November 2 and 3, 2023
The VETS, Providence, Rhode Island, and Livestream
DAY ONE:
8:00 a.m. Summit check-in opens at The VETS
8:00 a.m. Breakfast at Renaissance Ballroom
9:00 a.m. Opening Welcome
9:20 a.m.
Welcome Remarks
David N. Cicilline
President and CEO | Rhode Island Foundation
9:30 a.m.
Opening Keynote: Culture, Arts, and Livability
Susan D. Whiting
Chair | National Women’s History Museum
Retired Vice Chair | Nielsen
10:00 a.m.
Conversation: Living Heritage
Leaders in arts and philanthropy discuss their work to dismantle systems of exclusion and broaden access to history, arts, and culture.
Sharon M. Meagher, PhD
Creative Changemaker
Valerie Tutson
Executive Director | Rhode Island Black Storytellers
Harold Steward
Executive Director | New England Foundation for the Arts
10:50 a.m. Morning Break
11:10 a.m.
Panel: Inclusive Design: Disability, Culture, and Preservation
Incorporating the perspectives and experiences of the disability community is an essential aspect of preserving cultural heritage and developing sustainable, vibrant communities. Why is it time to move beyond regulatory compliance and how can we advance comprehensive access to historic places?
Charles G. Baldwin
Access and Inclusion Program Officer | Mass Cultural Council
Valerie Fletcher
Executive Director | Institute for Human Centered Design
Betty Siegel (moderator)
Director of the Office of VSA and Accessibility | John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Principal & Founder | Access Advisory Group, LLC
Heidi Swevens
Director of Community Partnerships | Inclusive Arts Vermont
12:10 p.m.
Keynote: Loud Libraries: Cultivating Community Through Shared Stories
Libraries serve as important repositories for community history, as well as centers of civic engagement and education, using innovative methods for empowering diverse voices and sharing multi-dimensional experiences at their institutions.
David Leonard
President | Boston Public Library
12:40 p.m. Lunch Break
1:40 p.m.
Keynote: Only Connect: Storytelling and Place
R. Tripp Evans
Professor, History of Art; Chair, History of Art Program | Wheaton College
2:10 p.m.
Panel: Placemaking in Action
Placemaking captures a broad range of collective efforts to preserve and share the histories and stories of how diverse communities throughout the region made a place their own. From community archives to public art and civic media, how are these projects serving as catalysts for local organizing and public engagement?
Kara Elliott-Ortega (moderator)
Chief of Arts and Culture | City of Boston
Tom Kaufhold
Founder | Seacoast NH LGBT History Project
Marta V. Martínez, PhD
Executive Director | Rhode Island Latino Arts | Nuestras Raíces
Lorén M. Spears
Executive Director | Tomaquag Museum
3:10 p.m. Afternoon Break
3:30 p.m.
Conversation: Town, Gown, and the Future of Education
How are colleges and universities working in partnership with municipal leaders to bridge the town and gown divide and strengthen educational opportunities for everyone in their communities?
Joanne Berger-Sweeney
President | Trinity College
David Fithian (moderator)
President | Clark University
Christina H. Paxson
President | Brown University
4:15 p.m.
Panel: The Future of Cities
Retention and investment in shared community resources, civic assets, and compelling urban design pays dividends for the prosperity of cities. Hear from civic leaders across the country about their work to ensure sustainable and just futures for their cities.
Alexandria Eberhardt (Introduction)
President & CEO | Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce
Joseph Codega Jr.
State Budget Officer | State of Rhode Island
Carol Coletta (moderator)
CEO | Memphis River Parks Partnership
Mayor Brett P. Smiley
Mayor | City of Providence, Rhode Island
Representative Andy X. Vargas
Massachusetts State Representative | 3rd Essex District (Haverhill)
5:30 p.m. Networking Reception
6:00 p.m. Awards Ceremony and Reception
DAY TWO:
8:00 a.m. Summit check-in opens at The VETS
8:00 a.m. Affinity Breakfast at Renaissance Ballroom
In addition, we are offering a Special Affinity Breakfast opportunity for folks who wish to join us. Engage in peer-to-peer discussions centered on the key themes of the Summit, including Accessibility, Placemaking, Climate Action, Inclusive Development, Education, and an exclusive affinity group tailored for our student attendees. Share your ongoing projects and collaborate, regardless of whether you operate in a small team of two or a larger group of 200.
9:00 a.m. Opening Welcome
9:15 a.m.
Opening Keynote: Built for Zero: Ending Homelessness
Rosanne Haggerty
President and CEO | Community Solutions
9:50 a.m.
Panel: Inclusive Development and Housing Affordability
Is historic preservation a key component of affordability? How do historic places add value to affordable housing projects? And what can the preservation community do to combat narratives that pit preservation and affordability advocates against each other?
Angela D. Brooks, FAICP (moderator)
Director | Illinois Office of Corp for Supportive Housing
President | American Planning Association
Carla DeStefano
Executive Director | SWAP, Inc. (Stop Wasting Abandoned Property)
Sarah Marchant
Chief of Staff & VP of ROC NH | New Hampshire Community Loan Fund
Carrie Zaslow
Executive Director | Providence Revolving Fund
10:50 a.m. Morning Break
11:05 a.m.
Keynote: Landscapes as Cultural Anchors
Thomas Woltz
Principal and Owner | Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects
11:45 a.m.
The Haverhill Center: Planning a Cultural District in the Queen Slipper City
Explore Historic New England’s plans to bring increased livability and vitality to Haverhill’s urban downtown with housing, retail and commercial activity and a nationally recognized cultural institution at its heart.
Vin Cipolla
President and CEO | Historic New England
Carissa Demore
Team Leader for Preservation Services | Historic New England
Lisa Serafin
President | Athena Real Estate Development
Michelle Finamore, PhD
Fashion and Design Historian and Curator
12:45 p.m. Lunch Break
1:45 p.m.
Featured Presentation: Perspectives in Preservation
Two case studies highlight the rippling impacts of preservation projects and their ability to unite communities across geography and time in collective appreciation for historic places small and large.
Dawn Carroll
Creator | Songs for Mary
Trudy Coxe
CEO and Executive Director | Preservation Society of Newport County
2:10 p.m.
Keynote: Cultural Leadership in Climate Action
Miranda Massie
Director | Climate Museum
2:40 p.m.
Panel: Embodied Carbon: The Sustainability Imperative of Preserving Places
How can we change the prevailing ideas of building as disposable commodities and reframe them as crucial tools in the fight against climate change and social inequality? It will take a multi-disciplinary approach to adaptive reuse, deconstruction and new builds to reach net zero and zero-waste sustainability goals.
Dan Bergsagel
Sustainability Lead | schlaich bergermann partners
Rebecca Berry
Principal, President, Director of Sustainability | Finegold Alexander Architects
Phillip Kennicott (moderator)
Senior Art and Architecture Critic | The Washington Post
Jonathan Rosenbloom
Professor of Law | Albany Law School; Executive Director | Sustainable Development Code
3:40 p.m. Afternoon Break
3:55 p.m.
Lightning Talk: Keeping the Bugs at Bay
Pest infestation is one of the greatest threats to museum collections and a challenge compounded by climate change. Learn about cutting edge treatment methods from a nationally recognized leader in innovative solutions to Integrated Pest Management.
Adam Osgood
Collections Technician | Historic New England
4:10 p.m.
Closing Conversation: Climate, Cultural Resources, and Public Lands
This in-depth conversation connects climate with cultural heritage and considers the important role of public parks, large and small, in sustainability, resiliency and adaptation.
Maria A. Burks (moderator)
Consultant | Parks and Public Lands
Louis C. Fusco
Principal | Louis Fusco Landscape Architects
Doug Pizzi
Executive Director | Mass Parks for All
4:50 p.m.
Closing Performance
String Quartet from Marlboro Music
5:25 p.m.
Closing Remarks
End of 2023 Historic New England Summit
Timing and program content subject to change.
