Community Engagement Summit

2025 Community Engagement Summit

The third annual Community Engagement Summit, hosted by Advancing Macomb on September 18, 2025, brought together nonprofit, business and civic leaders at Macomb Community College’s John Lewis Community Center. Presented by First State Bank, the half-day event focused on strengthening community engagement, collaboration and nonprofit support across Macomb County.

After opening remarks from Phil Gilchrist, Executive Director of Advancing Macomb, and the event sponsors, attendees moved into a morning of networking and dialogue designed to spark new partnerships and turn ideas into action.

Nicole Sherard-Freeman, President and CEO of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, inspired the audience with a keynote focused on building a thriving region we can all call home. She underscored that complex challenges demand cross-sector solutions and urged leaders to step outside their usual circles to co-create better outcomes for residents.

The morning concluded with a lively fireside chat featuring Salvador Salort-Pons, Mary Anne and Eugene A. Gargaro Jr., Director, President, and CEO of the Detroit Institute of Arts. The conversation was moderated by Brooke Allen, an award-winning broadcaster and host of “Caffeinated Conversations with Brooke Allen.”

Read More: Advancing Macomb’s 2025 Community Engagement Summit Inspires Collaboration and Action

2023 Community Engagement Summit

Civic, nonprofit and business leaders throughout Macomb County gathered for the inaugural Advancing Macomb Community Engagement Summit on April 28 at Macomb Community College. The event’s goal was to inspire investment in emotionally engaging citizen-led projects that enhance the quality of life and economic vitality in the county and region.

A key takeaway from the summit is that people are more likely to care about their city and love it when there is emotional engagement. Keynote speaker Peter Kageyama, author of Love Where You Live and For the Love of Cities, inspired the audience with the idea that even small things can have an outsized impact. He encouraged the audience to think beyond basic needs like safety and function and aspire to be an interesting and fun city. Create “Love Notes” from your city, Kageyama offered, through things like parks and green space, city rituals and interactive public art. Kageyama also encouraged the group to act in their communities by seizing and celebrating attainable ideas and solutions that get you further down the road to the desired result.

Read more: Advancing Macomb Inaugural Community Engagement Summit Inspires Leaders to Strengthen Macomb County Communities