Building Vibrant Cities Across America
September 23–25, 2025 | Pensacola, FL
In times of change and uncertainty, strong, vibrant, communities matter more than ever. They help us feel grounded, protected, and empowered. A great community is a safe place to land, a source for local solutions, and a base for economic stability. The Civic Leader Summit offers up three days packed with fresh ideas and proven best practices for making yours even better.
The Summit will help you “get local” with actionable strategies, practical tools and tactics, and impactful connections. The agenda is filled with people who are “in the trenches” doing the work right now and who are committed to bringing tried and true strategies to help solve communities’ toughest problems.
2025 Keynote Speakers
Quint Studer
Quint is the author of Building a Vibrant Community: How Citizen-Powered Change Is Reshaping America, and founder of the Center for Civic Engagement, which focuses on finding top experts from around the country to educate citizens on best practices. He also founded Vibrant Community Partners, which coaches small and mid-size communities in building out a blueprint for achieving growth and excellence.
He notes that while we all tend to get focused on national news, in times of swirling change getting local is where the difference is really made. When people feel anxious and destabilized, a vibrant community is both a safe place to land and an incubator for local solutions.
Chuck Marohn
Chuck Marohn is the founder and president of Strong Towns. With decades of experience as a land use planner and civil engineer, Marohn is on a mission to help cities and towns become stronger and more prosperous. He spreads the Strong Towns message through in-person presentations, the Strong Towns Podcast, and his books and articles. In recognition of his efforts and impact, Planetizen named him one of the 15 Most Influential Urbanists of all time in 2017 and 2023.
Jill Miller
Jill Miller is President and CEO of Bethesda Inc. and the bi3 Fund, a health-focused grantmaker based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Under her leadership, bi3 has invested more than $105 million to improve health outcomes and spark new solutions to old health problems. bi3 leverages its strategic partnership with a local healthcare system to drive health innovation and reduce health disparities. She is proud of fueling collective impact initiatives in Greater Cincinnati and engaging in policy advocacy to improve maternal and infant health and promote mental health and wellbeing.
Jill is the co-author of Infant Mortality and Other Wicked Problems, which details Cincinnati’s journey to reduce infant mortality to a historic low and to demonstrate change is doable. The book is written to inspire other communities to tackle their own complex issues. A national leader and sought-after speaker, she is committed to building a future where every person has a fair and just opportunity to achieve their best health. Her work focuses on forging partnerships rooted in trust, listening to community voices, and driving meaningful, lasting change.
D.C. Reeves
D.C. Reeves was sworn in as Mayor of his hometown, Pensacola, on Nov. 22, 2022, becoming the youngest person (38) to be elected mayor in 101 years.
Before taking office, Reeves spent his professional career as a sports journalist, author, community builder, and small business owner.
On February 26, 2024, D.C. signed a transformative agreement for Pensacola. It was a 10-year lease agreement with American Magic, one of the premiere sailing organizations in the world, which will now call Pensacola its permanent home. The agreement and $18 million facility will plant the flag for Pensacola as the top sailing destination in the United States.
D.C. also established the city’s first-ever grants office, a decision that has earned more than $100 million in grant funding in just two years. That has been the catalyst for several generational projects underway, including the legacy campus at Baptist Hospital and the largest stormwater project in city history, the Hollice T. Williams Greenway.
D.C. believes rest can come when Pensacola is a great place, not just for a few, not just for most, but for all people.
Ilana Preuss
Ilana Preuss is the Founder of Recast City LLC, and author of Recast Your City: How to Save Your Downtown with Small-Scale Manufacturing. Preuss’ consulting firm works with local leaders, real estate developers, city and other civic leaders to integrate space for small-scale producers into redevelopment projects and place-based economic development through its premier program, Recast Leaders. She is passionate about making great places and sees that small-scale manufacturers are a missing piece in today’s real estate and economic development efforts.
Ms. Preuss’ book, Recast Your City: How to Save your Downtown with Small-Scale Manufacturing, was released by Island Press in 2021. In 2017, Ms. Preuss co-authored, Made in PLACE: Small-scale manufacturing and placemaking, in partnership with Smart Growth America and funded by a grant from U.S. EDA, and she co-authored, Discovering Your City’s Maker Economy, for National League of Cities, in partnership with Etsy and Urban Manufacturing Alliance.
With over 25 years of experience in community development, Ms. Preuss projects at Recast City span the country – from Washington, D.C. to Honolulu, HI. Through work with small-scale manufacturing business owners, real estate developers, foundations, city planning and economic development offices, improvement districts, and mayors, the projects go from idea to action to build great places with vibrant economies.
Getting Here
Pensacola is located on Interstate 10 on the Western Edge of the Florida Panhandle.
Pensacola International Airport is approximately 15 minutes Northeast of our venues, and services flights from Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte, and Nashville.
Where to Stay
We've secured several room blocks for Civic Leader Summit attendees just minutes from the event venue. These rooms are limited, so we recommend booking early using the links below!
