Senior Leaders: Please Join Us June 15-16 for
the Bonner 35th Anniversary Celebration
(within the 2025 Summer Leadership Institute)
The Bonner Foundation is thrilled to partner with the University of Richmond to host the 35th Anniversary of the Bonner Program this summer. The June 15-16 event is embedded within the longer 2025 Bonner Summer Leadership Institute (SLI). The Bonner Foundation cordially invites the president, chancellor, or another senior leader from each campus to join us for celebratory, educational, and networking opportunities from June 15-16. We will be joined by accomplished leaders from across the national network of 65 institutions and the broader field.
This event will launch the longer 2025 Bonner Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) from June 15-18. The Bonner Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) is the largest annual gathering of the Bonner Network with approximately 300-400 Bonner staff, students, faculty, field leaders, representatives from national partner organizations, alumni, and others across the Bonner Network. Within the conference, we will also offer a special track for community engaged faculty and scholars exploring People, Power and Place: The Urgency for Community Engaged Learning.
Through this event, the Bonner Foundation and our sustained partners aim to provide senior leaders with inspiring opportunities for networking, sharing models and best practices, and engaging in dialogue and problem solving around the issues facing our institutions, programs, higher education, and community impact. We will be joined by leaders, speakers, and presenters, ranging from current student leaders to veteran leaders in higher education and civic contexts. Through plenary, signature sessions and elective workshops, all participants will have opportunities to engage with these exceptional alumni, field leaders, and presenters including:
Chaz Antoine Barracks, Postdoctoral Fellow at Syracuse University, storyteller (Black Matter podcast on Spotify), and graduate of the Bonner Program at the University of Richmond
Anushri (Anu) Baskar, Associate Software Engineer with Fannie Mae and graduate of the Bonner Program at George Mason University
Patti Clayton, Senior Scholar with the Institute for Community and Economic Engagement at the University of North Carolina Greensboro; co-author of the *Democratic Engagement White Paper;* and creator of the DEAL model for reflection
Terry Dolson, Senior Associate Director for Community-Engaged Learning with the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement at the University of Richmond
Arielle del Rosario, Associate Director of Project Pericles and graduate of the Bonner Program at Rutgers University - New Brunswick
Katherine Diaz Garcia, Community Organizer and Bilingual Client Services Coordinator in Richmond and graduate of the Bonner Program at Centre College
Timothy K. Eatman, Dean of the Honors Living Learning Community at Rutgers University - Newark; Chair of the Board with AAC&U, and co-author of Scholarship in Public: Knowledge Creation and Tenure Policy in the Engaged University
Sylvia Gale, Director of the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement at the University of Richmond, board member with Imagining America (IA), and first director of IA’s Publicly Active Graduate Education Initiative (PAGE)
Kevin Hallock, President of the University of Richmond (VA), a labor market economist, the author or editor of 11 books and over 100 publications, and UR’s Distinguished University Professor of Economics
El-Mahdi Holly, State Representative in Georgia and founder of the Georgia Africa Legislative Caucus and Morehouse College Alum
Shannon Maynard, Executive Director of the Congressional Hunger Center (Washington, DC) and graduate of the Bonner Program at the University of Richmond, and member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees
Caryn McTighe Musil, Former Senior Vice President at AAC&U, where she directed initiatives including American Commitments: Diversity, Democracy, and Liberal Learning; Liberal Education and Global Citizenship; Core Commitments: Educating Students for Social Responsibility and others; writer and editor of A Crucible Moment
Tony Richardson, President of the Gund Foundation, graduate of the Bonner Program at Oberlin College, and member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees
Paul Pribbenow, President of Augsburg College (MN), who also serves on the Boards for the Coalition for Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) and Campus Compact
Paul Schadewald, Associate Director of Bringing Theory to Practice, board member with Imagining America and Project Pericles, and co-author of the 2020 award winning volume Digital Community Engagement: Partnering Communities with the Academy
David Scobey, Director of Bringing Theory to Practice, professor of history at Elon University and (formerly) University of Michigan, founder of Arts and Citizenship, and contributor to Change magazine
Carol Geary Schneider, President Emeritus of American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and Fellow with the Lumina Foundation, who is also a driving force behind the Civic Learning for an Engaged Democracy coalition
Arthur Tartee Jr., Program Associate with the American Association for the Advancement of Science and graduate of the Bonner Program at the University of RichmondOver the next few weeks, we will update this content to reflect sessions.
Foundation staff, including Robert Hackett, Ariane Hoy, Rachayita Shah, Liz Brandt, Clifton Davis, and Jeniffer Gonzalez Reyes will also lead sessions.
Attendees should make their own lodging reservations. We encourage you to book a hotel room in our block at the Westin Hotel (see link below). This tentative schedule will continue to change as we announce speakers and programming. Please stay tuned for updates to the schedule.
registER NOW (by MAY 2)
To register, please use the link below. We ask that you provide all contact information, including a headshot photo, for our printed materials and roster. You will need a credit card to complete the registration. The cost is $150, which includes all meals during your participation (dinner on June 15, breakfast and lunch on June 16).
You should be prepared to pay by credit card when registering for the 35th Anniversary Celebration.
Please register by May 2nd, 2025
LODGING
The Bonner Foundation has reserved a block of rooms at the Westin Hotel, located at 6631 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA. The rate is 159.00 USD per night plus taxes and fees. Please book your accommodation through the Westin Hotel directly, using this link for the special rate. You can reach Westin Hotel staff by phone at (804) 282-8444. The Westin Hotel will hold these rooms at this rate until May 23, 2025. (After that, you would need to inquire to them directly).
TRAVEL
The host campus, University of Richmond, is located in Richmond, Virginia. There are a variety of travel options for getting to and from campus including plane, Amtrak train, and car. Campus teams will need to travel to and from the University of Richmond on their own.
The University of Richmond's
street address is
410 Westhampton Way,
University of Richmond, VA, 23173.
FLYING
Richmond International Airport (RIC) is located twelve miles northeast of the city of Richmond and it approximately thirty-minutes (driving/taxi) from campus. Taxi and rental car services are available within the airport.
DRIVING
If planning to drive, we recommend carpooling (with your campus team) where possible. Parking will be available on campus and at the Westin Hotel.
train
Amtrak serves the University of Richmond via its Staples Mill Road station (RVR) or its historic Main Street Station (RVM). Both are approximately fifteen-minute (driving/taxi) minutes from campus. Taxi and rental car services are nearby.
More information on transportation options can be found here.
EXPLORE RICHMOND
The capital of Virginia, Richmond is a dynamic and growing city. From the Virginia State Capitol to Hollywood Cemetery and Evergreen Cemetery to the old tobacco warehouses to Jackson Ward, a Harlem of the South, Richmond’s past is an important site of exploration and engagement. Richmond continues to grapple with its racist past, surfacing erased stories of indigenous and enslaved people and highlighting legacies of resistance and liberation. The mighty James River runs through the city, with a series of city parks and trails, Class Five rapids, and more. Residents love restaurants, farmers markets, local products, and innovation. To learn more, explore some of the resources provided by the University of Richmond’s Bonner Center for Civic Engagement.
The 2025 Bonner Summer Leadership Institute encourages attendees to take advantage to explore Richmond through formal programming and informal opportunities. Whether food, arts, nature, history, or culture – see what the University of Richmond recommends to visitors.
QUESTIONS?
IF YOU HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT...
Liz Brandt, Community Engagement Director, at liz@bonner.org, Ariane Hoy, Vice President, at ahoy@bonner.org, or Jen Gonzalez Reyes, Program Manager, at jengr@bonner.org.