Wiley Cash is an award-winning New York Times bestselling author of four novels, the founder of This Is Working, an online creative community, and host of the Our State Book Club podcast. He’s the recipient of many literary awards, including the Thomas Wolfe Book Prize, Southern Book Prize, and the American Library Association Book of the Year.

Wiley Cash is an award-winning New York Times bestselling author of four novels, the founder of This Is Working, an online creative community, and host of the Our State Book Club podcast. He’s the recipient of many literary awards, including the Thomas Wolfe Book Prize, Southern Book Prize, and the American Library Association Book of the Year.

Jonathan Fisher, M.D., FACC, is a cardiologist, certified mindfulness teacher, and well-being and resiliency leader at Novant Health.

Mark is a writer, educator, and civic entrepreneur. He is the former host of the On Life and Meaning podcast and author of On Life and Meaning: 100 Essays Inspired by 100 Guests, a book about what matters most.

Dr. Wright is Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and Philosophy at Baylor University and the author of Athena to Barbie: Bodies, Archetypes, and Women's Search for Self.

Federico is Senior Vice President of the Robinson Center for Civic Leadership, where he engages community-minded individuals to address the Charlotte area's greatest challenges and to capitalize on our most impactful opportunities. 

Shannon Vallor is a philosopher of technology and the Baillie Gifford Chair in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence at the Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) at the University of Edinburgh. Professor Vallor's research explores how new technologies, especially AI, robotics, and data science, reshape human moral character, habits, and practices. Her work includes advising policymakers and industry on the ethical design and use of AI. She is a Fellow of the Alan Turing Institute, and currently chairs Scotland's Data Delivery Group. Professor Vallor received the 2015 World Technology Award in Ethics from the World Technology Network. She is a former Visiting Research Scientist and AI Ethicist at Google. In addition to her many articles and published educational modules on the ethics of data, robotics, and artificial intelligence, she is the author of the book Technology and the Virtues: A Philosophical Guide to a Future Worth Wanting (Oxford University Press, 2016) and the forthcoming Lessons from the AI Mirror: Rebuilding Our Humanity in an Age of Machine Thinking.

Ingrid Fetell Lee is a designer and author whose groundbreaking work reveals the hidden influence of our surroundings on our emotions and wellbeing. As a former design director at IDEO, author of Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness, and the founder of the website The Aesthetics of Joy, she empowers people to find more joy in life and work through design. Her immensely popular TED talk “Where Joy Hides and How to Find It” has been viewed more than 17 million times. Lee holds a Master’s in Industrial Design from Pratt Institute and a Bachelor’s in English and Creative Writing from Princeton University. She loves pancakes, polka dots, and rainbow sprinkles, and has an extensive repertoire of happy dances for any occasion.

Baratunde Thurston is an Emmy-nominated, multi platform storyteller and producer operating at the intersection of race, technology, democracy, and climate. He is the host of the PBS television series America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston, creator and host of How To Citizen with Baratunde which Apple named one of its favorite podcasts of 2020, and a founding partner of the media startup Puck. His comedic memoir, How To Be Black, is a New York Times best-seller. In 2019, he delivered what MSNBC’s Brian Williams called “one of the greatest TED talks of all time.” Baratunde is unique in his ability to integrate and synthesize themes of race, culture, politics, and technology to explain where our nation is and where we can take it. He was educated at Sidwell Friends School and Harvard University where he studied philosophy. Baratunde serves on the boards of BUILD.org and the Brooklyn Public Library and lives in Los Angeles, California.

Rick is Chief Marketing Officer of Charlotte Center City Partners and former publisher and editor of Charlotte magazine. For over 25 years, he has helped shape the narrative of Charlotte, build a vibrant city, and lead teams of creative professionals. In this forum, we will explore how "story and collaboration" is key to achieving any vision and to personal and community flourishing. We'll learn how narrative is at the heart of leadership, how to draw the best ideas from people around you, and taking your shot. Our setting will be Community Matters Cafe. 

Mohamed will share his remarkable story of being a high-performing NFL athlete, losing his hand in a near-death accident, and reimagining his life as an organizational psychologist helping people perform at their best. Mohamed will discuss talent, resilience, strategic pivoting, and relying on the team around you. We'll draw lessons from his story about the common good.

In this forum, we will explore the characteristics of great cities and what we can do to create a more vital and supportive city for all in Charlotte. We'll consider how place influences human flourishing and specific choices pressing on us in Charlotte today. What should we prioritize? What can each of us do?

In this forum, we will explore how narrative artwork informs ideas of justice. Sonya will share her professional journey from investigative reporter and documentarian to civil rights and criminal defense attorney to owner and creative director of a contemporary art gallery. She will share how she uses the arts to address pressing societal issues that underlie her legal work — from confronting cognitive bias to unearthing historical narratives that shape our beliefs. Sonya will note how our subconscious pattern-making influence how we categorize right and wrong, good and bad, friend and foe. We'll consider what her insights might mean for the times we are living in.

The Forum is a conversation and speaker series that brings the humanities and civic imagination to bear on the challenges and opportunities of public life.

The Forum is a conversation and speaker series that brings the humanities and civic imagination to bear on the challenges and opportunities of public life.

The Forum is a conversation and speaker series that brings the humanities and civic imagination to bear on the challenges and opportunities of public life.

The Forum is a conversation and speaker series that brings the humanities and civic imagination to bear on the challenges and opportunities of public life.

The Forum is a conversation and speaker series that brings the humanities and civic imagination to bear on the challenges and opportunities of public life.

The Forum is a conversation and speaker series that brings the humanities and civic imagination to bear on the challenges and opportunities of public life.