Leaders to Gather in Texas for 8th Annual Retreat Sept. 12-14
Bethesda, MD (PRWEB) June 27, 2014 -- Leaders to Gather for Annual Retreat in Texas Sept. 12-14
Leaders from the nonprofit and corporate worlds will gather for The Harwood Summit Sept. 12-14 in San Antonio to share ideas and find new ways to approach their work.
The 8th annual, invitation-only event is hosted by Rich Harwood, founder and president of the Washington, D.C.-area Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, a national nonprofit organization that teaches and coaches people and organizations to solve pressing problems and change how communities work together.
This year, the retreat will take place at San Antonio’s La Cantera Hill Country Resort. Harwood began the Summit to provide top thinkers and innovators with an informal setting to interact, gain insights from their peers and speak openly about challenges they face in their work and lives.
“People who are at the top of their fields rarely have the time or space to take a step back and get feedback from others on critical issues without feeling they have to put up a protective façade,”’ said Harwood, who has more than 25 years of experience in community change and leadership. “Unlike a typical conference, there’s no jockeying for position, performing or competing.”
The Summit is held in a different location each year. Instead of official presentations, participants engage in open, structured conversations, small-group sessions and personal reflections.
Last year, attendees included the head of the American Library Association, a United Way COO, an American Red Cross executive and other influential professionals from the worlds of public broadcasting, government and philanthropic groups such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
A visionary with the ability to help people identify obstacles and tap their aspirations, Harwood has inspired hundreds of audiences as he shares his philosophy of what it takes to be relevant and connected in today's world. He is also a prolific author whose books and guides include "The Work of Hope: How Individuals and Organizations Can Authentically Do Good" and "Why We're Here: The Powerful Impact of Public Broadcasters When They Turn Outward."
In 2013, Harwood guided a 28-member task force in Newtown, Conn. that reached a unanimous decision on the fate of Sandy Hook Elementary, where 26 children and adults were killed in December 2012.
Harwood is currently traveling the country on his Reclaiming Main Street campaign to help communities learn to better communicate, work together and ultimately improve public dialogue. As part of this endeavor, Harwood is recruiting a 100,000-person Public Innovators Corps and collecting people’s aspirations for their communities in an online forum, Townhall.
For additional information about the retreat, contact awillis(at)theharwoodinstitute(dot)org or 301-656-3669.
Jen Packer, The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org, +1 301-656-3669, [email protected]
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