CNC 2026 Community Summit: Encouraging the Livable City

May 16, 2026 @ 8:30AM — 2:00PM Eastern Time (US & Canada) Add to Calendar

Life Learning Center: 20 W 18th Street Covington, KY 41011 Get Directions

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On May 16, Covington residents are coming together for the CNC 2026 Community Summit—our city’s big day to connect across neighborhoods and talk about what it takes to build a more livable Covington. This isn’t a lecture. Expect live panels, community Q&A, and a focus on practical next steps. Register today to receive email updates along the way—panelist announcements, agenda highlights, and event-day details. The Covington Neighborhood Collaborative (CNC) brings neighborhood leaders together each month to discuss community priorities, make recommendations, support citywide and local initiatives, and celebrate progress across all Covington neighborhoods.

If you've always wanted to attend one of those local meetings but didn't have the budget for a ticket, now is your chance to meet regional leaders and local experts at no charge! Live panels. Community Q&A. Practical next steps. Registration is FREE and open to the public.

KEYNOTE + Program
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We’ll kick off the morning with a keynote from Mike Squire, Division Manager of Community Engagement for the City of Dayton and a Kettering Foundation Fellow, focused on civic engagement and what success looks like when residents help shape their city.
Then we’ll move into two rounds of concurrent panel sessions:

🌿🫜 URBAN GARDENING IN THE LIVABLE CITY (9:45–11:00 AM)
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  • Kymisha Montgomery, Urban Agriculture Program Coordinator, Civic Garden Center
  • Gertrude Lorenz, Owner, Wild Gardens
  • Moderator: Cate Douglas, Community Building Director, Center for Great Neighborhoods

🚶🏻‍♂️🚘 MOVABILITY & SAFETY IN THE LIVABLE CITY (9:45–11:00 AM)
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  • Melissa “Mel” McVay, Pedestrian Safety & Bike Program Manager, City of Cincinnati
  • Barbara Didrichsen, Community Safety Volunteer, Pleasant Ridge Traffic Committee
  • Faye Massey, Neighborhood Historian and Storyteller
  • Mark Jeffreys, Cincinnati City Councilmember and VP of OKI
  • Moderator: Aaron Wolpert, Founder, COVstreets

🏡💵 AFFORDING TO LIVE IN THE LIVABLE CITY (11:10 AM–12:25 PM)
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  • Te’Airea Powell, Coordinator, Faith & Government Relations, Habitat for Humanity
  • Tara Johnson-Noem, Executive Director, Northern Kentucky Area Development District
  • Katherine Keough-Jurs, Director, City Planning & Engagement, City of Cincinnati
  • Jeremy Wallace, Manager, Community Development, City of Covington
  • Moderator: JT Spence, PhD, AICP, Chair, CNC Community Summit

🎨😌 ART & AESTHETICS IN THE LIVABLE CITY (11:10 AM–12:25 PM)
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  • Rachael Parker, ArtsWave Director, Northern Kentucky Creative Placemaking
  • Sydney Fine, Senior Director of Advancement, ArtWorks
  • Jay Becker, Co-Founder, BLDG
  • Moderator: Cate Douglas, Community Building Director, Center for Great Neighborhoods

🎟️ FREE REGISTRATION (INCLUDES LUNCH!)
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Registration is free and open to the public, but seating is limited to 200. Registered attendees will receive speaker spotlights, agenda highlights, and a free lunch.

📆 When: Saturday, May 16, 2026
📍 Where: Life Learning Center, 20 W 18th St, Covington, KY
🕰️ Time: 8:30 AM (Coffee + Networking) | 9 AM–2 PM (Program + Lunch)


Kick off your Maifest morning at the CNC 2026 Community Summit and join your neighbors in Encouraging the Livable City!

Support us with a donation.