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Key Insights on Creating Great Central Places
by Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. June 19, 2026

June 19, 2026

This email summarizes some really important, useful insights about creating great central places from our last Chattanooga Venturing Dialogue on June 1st, followed by information about a few upcoming events and opportunities. What factors are important when creating places where people want to gather and spend time? Karen Hundt noted that it involved "gathering a lot of community input from people all over the community about what they wanted to see happen, not just in the downtown, but around the community as a whole.” Stroud Watson had architecture students create designs—which included the first suggestion of an aquarium—for community members to consider as they developed a vision. “You start with a big overall vision,” Karen said, "and then you have to go figure out how to get it done. And that takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of people.” Stroud could speak frankly about issues and was able to engage people in literally sketching out alternatives. Outside experts were consultants were involved in every initiative that happened around Venture. For Downtown, Stroud had architectural firms compete for projects by pitching their plans. The key was that locals were always involved and learning from and with the experts, figuring out how to get it done. They learned about specific issues and general methods, such as design charrettes, reviewing and tweaking the designs along the way. "It's an iterative, continuing process,” as Karen pointed out. Implementation has to be handled by a non-governmental entity that can bring in private investment better and move faster, anchored by community engagement. River City Company incorporated Stroud’s practices, coordinating collaboration and gathering input via charrettes, listening sessions, public workshops, and surveys. “The very first place we started was listening to the community and understanding what people like and what they don't like,” said Emily Mack, President & CEO of River City, "But also what are those aspirational desires?” They have technical teams for topics like ecology and the environment, play and recreation, events and programing, utilities, transportation that are at the table also throughout the design process. The vision for Collegedale was simple, David Barto told us: to merge several good the ideas into one place. “Collegedale started out with no center because we were carved out of the county,” David recalled, “What we wanted was some sort of town center for folks to come together, and there were a lot of different ideas on what needed to be in that center.” Red Bank had a totally different situation with Dayton Boulevard as the town’s backbone and site of the former Red Bank Middle School at the heart of town. Michael Phram said people provided input on what they wanted where via in-person meetings. Very different approaches but in the end people actively shaped their central places. The challenge and opportunity now is to effectively connect central places, including intermediate spaces for people to gather, as the area grows. The range of issues will need to be addressed for each of those. "It is important to understand the nature of those areas," Rob Taylor told us, "there's no universal all one size fits all.” Community engagement is the way to highlight places that need to be celebrated, as well as those that need to be developed, and spur leaders to create an engine to drive development. Central places host activities that generate public revenue, supporting infrastructure improvements and programs in other parts of the community. The means and methods to better connect them and cultivate intermediate places closer to people’s homes are readily available. Who is going to put them to use? If we don’t use them, we will lose them, even as we miss needs and opportunities. Community engaged planning has to be exercised to make it stronger and more effective. This is challenge for the Chattanooga Venturing Study Group to take on next! Thank you, Emily Mack and River City Company, for hosting the last dialogue. Would you be interested in hosting a dialogue or convening small, informal “community confabs”? Shoot me an email! Upcoming Events and Opportunities: Chattanooga.Digital is ramping up! Learn about the universe of open source solutions and how we can use them to strengthen community and support local business. Achieve Digital Independence! Chattanooga.Digital, Chattanooga Unix/GNU/Linux User Group, and Beers with Engineers are here to help you break free of Big Tech and own what you do. July 3rd, 3:00 - 6:00 PM, Hutton & Smith, 431 E M L King Blvd #120, Chattanooga, TN 37403. RSVP here. <https://luma.com/tiv9etao> Open for Small Business: Accounting Options workshop, Chattanooga.Digital and LAUNCH, Wednesday, July 8th, 2026, 6:00 - 7:30 PM, Kitchen Incubator, 5704 Marlin Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37411, register online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-source-solutions-for-small-businesses-tic… Let’s Learn Linux Study Group, July 9th, 5:00 - 6:30 PM, Francis B. Wyatt Community Center, 406 Colville St, Chattanooga, TN 37405. Anyone with any level of knowledge is welcome! RSVP here <https://luma.com/onm3yr1w> or just show up! Join the Facilitator Bank! Learn about community engagement, conflict resolution, and group facilitation to create shared vision and establish common approach with task forces and working groups. Click here to complete the interest form <https://go.eduity.net/apps/forms/s/wDYqrBQoXnM2QNDcx2F3EkHc> to be considered for this limited opportunity! The Next Regular Study Group Meeting will focus on the “Community Confab” DIY Kit and Facilitator bank. In-person or online. Click here to RSVP. <https://luma.com/mcn1coy0> ADVANCE NOTICE: Chattanooga Venturing Dialogue on Entrepreneurship and Small Business! Planning for Wednesday, July 29, 5:00 PM. Register early at https://luma.com/lfh3yyip. This will be our first dialogue using the community confab method! Thank you for your continued interest in lessons from Chattanooga Venture and related initiatives. I really think we have barely scratched the surface of what’s possible! — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg(a)eduity.net 706-271-5521

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Here's what we have learned by studying Chattanooga Venture
by Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. May 21, 2026

May 21, 2026

Greetings! You received this email because you have attended or expressed interest in the Chattanooga Venturing Study Group. The key things we learned by studying Chattanooga Venture After a year of reflecting on Chattanooga Venture and related initiative, we have garnered some key insights about community engagement. There are simple, powerful reasons to engage people in identifying community issues and making decisions about how to address them: Better decision-making: Regardless of how capable or insightful a leader might be, there are much greater capabilities and clear, deeper insights among community members. Buy-in, support, and trust: People will buy into and support initiatives and projects they help create. Responding to their input builds trust. Collaboration: Shared vision is the basis for common metrics and joint approaches that are much more effective and useful than unilateral, “go it alone” plans. Empowerment: Engagement increases participants’ confidence, autonomy, agency, and access to resources, enabling them to act on their own behalf. The key to genuine community engagement is to start by listening to community members without any agenda other than understanding their goals, issues, needs, opportunities, and resources. We have many wonderful assets and programs in our community focused on particular causes. Who is minding the gaps and synergies between them? That is what community engagement does: It builds on, strengthens, and supplements what is in place already to multiply impacts. Applying what we have learned Do these insights make sense to you? Let’s take them to the next level! The Chattanooga Venturing Study Group is shifting from learning on from the past to applying learning for the future. The goal is to build capabilities and infrastructure for genuine engagement by: Identifying spaces and providing tools, Reaching out to more people from other parts of the community to host and participate, and Reviving the Facilitator Bank established by Chattanooga Venture. There is more to learn and much to do. Solutions for our community are not going to come from corporations and governments. If we want to grow and prosper in an inclusive, sustainable manner, we need to continue developing and learning. Here’s how: Attend the next Chattanooga Venturing Dialogue on creating great places, Monday, June 1, 5:00 PM. Get more information and register online here <https://luma.com/tvegapn0>. Host a future dialogue. Email me at greg(a)eduity.net <mailto:greg@eduity.net> for more information and a list of topics. Join the Facilitator Bank, which will launch in July, or sponsor others. Complete the brief interest form here <https://go.eduity.net/apps/forms/s/wDYqrBQoXnM2QNDcx2F3EkHc>. Organize community confabs, informal small group discussions about what matters to people and how to address act on those matters. If you want to help with this, join the Study Group’s next regular meeting, June 2, at noon, RSVP here <https://luma.com/1egrnob2>, or reach out via email or phone. Take it to the next level by joining the Study Group online. Click here <https://venturing.chattanooga.digital/t/taking-it-to-the-next-level/23?u=drl>! If you believe in community engagement… Get engaged! Expand your connections. Share your ideas. Reach out! — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg(a)eduity.net 706-271-5521

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REMINDER: Chattanooga Venturing Dialogue on Housing, Monday 5:30 PM
by Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. April 24, 2026

April 24, 2026

Are you concerned about housing costs? Do you want housing options that align with community requirements? Please join us for the next Chattanooga Venturing Dialogue this Monday, 5:30 PM (doors open at 5:00), for a dialogue about housing anchored by Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise. Not only will you get insights into our current housing issues, you will help define solutions. In the process you will learn about community engagement methods you can use and actions you can take to address the issues. Do you know anyone working on these issues? If so, please pass this email along! Get more information and register online at https://luma.com/oo948apo — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg(a)eduity.net 706-271-5521

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CVSG April Newsletter: What does community engagement have to do with housing?
by Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. April 17, 2026

April 17, 2026

Chattanooga Venturing Dialogue on Housing What does community engagement have to do with housing? Find out at the next Community Venturing Dialogue on April 27th at 5:30 PM <https://luma.com/oo948apo>! The dialogue will be anchored by Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise's (CNE) President & CEO, Chris Thompson. During this session you will learn how CNE was developed via Venture in the 1980s, the results of CNE's work, and what CNE is doing today, including its 40th anniversary activities. Most of the dialogue will focus on current housing issues and feature learning-by-doing about how to establish a shared understanding and vision among community members. Attendees will dialogue about the issues and evaluate options for addressing them. We will dig into how we might expand access, increase supply, preserve affordability, and prevent displacement. We will also work through partnership opportunities and options for regional and neighborhood strategies. By the end of the session, which will be led by CNE team members, we will identify key housing challenges for our community and bold ideas to overcome them. The objective is to leave with clear understanding of actions we can take as community members and leaders. Please join us and share this with others who are concerned with housing in the Chattanooga area! We will have networking at 5:00 PM and the program will start at 5:30. Get more information and register to attend online at https://luma.com/oo948apo. Information about all scheduled Study Group events is available at https://luma.com/ChattanoogaVenturing. Why Engage the Community? There are three simple reasons to engage community members in planning. First, there is much better and more knowledge about issues among community members, particularly those dealing with the issues directly, than among any small group. This is also the reason to get input from outside experts and learn about what other communities have done. Second, people tend to support that which they help to create. They need to see their input in the vision and their part in achieving it to know their issues will be addressed by the solutions. Third, a common approach to a shared vision provides a flexible framework for collaboration and makes coordination much easier, which makes the solutions much more effective. Every leader should understand the principles based on these reasons. Too few do. That's why the Study Group exists: to apply and promote these principles. It's also why we are evolving our approach. More on that below! Evolving the Study Group The Chattanooga Venturing Study Group is refocusing on applying lessons from Venture and similar initiatives while continuing to execute our program for 2026. We are going to focus on how to genuinely engage community members and connect disparate efforts rather than adding another siloed initiative. The goal is to learn about and share goals, issues, needs, opportunities, and resources across the community... and to learn about community engagement by actually engaging the community: How do we tap into the capabilities and intelligence that is distributed throughout the community? How do we get community members to buy into and support efforts? How do we facilitate collaboration to maximize community benefits and reduce duplication of efforts and risk of conflict? Expanding the Dialogues The Study Group started with a series of speakers reflecting on what Venture did and how it did it. That evolved into our current dialogue series, which is more participatory, focused on today, and action-oriented. We want to expand the dialogues and make them more accessible. This summer we will move to a hybrid format. Dialogues will be conducted as online events for small groups at various locations, livestreamed via social media, and then posted online as podcasts. We are looking for hosts and sponsors! If you are interested, email Dr. Greg Laudeman, greg(a)eduity.net. Taking the Group Online The Study Group now has an online home, thanks to Chattanooga.Digital <https://chattanooga.digital/>. Check it out! https://venturing.chattanooga.digital/. We will use this platform to coordinate Study Group activities and share information about Chattanooga Venture, the practice of community venturing, and related initiatives here and elsewhere. Reviving the Facilitator Bank The Facilitator Bank was a group of individuals trained in group facilitation methods who were available to help community group. It was established by Venture, taken over by the Regional Planning Agency after Venture's demise, but faded in the 2000s. The Study Group is going to need capabilities for the new focus so we're reviving the Facilitator Bank! Members of the Facilitator Bank will be educated about Chattanooga Venture and community engagement as well as trained in facilitation methods. As part of the program, participants will be required to facilitate a few informal "Community Confabs" about what people see as key challenges, resources, and visions for the future. If you are interested in either participating in the program or hosting a Community Confab, email Dr. Greg Laudeman, greg(a)eduity.net. NOW ONLINE: The Chattanooga Venturing 2026 Kick-off video! A video of our 2026 Kick-off, which featured a highly participatory process for identifying issues and mapping assets — and learning-by-doing about community engagement — is now online at https://vimeo.com/showcase/11773651?video=1181464770. Check out videos of our speaker series, including a recap video and a vintage video from 1994, at https://vimeo.com/showcase/11773651. About the Chattanooga Venturing Study Group The purpose the Chattanooga Venturing Study Group is the learn how to engage community members for inclusive, positive, sustainable change by studying Chattanooga Venture, the initiative that transformed Chattanooga from "America's Dirtiest City" to "America's Coolest City," and related initiatives. You received this message because you registered for or attended one of the Study Group’s events, asked to be included, or filled out the interest form. If you know anyone else who might be interested, please forward this email. If this email was forwarded to you by someone else and you are interested in participating in Study Group activities, complete the interest form online at https://cloud.eduity.net/apps/forms/s/KbHkwnS9TtBcBb5fSNFoKmA8 or just register for our next dialogue. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, click the unsubscribe link below. For additional information, contact: Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. greg(a)eduity.net 706-271-5521

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Chattanooga Venturing Spring 2026: Reviving the Facilitator Bank
by Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. April 1, 2026

April 1, 2026

Our March 23rd dialogue on the Bend, the River, and environmental and cultural featured a great information and insights from Sally Robinson, Eleanor Cooper, Tricia King Mims, and Andy Wood. Sally provided a primer on how to engage the community, focused on the work she, Eleanor, and others did in the 1980s for the Moccasin Bend Task Force. Tricia provided details on the current situation and National Park Partner's vision for what the Bend could be. Andy shared the Tennessee Aquarium’s strategic planning process and how community members would be engaged in it. One of the most powerful statements of the night came from Andy when he noted our current challenge and opportunity as a community. He asked “how do we transform our community, again?” How do we build on the past and our amazing assets to increase appreciation of our natural and cultural assets? How do we not only maintain what we have but improve upon it to create the extraordinary? The general answer to these questions is via community engagement and mobilization. Comprehensive community engagement is a way to overcome fragmentation. Chattanooga isn’t one community, it’s many. We have many community-based organizations seeking to engage people. Narrowly focused engagement efforts can contribute to the fragmentation and cause us to lose sight of the forest by focusing on the trees. How do we get a comprehensive, wholistic vision for our community, one that most everyone can benefit from and buy into? By engagement that focuses on people—community members—rather than causes, that is open to any and all causes. While we don’t have the resources or umbrella organization to take such a comprehensive approach, we can still do the practices. The only way to learn how to engage and mobilize community member is to do it. We can learn only so much by studying what Chattanooga Venture and related initiatives did; we have to actually do what they did. Those practices have value in their own right, beyond the benefits of a broad community vision. They are useful skills. And, we need these abilities to listen to the voice of the community, to hear what people want from—and can contribute to—it. For those reason, we are going to revive one of Venture’s most ingenious programs: The Facilitator Bank. It was (and will be) a group of people who are trained in community engagement, facilitation, and small group processes and are actively available to help community groups establish a vision, set goals, and succeed as community ventures. If you’re interested in joining the Facilitator Bank or know someone who might, please fill out the interest form by clicking here <https://cloud.eduity.net/apps/forms/s/KbHkwnS9TtBcBb5fSNFoKmA8> and mention “Facilitator Bank” as an interest. You can also attend our next regular Study Group meeting on April 7 at noon (click here to get more info and RSVP <https://luma.com/g3m0r4sj>). Our next public dialogue on April 27 will focus on housing supply with CNE. You can register online and find more information at https://luma.com/oo948apo. We are also planning a dialogue on urban design and development, hopefully for early June. More on both of those soon. Beyond that, our plans are to adopt a podcast approach, streaming the dialogues live online with a small in-person audience. And, the Study Group will move online via Venturing.Chattanooga.Digital <https://venturing.chattanooga.digital/>. To get involved with National Park Partners, visit their website, http://nppcha.org/. If you would like to directly connect with Andy about engagement opportunities with the Tennessee Aquarium, shoot me an email. Thanks for your interest in the Chattanooga Venturing Study Group! — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg(a)eduity.net 706-271-5521

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Chattanooga Venturing: We have the solutions. What are our challenges?
by Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. March 16, 2026

March 16, 2026

One of the most important, empowering lessons from Venture is that we have the solutions, we just don’t know it because we don’t have shared understanding of the challenges. This gap keeps us from appreciating our resources and making the most of our opportunities. To identify the solutions we need to know what matters to our family, friends, neighbors, ourselves, and all of us. To get a great solution, understand the purpose first. The Chattanooga Venturing Study Group seeks to answer this question: what are our goals, issues, needs, opportunities, and resources as a community? How can we build, improve, and strengthen our community? We are going to adapt and adopt Venture’s general framework to ask people about the challenges and their visions for each and all: People - care, education, and wellness for all Place - our built and natural environment Play - our arts, culture, and recreation Purchase - our earning and spending power Public - essential services that benefit all Of course, these topic areas are intertwined as well as multifaceted. Venture was successful because it capitalized on these characteristics of community issues. Our first topical dialog, next Monday, March 23rd, at 5:30 PM, will address this “meta-issue” along with environmental conservation and education, how to appreciate our natural and historical assets. The focus will be on Moccasin Bend and the Tennessee River but the implications are much larger. The precursor to Venture, the Moccasin Bend Task Force, was all about Place but touched on every other area. Local business and civic leader Sally Robinson, who was a founding member of the Moccasin Bend Task Force and deeply involved with various aspects of Chattanooga Venture, will anchor the dialogue. Andy Wood, President & CEO of the Tennessee Aquarium, will address the significance of the river for our community, how the Aquarium addressed the issue of environmental conservation and education, and how it is engaging the community to continue that mission. The nature of Moccasin Bend as a culturally significant, historic site and its status as an addition to our local National Parks are primary concerns for National Park Partners, as is community engagement, which Tricia King Mims, Executive Director, will discuss with us. Please join us for this important dialogue and share with others who are interested in the topic! Register online to attend "Moccasin Bend, the River, Conservation, and Community Engagement” by clicking here. <https://luma.com/kieooku0> Do you have an issue you care about, a group you're working with to change our community for the better, or resources you feel could be better utilized? Let us know! Click here to fill out our online interest form <https://cloud.eduity.net/apps/forms/s/KbHkwnS9TtBcBb5fSNFoKmA8>. Let’s figure out how to find the best solutions “the Chattanooga Way”! — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg(a)eduity.net 706-271-5521

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Chattanooga Venturing Dialogues and more!
by Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. March 3, 2026

March 3, 2026

Thank you to everyone who attended our first dialogue on February 23rd, especially Ron Littlefield, as well as David Littlejohn, Karen Rennich, Kevin Roig, and Jill Weitz. We got some important and useful insights about how and why to do community engagement along with recent examples. David and Jill, in particular, shared about exciting initiatives that are all about engaging the community. All in Chattanooga <https://www.allinchattanooga.org/neighborhoodcircles> is establishing Neighborhood Circles—small, informal groups of neighbors who meet in each other's homes across Hamilton County to build community power and create change. All In helps launch each group, facilitates the first meetings, and provides ongoing support and resources. Chattanooga National Park City <https://www.chattanooganationalparkcity.org/> is looking for “Seeds”—place-based, actionable, repeatable projects designed to improve the quality of life for all of us, by connecting us more to nature, that invite real collaboration across our community. They will kickoff National Park City Seed Drive this Thursday, March 5th at 5:30 PM at the iFixit headquarters, 812 E 12th St, Chattanooga, TN 37403. The purpose of the Chattanooga Venturing Study Group to learn from Chattanooga Venture and related initiatives about how to engage and mobilize community members for inclusive, positive, sustainable change. What are we building? An online platform for community venturing: An initial version is online now. We need people to help add content, configure the system, and moderate. Email me if you are interested. A series of dialogues about how Venture worked and its results. Our next dialogue will be Monday, March 23rd at 5:00 PM, and will focus on environmental conservation and education, specifically Moccasin Bend and the Tennessee River. Find out more about our events and register online at https://luma.com/ChattanoogaVenturing. Watch videos of speaker sessions and other events at https://vimeo.com/showcase/11773651. Regular meetings to discuss learning objectives and share progress. To participate in the Study Group, complete the interest form online at https://cloud.eduity.net/apps/forms/s/KbHkwnS9TtBcBb5fSNFoKmA8. We want to include others in our learning! Feel free to share this email with others and encourage them to join the email list at https://list.chattanooga.digital/mailman3/lists/cvsg-news.list.chattanooga.…. — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg(a)eduity.net 706-271-5521

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How (and why) to engage our community
by Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Feb. 17, 2026

Feb. 17, 2026

I hope you will join us this Monday eventing, February 23rd, for a dialogue with former Chattanooga mayor and key leader of Chattanooga Venture, Ron Littlefield. You will have the opportunity to participate in the dialogue along with top folks with the City of Chattanooga, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency, and community initiatives All in Chattanooga and National Park City. The dialogue will focus on how (and why) to engage community members. Spoiler alert: It’s because that’s how we come up with great solutions that have broad support. Register to attend online at https://luma.com/cz0hwuhv. Two more dialogues are being planned. In March, we’ll focus on the precursor to Chattanooga Venture, the Moccasin Bend Task Force, with Sally Robinson who was an original member of the task force, a leader of other Venture initiatives, and city council member as well as business leader. She will be joined by top folks with the Tennessee Aquarium, National Park Partners, and others. For April we are planning a dialogue about housing anchored by Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise. You can find info about all of these events at https://luma.com/ChattanoogaVenturing. Beyond April, we’re not sure what will happen with the study group. Do you know someone who wants to help reclaim the Chattanooga Way and regain knowledge from Chattanooga Venture? We’re looking for volunteers to help with: Dialogue logistics and planning Goals & objectives Online platform content Outreach & promotions, particularly to get more diverse participation Feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions or suggestions. Sincerely, — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg(a)eduity.net 706-271-5521

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Chattanooga Venturing Dialogue Series and Online Platform
by Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Feb. 5, 2026

Feb. 5, 2026

The kickoff of the Chattanooga Venturing Study Group’s 2026 program was huge success! We engaged over 60 people to experience how Venture worked and got a lot of great input for our program in the process. Provide your feedback and input here <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ucUKJzJTtLqY1Uo_mbuMmZ--HhHppR-rAVKxipXCDQ…>. The purpose of the Study Group is to learn from Chattanooga Venture and related initiatives about how to engage and mobilize community members for inclusive, positive, sustainable change. The two major parts of our 2026 program are (1) a series of dialogues to learn about how Venture worked, what it accomplished, and how we can apply those lessons today and (2) an online platform to share information about Venture and the set of practices we refer to as community venturing. We encourage you to join us! Our first dialogue will be about how and why to engage community members with former Chattanooga mayor Ron Littlefield. Ron was an accomplished planner in 1983 when he recommended citizen engagement as an approach to planning for our community (read his “Plan 2000” memo from 1983 by clicking here <https://chattanooga.digital/plan-2000-memo-1983>). He was also the first executive director of Chattanooga Venture and has deep knowledge of how Venture worked. Kevin Riog, Mayor Tim Kelly’s Chief of Staff, David Littlejohn with Humanaut and the National Park City initiative, and Jill Weitz with All in Chattanooga, will join in the dialog, along with Karen Rennich, Director of the Regional Planning Agency, and Darrin Ledford, Mayor Kelly’s Deputy Chief of Staff… and all/any attendees! This event will take place on Monday, February 23rd, at 5:00 PM. All of our dialogue sessions will occur on the fourth Monday of the month at the Granfalloon, 400 East Main St. Doors open for dinner and networking at 5:00 PM, program starts at 5:30 and raps up around 7:00. Register to attend via https://luma.com/cz0hwuhv. Get more information about this and other dialogue sessions at https://luma.com/ChattanoogaVenturing. Our March dialogue will focus on Moccasin Bend, the Tennessee River, and environmental conservation with Sally Robinson. Sally was a founding member of the Moccasin Bend Task Force, the precursor the Venture, and a city council member. But that is just a hint of her impact on our community. She has deep knowledge of how Venture created major improvements, including the Tennessee Aquarium and Riverwalk. The Aquarium’s Marketing and Communications Director, Thom Benson, and Tricia King Mims, Executive Director of National Part Partners will also participate in the dialogue. Our third dialogue in April will focus on housing and will be co-produced by Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise <https://www.cneinc.org/>. All of the dialogues will be highly participatory. Attendees will have the opportunity to directly engage, question, and share insights with participants. We will capture the results, post them online, and use them to shape future dialogues and other Study Group activities. We are seeking financial support for our program. While there is no cost to participate, there are options to help us cover costs and support future sessions. We humbly request you contribute what you think the experience is worth. We are also thinking about launching a GoFundMe. If you might be willing to help or sponsor the Study Group’s activities, please reach out! — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg(a)eduity.net 706-271-5521 You are receiving this email because you have registered for or expressed interest in activities of the Chattanooga Venturing Study Group. Please add cvsg-news(a)list.chattanooga.digital to your contacts or “safe senders” list. Anyone can sign up for the list via https://list.chattanooga.digital/mailman3/lists/cvsg-news.list.chattanooga.…. You can also create an account to manage your subscription via that page.

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Chattanooga Venturing kickoff and dialogues for 2026
by Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Jan. 28, 2026

Jan. 28, 2026

We had to move our 2026 kickoff out a week to this coming Monday, February 2, due to weather. You can get more details and register online at https://luma.com/b2kwzwo8. Plan to arrive at 5:00 PM for networking. The program will start at 5:30 and our goal is to wrap up by 7:30. The kickoff will include a review of 2025, appreciation of Venture and related initiatives, do some learning-by-doing about engagement methods, and identify priorities for our 2026 program. The first Chattanooga Venturing dialogue will focus on community engagement with former Chattanooga mayor, Ron Littlefield, on February 23. You can get more details and register to attend at https://luma.com/cz0hwuhv. Current plans are for the March dialogue to focus on conserving our environment and natural areas and for April’s dialogue to be about housing co-produced by CNE. If you are working on any of these topics or know of folks who are, please reach out and share. We have established an initial version of our online platform. If you would like to check that out or help add content, please reach out. For background of Chattanooga Venture and more information about the Study Group, visit https://chattanooga.digital/chattanooga-venturing. This page includes links to videos from our 2025 speaker series and other resources. Please share this information with anyone else who might interested in the Chattanooga Venturing Study Group or any of our activities. PS, please mark this email as “not spam” and add this email address, cvsg-news(a)list.chattanooga.digital, to your contacts or “safe senders” list. — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg(a)eduity.net 706-271-5521

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