Leaders to Gather in Texas for 8th Annual Harwood Summit Sept. 12-14

Dozens of leaders from the nonprofit and corporate worlds will gather for The Harwood Summit Sept. 12-14 in San Antonio at La Cantera Hill Country Resort 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.

Harwood began the Summit to provide top thinkers and innovators with an informal setting to interact, gain insights from peers and speak openly about challenges they face in their work and lives.

“This is an opportunity for people at the top of their fields to take a step back from their daily work, reflect and learn from each other in a safe space,” said Harwood, who has spent more than 25 years developing leaders and guiding communities across the country to tackle tough challenges. “At the Summit, there’s no performing, no jockeying for position. It’s about discovery and personal reflection.”

The event is held in a different location each year. Instead of official presentations, participants engage in open, structured conversations, small-group discussions and sessions. Some of the topics at this year’s Summit are “Affection – a role in public life?” and “Seeing the Whole Person: Helping People Become Whole.”

Harwood, who suffered years of chronic illness as a child, learned firsthand what it feels like to be powerless and voiceless. That experience led him to make it his life’s work to ensure that in public life, people’s voices matter. His approach to change has helped thousands of people tap their own potential to make a difference and join with others to improve the way communities work.

Harwood is a prolific author whose books 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." He has also written numerous studies and articles that chronicle the most vital issues of our time.

Last year, Harwood guided a 28-member task force in Newtown, Conn. that reached a unanimous decision on the fate of Sandy Hook Elementary, where 20 children and six adults were killed in December 2012.

Harwood is currently traveling the country on his Reclaiming Main Street campaign to help communities, leaders and others learn to overcome the acrimony and divisiveness that keep people from making progress on tough public challenges and working together for the common good. 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.

Learn more about Harwood and his inspirational personal journey.

Harwood is available for media interviews and can be reached by contacting jpacker(at)theharwoodinstitute.org or 301-656-3669.