisan expert advice, the Academy is an independent, non-profit, and non-partisan organization established in 1967 to assist government leaders in building more effective, efficient, accountable, and transparent organizations. Learn more at www.napawash.org

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