Civic Innovation, Can It Save Our Democracy?

New America Foundation
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Civic innovation is a term that is being used to describe everything from grassroots movements to the shareable economy to open government. While some may argue that the broad application of the term renders it meaningless, the New America's California Civic Innovation Project, believes the broad concept of civic innovation can be a powerful way of unifying seemingly disparate communities and developing a shared vision for the future of cities.

If we can think of civic innovation as a vibrant ecosystem of actors, concepts, approaches, and change models, rather than just a catch-all, descriptive phrase, we have an opportunity to establish channels for dialogue among groups that do not normally speak to one another.

The event's panelists will present a range of civic innovations advanced by various actors within the ecosystem. They will discuss civic innovation from the perspectives of civic groups, government, and non-profits. The panel will be followed by a moderated discussion on how the various groups interact, collaborate, and support the civic innovation ecosystem.

Featured Speakers:
Rachel Black
Senior Policy Analyst
New America Foundation, Asset Building Program

Ryan Gerety
Senior Field Analyst
New America Foundation, Open Technology Institute
@sifrwahid
Hillary Hartley
Presidential Innovation Fellow,
White House and General Services Agency
@hillary

Michelle Koeth
Brigade Captain
Code for America
@michellekoeth

Kathryn Pettit
Director, Senior Researcher
NNIP, The Urban Institute

Moderator:
Alissa Black
Director, New America Foundation, CA Civic Innovation Project
@alissa007

To RSVP for the event:
http://www.newamerica.org/events/2014/civic_innovation_and_democracy

For questions, contact Kirsten Holtz at New America at (202) 735-2806 or holtz@newamerica.org