Anchor Institutions Task Force (AITF)
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2025 Annual Event
Values in Actions
November 6, 2025 (10 am to 3pm Eastern)
Hosted at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice (New York, NY)
The AITF Annual Event with the theme, Values in Action, will take place on November 6. Panels for the event will focus on the current state of affairs, including policies that are counter to the AITF’s values and substantial budget cuts that have been impacting anchor institution-community partnerships and the neighborhoods, towns, cities, and regions where they work. The first panel, Values in Action at the Local Level in These Times, will explore the broad landscape for the idea of AITF’s values being demonstrated in practice in communities during a period that is fraught with obstacles and even hostility. The second panel, Health Equity, Climate, Civic Action, Arts and Culture, will highlight the impact of significant Federal budget cuts on the health field, arts and culture institutions, and a range of civic organizations. The final panel, DEI and Community Populations, will address the effect of the backlash against racial equity and DEI on many anchor institutions, nonprofit organizations, and the wide range of constituents, including immigrants, veterans, LGBTQ persons, justice-impacted populations, and many others.
AGENDA
9:00 am Registration and Refreshments
10:00 am Welcome and AITF Strategic Priorities & Update
David Maurrasse, Director, Anchor Institutions Task Force; Founder & President, Marga, Inc.
10:10 am Rationale for Our Topic – AITF Chairs
Nancy Cantor, Co-chair, Anchor Institutions Task Force; President, Hunter College
David Perlstein, Co-chair, Anchor Institutions Task Force; CEO, SBH Health System
Ira Harkavy, Founding Chair, Anchor Institutions Task Force, Barbara and Edward Netter Director, Netter Center for Community Partnerships, University of Pennsylvania
10:30 am Values in Action at the Local Level in These Times
Paul C. Pribbenow, President, Augsburg University
Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (SINA) of Hartford, Connecticut:
Melvyn Colon, (Former) Executive Director, SINA with Logan Singerman, Executive Director, SINA
Tampa Bay Anchors Urban Alliance (TBAUA):
Mhariel Summers, Director of Anchors and Health and Quality of Life, Pinellas County Urban League with Bilan Joseph, Senior Impact Manager, Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg
11:25 am AITF Fellow Reflections
Xiania Foster, Senior Consultant, Marga, Inc.
Odesma Dalrymple, Professor, Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering, Director, Engineering Exchange for Social Justice, Sr. Faculty Liaison, Mulvaney Center for Community, Awareness and Social Action, University of San Diego
Shatara Murphy, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Anchor Initiatives, University of Pittsburgh
Sheronia Rogers, The Director/Associate Dean for the Center for PreCollege Programs and Co-Chair of the Chancellor's Education Anchor Team, Rutgers University-Newark
Lindsey St. Arnold Bell, Executive Director, Near West Side Partners
11:55 am Lunch
12:35 pm Health Equity, Climate, Civic Action, Arts and Culture
Joseph Bertolino, President, Stockton University
Ninfa Segarra, Sr VP Communications & External Affairs, Community & Government Affairs, and Chief Diversity Officer, SBH Health System
Riley Jones, Director, UACS-Cultural Partnerships, Netter Center for Community Partnerships, University of Pennsylvania and Advisor to the Paul Robeson House and Museum
Angela Mingo, Vice President, Development & Corporate Affairs, Nationwide Children’s Hospital
1:30 pm Break
1:40 pm K12 Schools as Anchor Institutions
Julie A. Gorlewski, Klara and Larry Silverstein Dean of the School of Education, Professor of Education, Hunter College, CUNY
Cory Bowman, Associate Director and Director of UACS National Network and UACS Regional Training Centers program, Netter Cener for Community Partnerships, University of Pennsylvania
Jenny Tuten, Professor and Special Advisor to Provost for Community Engagement, Hunter College
Jeremy Leeds, Founder and Former Director, Center for Community Values and Action, Horace Mann School (Retired)
Bryan Murdock, Associate Vice President of Community Partnerships, Montclair State University
Jody Polleck, Professor, Hunter College
2:55 pm Closing
David Maurrasse, Director, Anchor Institutions Task Force; Founder & President, Marga, Inc.
3:00 pm Adjourn