Location: Hilton Denver City Center
1701 California Street, Denver, CO 80202
Date: Saturday, June 23, 2018
Time: 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Room: Denver
Aaron Leavy, Program Director Civic Engagement and Sustainability at the National Civic League. His curiosity and passion for learning from others help to drive his work at the National Civic League. As Program Director for Sustainability and Civic Engagement, brings more than 15 years of experience in civic engagement, research and training. Aaron Leavy has worked with organizations, individuals and institutions to better engage and learn from residents and take effective action in strengthening their community.
Aaron develops community engagement materials, such as the All-America Conversations Toolkit, provides coaching and support to local engagement efforts and serves as part of National Civic League’s community consulting team. He leads National Civic League’s work on the SolSmart program – a Department of Energy funded program to recognize cities for their work on solar energy. Before joining the League, he worked on State Senate, U.S. Senate and Presidential political campaigns, as a researcher for a polling and communications firm, and as Senior Manager for Innovation and Learning for the Harwood Institute. While there, he authored the book Why We’re Here: The Powerful Impact of Public Broadcasters When They Turn Outward, and developed engagement tools for national groups like United Way Worldwide, American Library Association and Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Doug Linkhart, President at the National Civic League. At the National Civic League, Doug Linkhart’s life-long values of inclusiveness and equity are in close alignment with the organization’s mission, and are used to guide his leadership as President. He is an expert in civic engagement, and works to connect residents, government, nonprofits and business. His vision and strategic planning efforts include a focus on collaboration with other key organizations focused on advancement and nurturing of inclusive communities.
Doug brings over 40 years of experience in the public policy arena, including 18 years as an elected official, including eight years as a Denver City Councilman and ten years as a Colorado State Representative and Senator. Doug started his career by managing local campaigns, then worked in the federal government as a Presidential Management Intern. He later ran his own consulting business, spending his free time as a newspaper columnist and neighborhood and political activist. He founded a nonprofit organization to serve neighborhood associations and their residents, which he directed for ten years. After running for Mayor of Denver in 2011, he was appointed by the winning candidate as the Executive Director of Denver’s Department of Environmental Health, a 300-person agency which he managed for four years.
Civic Infrastructure the relationships, networks and capacities that communities use to make decisions and solve problems – determines whether communities face their challenges and move forward, or get stuck. The National Civic League’s Civic Index is a self-assessment tool to measure and analyze your community’s civic infrastructure. Learn how to uncover your hidden strengths and unspoken challenges.