Roundtables

A virtual convening for peer leaders to share experiences, identify obstacles, and exchange solutions.

Our biggest lesson of 2020? You can make an impact anywhere - even virtually! In light of the new realities Covid-19 has created in our communities, we stood up virtual gatherings for small groups of peer leaders from across the country to share their experiences, identify obstacles, and exchange solutions.

Want to convene a roundtable conversation with your peers from communities across the country?

Virginia NORML

Thank you to the 700+ participants who joined us for conversations about establishing effective and equitable cannabis reform—not only at the 2021 Virginia General Assembly session, but in communities across the nation.

Leaders and impact makers from 22 states participated, hearing from both Virginia’s Governor and Attorney General, in addition to physicians, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and advocates working in the field.

Past Virtual Roundtables:

Want to see what a Roundtable is like? Check out our previous Roundtables below to get inspired for the next convening!

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Virtual Roundtable: Keeping Art "Essential" in the wake of Covid-19

From Chattanooga to Indianapolis, some of America’s brightest community arts leaders gather for a brainstorm on COVID-era innovation. Communities from coast to coast are feeling the effects of COVID-19 in countless ways. At Tom Tom, we believe that there’s a more pressing need for connection and conversation among peer community leaders than ever before. What specific struggles are they facing? Which of their turn-on-a-dime efforts have been fruitful? And how do nonprofits, who rely heavily on fundraising to cover operating costs, survive with asks for support coming from all sectors? Our new Virtual Roundtable series assembles small groups to share struggles and exchange solutions. Last week, our inaugural roundtable convened nine arts leaders to discuss innovative fundraising tactics, shifts in sales strategies, and ways that artists and institutions can pivot to an online world. See an excerpt from the discussion below. If you’d like to join us for our next arts roundtable, or a roundtable focusing on another theme related to innovation in America’s cities (economic development, education, justice, etc.), please reach out to programs@tomtomfoundation.org. Meet the Arts Roundtable Participants: Rhonda Bellamy, Executive Director, Arts Council of Wilmington & New Hanover County (Wilmington, NC) Melani Douglass, Director of Public Programs,National Museum of Women in the Arts and Founder, Family Arts Museum (Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD) Celeste Fetta, Director of Education, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond, VA) Marina Granger, Founder, The Artist Advisory (New York, NY) Shane Morrow, Executive Director, Responsible Initiatives for Social Empowerment (Chattanooga, TN) Lisa Murch, Director of Art Education, Mural Arts Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA) Paul Rucker, iCubed Arts Research Fellow, Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA) Marlon Torres, Executive Director, North Carolina Arts in Action (Chapel Hill, NC) Jim Walker, Executive Director, Big Car Collaborative (Indianapolis, IN) Facilitator: Ben Brock Wilkes, Program Manager, Tom Tom Foundation