2024 Community Engaged Scholarship Forum

2024 Community Engaged Scholarship Forum
March 5, 2024

Each year, Pitt elevates, celebrates, and reflects on collective approaches to community-engaged scholarship at the University at the annual Community Engaged Scholarship Forum (CESF).

CESF provides an opportunity for faculty, students, staff and community members to present their community-engaged work, discover new avenues of partnership, network with those who do similar work and celebrate Pitt's commitment to community engagement.

Progress Through Partnerships: Beyond a Thousand Points of Light
March 5, 2024, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Alumni Hall (4227 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260)

While the individual efforts of teams and communities have resulted in shining examples of what is possible through engaged scholarship, our society requires increasingly interconnected approaches to problem solving that result in partnerships advancing multiple aspects of community resilience.

Solutions that used to be generated from a “points of light” framework are now seeking coordination to achieve greater effect. This year, CESF will showcase the multipliers and multi-solvers in our communities as well as explore what those terms mean. The Forum invites you to join us to explore opportunities to work across organizations, disciplines, and sets of solutions that mobilize previously disconnected efforts in creative ways.

Keynote Speaker: Erin McDonald

Erin McDonald is the Lead for the Federal Plan for Equitable Long-Term Recovery and Resilience in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health where she leads the whole-of-government effort across over 35 departments and agencies to build long-term resilience. Before stepping into this role she was the Regional Administrator for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in Region 3, where she leads ACF’s strategic cross-cutting initiatives and priorities to promote the economic wellbeing of children and families. Prior to joining federal service, Dr. McDonald served in leadership roles in public sector, philanthropic, and non-profit organizations including the Chief Strategy Officer for Human Services in the New York City Mayor’s Office, the Vice President of Research and Strategy at Feeding America, and the Director of Research and Evaluation at Women’s World Banking. She holds a PhD in Public Health and Research from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a Master’s in Public Policy and Evaluation from Johns Hopkins Policy Studies Institute.

2024 CESF Agenda