2025 FOCUS FORUM TOPICS
January – FOCUS Forum on the Future 2025; FOCUS Greater Syracuse & the CNY Community
February- Addressing Basic Needs through a Whole Family Lens; Maribel Arce, PEACE, Inc., Syeisha Byrd, Sarah Easterly, Onondaga County Department of Social Services-Economic Security, Jaci Evans, PEACE, Inc., & Todd Goehle, PEACE, Inc.,
March- Homelessness in Central New York; Megan Stuart, Director of the Housing and Homeless Coalition of Central New York
April- Housing Challenges in the Age of Micron; Troy Waffner, Onondaga County, Katelyn Kriesel, Town of Manlius, & Michelle Sczpanski, City of Syracuse
2024 FOCUS FORUM TOPICS
January – FOCUS Forum on the Future 2024; FOCUS Greater Syracuse & the CNY Community
February- How Law Enforcement Navigates Mental Health & Substance Abuse; Deputy Diane Dober & Kayleigh McAllister, Onondaga County Sheriff‘s Office; Donna Knapp, CPS, Prevention Network, Jennifer Parmalee Onondaga County Department of Children & Family Services.
March- Meet the Newest Members of the Syracuse City Common Council; Marty Nave, Patrona Jones-Rowser, & Corey J. Williams.
April- Human Trafficking in CNY; Erin Bates, McMahon Ryan Child Advocacy Center & Elisa Morales, The New Abolitionists.
May- Meet the Newest Onondaga County Legislators; Maurice Brown, Palmer Harvey, Nodesia R. Hernandez, Kevin J. Meaker, Mark A. Olson, & Dan Romeo
June- Outdoor Experiences in Onondaga County; Brian Kelley, Onondaga County Parks, Penny Snell, YMCA of CNY, & Tony Williams, City of Syracuse.
July- Community Need and Community Action in Onondaga County; Maribel Arce, PEACE, Inc., Carolyn Brown, PEACE, Inc., & Todd Goehle, PEACE, Inc.
September- Community Engagement Committee; Daniel Kolinski, Empire State Development, Melanie Littlejohn, CNY Community Foundation, & Tim Penix SUNY Syracuse Educational Opportunity Center.
October- Funders and their Priorities; Nancy Kern Eaton, United Way of Central New York, Margaret O’Connell, Allyn Family Foundation, Frank Ridzi, CNY Community Foundation, & Sheena Solomon, The Gifford Foundation.
November- Micron and the City; Mayor Ben Walsh, City of Syracuse, County Executive Ryan McMahon, Onondaga County, & Alan Mallach, Center for Community Progress.
2023 FOCUS FORUM TOPICS
January – FOCUS Forum on the Future 2023; FOCUS Greater Syracuse & the Community
February – Aunt Harriet: Reflections on the Life and Legacy of Harriet Tubman; Michele Jones Galvin, FOCUS Board of Directors & Co-Author of Beyond the Underground: Aunt Harriet Moses of Her People; & Marc Jones, President & CEO of Dreissig Apparel Inc. & Fan Hands LLC.
March – Syracuse STEAM School: A Collaborative Approach to Education; Jody Manning, Executive Director/Planning STEAM Principal; Anthony Davis, Superintendent of Schools, Syracuse City School District (SCSD); & Jeremy Belfield, Superintendent of Schools, LaFayette Central School District
May – Learn About Your Fair Housing Rights; Caroline Downey, General Council, NYS Division of Human Rights; Sally Santangelo, Executive Director, CNY Fair Housing; & Susan Griffith, Managing Attorney, Legal Services of Central New York
June- Exploring Tomorrow’s Transit; Bren Daiss, Director of Special Transportation Projects & Planning, Centro; & Meghan Vitale, Principal Transportation Planner, Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council
July- FY24 Budget Takes Syracuse To The Next Level; Mayor Ben Walsh
September- Youth Violence: A Crisis that Impacts Everyone; Sheena Solomon, Executive Director, The Gifford Foundation; Rasheada Caldwell, Syracuse Common Councilor; Lateef Johnson-Kinsey, Mayor’s Office to Reduce Gun Violence; Damian Pratt, Onondaga County Department Children & Family Services; Azariah “A-Z” Yemma, Yemma Estates
October- Helping Children Heal: Understanding & Addressing the Impact of Trauma; Teresa Hargrave, SUNY Upstate Department of Psychology; Anne Napper, Child Care Solutions, Inc.; Monica Dilone, MSW, Onondaga County Health Department
November- Sustainability in Action: Paving the Way for a Sustainable and Resilient CNY; Lauren Staniec, Sustainable Syracuse; Diane Brandli, Greening USA; Dan Kwasnowski, Onondaga County Department of Planning; Owen Kerney, Deputy Commissioner Syracuse City Planning & Sustainability Department of Neighborhood & Business Development
December- Developing CNY’S Workforce For Growth; Michael Frame, The Manufacturers Association of CNY; Rosemary Avila, Onondaga County Workforce Development Board and Career Center; Mitchell Latimer, North Atlantic States, Regional Council of Carpenters
2022 FOCUS FORUM TOPICS
January – FOCUS Forum on the Future 2022; FOCUS Greater Syracuse & the Community
February – City Housing / Looking Forward; Daniel Kwasnowski, Director, Syracuse Onondaga Planning Agency (SOCPA); Owen Kerney, Deputy Director, SOCPA; Stephanie Pasquale, Director, Neighborhood Advancement, & the Allyn Family Foundation
March – Lyme & Tick-Borne Illnesses; Royale Scuderi, Executive Director of the CNY Lyme & Tick-Borne Disease Alliance; & Dr. Brian Leydet, Professor of Epidemiology & Disease Ecology at ESF
April – FOCUS on Affordable Housing; Walt Dixie, Executive Director, Jubilee Homes; Sally Santangelo, Executive Director, CNY Fair Housing; Megan Stuart, Director, Housing & Homeless Coalition of CNY; & Palmer Harvey, Co-founder, Syracuse Tenants Union
May – The Changing Landscape of Local Media; Mitch Gelman, President & CEO, WCNY; Ken Jackson, Editor & Publisher at Urban CNY; Julie McMahon, Founding Editor-in-Chief, Central Current; & Joel Kaplan, Professor of Magazine, News, & Digital Journalism & Associate Dean, Office of Graduate Programs, Syracuse University Newhouse School of Public Communications
June – Housing Assessments 101; Matt Oja, Commissioner, Department of Assessment, City of Syracuse; Warren Wheeler, IAO, Executive Director, NYS Assessors Association; & Donald Weber, Director of Real Property Tax Services
July – Designing a Community Grid for All; Victor Dover, Founding Principal, Dover, Kohl & Partners Town Planning; Josh Frank, Project Director / Urban Designer & Town Planner, Dover, Kohl & Partners Town Planning; & Joe Driscoll, Interstate 81 City Project Director, City of Syracuse
September – Salt City Market; Adam Sudmann, Market Manager, Salt City Market; Tori Shires, Chief Development Officer, Rescue Mission Alliance; Jeremy DeChario, General Manager, Syracuse Cooperative Market; & Vendors Sleyrow Mason of SOULutions & Duyen Nguyen of the Cake Bar
October – Housing Needs in CNY – What’s Going On?; Michelle Sczpanski, Deputy Commissioner, Syracuse Neighborhood & Business Development; Dan Kwasnowski, AICP Director, Syracuse & Onondaga County Planning Agency (SOPCA); & Sam Gordon, Planning Practice Leader, EDR
December – Micron & the Community; Onondaga County Executive J. Ryan McMahon, II
2021 FOCUS FORUM TOPICS
January – Resilience & Challenges of Our Immigrant & Refugee Community under COVID; Haji Adan, Refugee & Immigrant Self-Empowerment (RISE); Marwah Alobaidi, Interfaith Works’ Center for New Americans; Felicia Castricone, Catholic Charities of Onondaga County & Felicien Seruhungu, & Moderator Rev. James Mathews of St. Lucy’s Church
February – FOCUS Forum on the Future; FOCUS Greater Syracuse Board of Directors & Community
March – Blueprint 15; Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens; Mikki Anderson, Purpose Built Communities; William Simmons, Syracuse Housing Authority; Stephanie Pasquale, Blueprint 15 & Neighborhood Advancement for the Allyn Family Foundation
April – Higher Education in a Time of COVID; LeMoyne College President Linda LeMura & Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud
May – Workforce Development for the Individual; Brian Fay, Syracuse Northeast Community Center; Joan Royle, Westcott Community Center; Maribel Arce, Syracuse Community Center Collaborative & Chol-Awan Majok
June – Priorities for Making Our Community a Better Place to Live for All; with LGS, Mayor Ben Walsh & County Executive J. Ryan McMahon, II
July – Child Care in Onondaga County; opening remarks by Governor Kathy Hochul, Laurie Black, Early Childhood Alliance (ECA); Sarah Merrick, Commissioner of the Onondaga County Department of Social Services – Economic Security; & Lori Schakow, Child Care Solutions
September – Bridging the Digital Divide; David Bottar, CNY Regional Planning & Development Board; Annabeth Hayes, CNY Digital Inclusion Coalition, Director, Tully Free Library; Jennifer Tifft, City of Syracuse; & Kevin Sexton, Onondaga County Department of Information Technology, & Moderator Dr. Sharon Brangman
October – Mayoral Candidate Debate – How Do You Create a Sustainable Syracuse?; with GreeningUSA, & the CNY Solidarity Coalition; Councilor Khalid Bey, Janet Burman, Mayor Ben Walsh, & Moderator Chris Bolt
November – Empowerment, Accessibility, & Disability Services in CNY; Tania Anderson, ARISE; Paul Joslyn, AccessCNY; Tanisha Wiggins; & Angela Palmieri
2020 FOCUS FORUM TOPICS
January – Meeting the Best to Avoid the Worst: Emergency Management & Preparedness; Onondaga County Emergency Management Commissioner Dan Wears & Chris Gorman, Principal Program Manager for Community & Customer Management at National Grid
February – FOCUS Forum on the Future; FOCUS Greater Syracuse Board of Directors & Community
June – Social Distancing & Isolation Under COVID: Coping with Physical & Mental Health Challenges; Sharon Brangman, MD, Chair of the Department of Geriatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University, & Tracey Musarra Marchese, Professor of Practice in Syracuse University’s School of Social Work
August – Healing The Earth Former SUNY ESF President Neil Murphy & Onondaga Environmental Institute President Ed Michalenko explore the opportunities & challenges for the environment in a new virtual FOCUS Forum
September – Housing in a Time of COVID; Home HeadQuarters Chief Executive Officer Kerry Quaglia, & Housing Visions Director of Community, Government Relations Mike La Flair, & FM Realty President Don Radke
October – Arts Adapt in a Time of COVID; Thursday Morning Roundtable, Bob Hupp & Jill Anderson from Syracuse Stage, Larry Luttinger from CNY Jazz Arts, & Sara Felice from Point of Contact Gallery
October – Community Dialogue in a Time of COVID; JahQuan Bey-Wright and Peter Willner from the El Hindi Center for Dialogue, & Asean Malik Bey & Geraldine Linares Esq. from the Peacemaking Team of the Center for Court Innovation
November – Funding Change in a Time of COVID; Sheena Solomon of the Gifford Foundation, Peter Dunn of the CNY Community Foundation, Nancy Kern Eaton of United Way of Central New York, & Meg O’Connell of the Allyn Family Foundation
December – Mental Health in a Time of COVID – Meeting the Moment; Onondaga County Commissioner of Adult & Long Term Care Services Lisa D. Alford; Clinical Director of Psychological Healthcare Ronald C. Fish, PhD; & the President of NAMI Syracuse Marla Byrnes. Moderator Paul Joslyn
2019 FOCUS FORUM TOPICS
January – Joint City-County forum at National Grid, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, & Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon
February – New Syracuse Police Chief, Kenton Buckner
March – Citizens Review Board, Administrator Ranette Releford & Board Chair Peter McCarthy
April 4 – Housing the Homeless, Rescue Mission Alliance Chief Executive Dan Sieberg & Housing and Homeless Coalition of CNY Executive Director – Megan Stuart
April 25 – New CEO of public broadcaster WCNY, Mitch Gelman
May – Lazer FOCUS on OCC, the 2016-2021 strategic plan for OCC
June – ReZone Syracuse, Owen Kerney, Syracuse Onondaga County Planning Agency
July – The Syracuse Surge, Syracuse Chief Data Officer Sam Edelstein & Juhanna Rogers, PhD, Centerstate CEO
September – Renewable Energy Here and Now, Chris Carrick of CNYRPDB and Lindsey Speer of HeatSmart CNY
October – Mini-cog Pilot Project, Maria Brown, PhD, & Kathy Pearson of Southwest Community Center
2018 FOCUS FORUM TOPICS
January – Visit Syracuse, Dan Liedka
February – Erie Canalway, Ed Rodriguez, Travis Glazier, Owen Kerney, Sam Gordon
March – The Business of Running, Ed Griffin, Pat Leone, Jeff Mickle (at Nancy Cantor Warehouse)
May – Showcasing Greater Syracuse, with Nancy Watt, Marty McDermott, Kim Parker, Ben Sio of Centerstate CEO, & John Desantis of Believe in Syracuse
June – Patient-Centered Health Research, with the President/CEO of the national Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, & Dr. Joe Selby
July – Onondaga Citizens League 2018 Study: The State of the Community Engagement Infrastructure of CNY
August – Onondaga Lake: Travis Glazier, Holly Granat, & John McAuliffe
September – Meet the Peacemakers: Michelle Stanley, Carl Thomas Sr., Jesus Rolon, & Leah Russell
September, too – Community Economic Development I: Jim Damicis & Chris Steele
October – Community Economic Development II: Joe Russo, Nora Spillane, Andrew Fish, & Laura Miller
November – Community Economic Development III: Mark Olson, Carolyn Evans Dean, Mike LaFlair, & Mark Venesky
December – Veterans Services: Lynn Fox, Jennifer Menard, & Jeff Bastable
2017 FOCUS FORUM TOPICS
January – How CNY Moves, Centro, OCL, SMTC
February – Building Community with Soul, Landbank, Sean, & Liam Kirst
March – Unmanned Aerial Systems, NUAir, Gryphon, SU
April – Youth Employment, City Parks & Rec, CNY Works
May – DEC Natural Resources Damage Assessment
June – Syracuse City Schools technical programs
July – Onondaga Citizens League report How CNY Works
August – The New State Fair
September – Disaster Preparedness Workshop
October – Economic Inclusion Centerstate CEO
November – Growing Artfully – CNY Arts Syracuse Stage
December – Framing the Future of FOCUS
2016 FOCUS FORUM TOPICS
January – House Calls U.Penn researchers
February – Innovation Team Rollout of Technology
March – Resources to Tackle Substance-abuse Issues
April – Reconnecting Onondaga Lake with the Public
May – I-81: Matthew Driscoll & Mark Frechette
June – Upstate Revitalization Initiative, Richard Tobe
July – Canalway – Danielle Krol, Owen Kerney, Sam Gordon
August – HOPE Antipoverty, Sharon Owens, Helen Hudson, Frank Lazarski
September – Emergency Management Dan Wears, Rosie Taravella
October – Connect the Drops, Lake Survey
November – OCCRA with Dereth Glance
December – Media Changes Joel Kaplan
2015 FOCUS FORUM TOPICS
January – Infrastructure Planning
February – Financing Infrastructure Matt Driscoll
March – Parks Planning
April – Age-Friendly CNY National Grid Savings
May – Swim in Onondaga Lake
June – Marketplace for Info. 211
July – Lacrosse Championship
August – Innovation Team
September – Public Safety Technology
October – Syracuse Airport
November – OCM BOCES
December – Age-Friendly Van Tour
2014 FOCUS FORUM TOPICS
January –Sustainability & a Healthy Population
February – Pro Sports & Sustainability
March – ESM Project Based Learning
April – Housing Options
May – Consensus
June – Bird Friendly Onondaga Lake
July – Natural Resource Damage Assessment
August – OCM BOCES
September – Office of Aging & Youth Services
October – Retiring Boomers & Economic Impact
November – Citizens Vision for Age-Friendly Community
December – Downtown Our Local Treasure