Members of the NANA Executive Board participated in the Cincinnati Neighborhood Summit – sponsored by Invest in Neighborhoods – on Saturday, March 29, 2025 at The Tangeman University Center, University of Cincinnati. For over 20 years, the Cincinnati Neighborhood Summit has gathered over 600 leaders who work together to improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods and across Cincinnati. In a daylong series of seminars, presentations, and workshops, community leaders, volunteers, and activists came together with City leaders, funders, non-profits, and businesses to share, connect, and problem solve. Collaboration is fundamental to improving the communication and interaction between all of the people dedicated toward improving our way of life.
Many of our local politicians, members of Cincinnati City Planning and Engagement, and neighborhood council representatives all collaborated on place-based problem solving. Mayor Aftab Pureval opened the summit with his welcoming remarks in support of equitable economic growth for all 52 neighborhoods in Cincinnati. Vice Mayor Kearney and Scottie Johnson announced the 2025 Neighborhood Summit Community Awards. In addition, City Manager Sheryl Long, Mark Jeffries, Meeka Owens and other council members also participated in many of the sessions and were available to the conference participants.
So many sessions and panel discussions were the highlights of the day. For example, one well-attended panel discussion was on establishing Resilience Hubs for disaster recovery at the neighborhood level. In another session, Annie Ruth Napier, acclaimed visual artist and president of the Roselawn Community Council, explained how “Neighborhood Power Building through Story” was instrumental in rebuilding the Roselawn community. Eric Russo, Executive Director Hillside Trust announced a project working with City Planning and Engagement on improving the Hillside Overlay guidelines and zoning requirements. At the end of the day, the Cincinnati Parks and Cincinnati Recreation Departments led an interactive session on Engaging Youth and Teens: After School and Summer Programs. All of these interesting topics are areas that impact our neighborhood as we grow and improve.
Sarah Koucky