Ohio's Data Center Debate
The Columbus Metropolitan Club
Central Ohio has become a magnet for data center development, drawing global tech companies and fueling economic growth. But as these massive facilities expand, communities are grappling with big questions about energy demand, land use, infrastructure strain, and environmental impact. Leaders from industry, government, and academia explore the real trade-offs—and what it will take to balance growth with sustainability in one of the region’s fastest-growing sectors. Featuring: Ryan Augsburger, President, The Ohio Manufacturers' Association Dr. Jeffrey Bielicki, Associate Faculty...
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Older Adults Are Aging Right Into Homelessness
The Columbus Metropolitan Club
Across Central Ohio, more older adults are facing housing instability as rents outpace fixed incomes and affordable housing falls short. A local experimental program offering just $330 a month in rental support showed striking results—improved financial stability, health, and overall well-being. Can simple, cost-effective solutions like this scale up to prevent homelessness and strengthen Central Ohio communities? Featuring: Shannon Isom, President and CEO, The Community Shelter Board Tiara Ross, Columbus City Councilmember Marisa Sheldon, Director, Age-Friendly Innovation Center, The...
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The Race for Ohio’s Economic Future
The Columbus Metropolitan Club
It’s no secret that Ohio is a fierce—and successful—economic competitor. But the state now faces pressing questions about its ability to remain competitive in a rapidly changing national and global landscape. With slowing population growth, workforce shortages, trade and tariff uncertainty, and the added strain of constricted international immigration, Ohio’s economic trajectory is at a crossroads. We’ll unpack the powerful forces shaping the state’s economic future—from talent pipelines and demographic shifts to infrastructure demands and the race to secure...
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Primal Intelligence: The Human Edge in an AI World
The Columbus Metropolitan Club
AI is getting smarter. But are we? What if the future doesn’t belong to people who can out-calculate machines—but to people who can out-imagine them? In a world dominated by algorithms and automation, what makes us irreplaceably human? According to this week's special forum guest, the answer isn’t logic—it’s something more powerful: imagination, intuition, and emotional resilience. Featuring: Angus Fletcher, Professor, Department of English and Story Science, The Ohio State University, and Author, "Primal Intelligence" (Penguin Random House, 2025) Your host is Suraj Hinduja,...
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The War Within a War: Wil Haygood on Race, Vietnam, and America’s Reckoning
The Columbus Metropolitan Club
What did the Vietnam War reveal about race, democracy, and the unfinished struggle for equality in America? In this powerful Columbus Metropolitan Club forum, acclaimed journalist, professor, author, and Columbus native Wil Haygood discusses his new best-selling book, The War Within a War: The Black Struggle in Vietnam and at Home, and examines the experiences of Black Americans who fought for freedom overseas while demanding justice at home. Through vivid storytelling and deep historical insight, this conversation connects the legacy of Vietnam to the racial and political reckonings...
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The Power of the Arts in a Changing City: A Conversation with GCAC's Mitch Menchaca
The Columbus Metropolitan Club
This candid 1:1 conversation features Mitch Menchaca, the newly appointed CEO of the Greater Columbus Arts Council, as he shares his unexpected journey from the stages of Arizona to leading arts policy in Phoenix—to now shaping the creative future of Columbus. Once a visitor who thought there might be “nothing to do” in Columbus, Mitch returns to a transformed city he’s fallen in love with, ready to build on GCAC’s momentum at a time of challenge and opportunity. With decades of national leadership experience, a passion for public art, and a vision for equitable cultural investment...
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When Staying in School Takes More Than School
The Columbus Metropolitan Club
Behind every report card is a bigger story. For many Central Ohio students, poverty, trauma, food insecurity, housing instability, and citizenship status create barriers to learning that schools can’t solve alone. In this Columbus Metropolitan Club forum, leaders in education and student support unpack what’s driving chronic absenteeism, why it matters for graduation and workforce readiness, and what it takes to keep students connected to school. Featuring: Valerie Kunze, Chief of Family Engagement and School Partnerships, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Adero Robinson, CEO,...
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The Ambition Gap: Why Women Are Advancing Less—And What Leaders Can Do About It
The Columbus Metropolitan Club
A new study, , reports a troubling reversal: stalled early advancement, declining company commitment, and a new ambition gap as fewer women aspire to promotion than men for the first time in a decade. In a fast growing Central Ohio economy, this Columbus Metropolitan Club forum asks: are women being left behind just as opportunity expands? New research from McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.org shows that only 80% of women now aspire to promotion, compared with 86% of men—a reversal of long-standing trends. Yet the data tells a more hopeful story as well: when women receive the same...
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Braids, Business, and Belonging: Black Hair and Identity in Columbus
The Columbus Metropolitan Club
Hair is never just hair—it’s history, artistry, and identity woven together. Inspired by the upcoming production of Jaja’s African Hair Braiding (at the Contemporary Theatre of Ohio, March 5–22, 2026), this forum invites you into a conversation about the cultural, economic, and social significance of African hair braiding and the stories braided into every strand. Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, written by Ohio State University graduate Jocelyn Bioh, follows West African women building lives inside a Harlem salon. African hair braiding is more than a beauty practice; it is a tradition...
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What We Get Right - and Wrong - About Women's Health
The Columbus Metropolitan Club
Women’s health is at a pivotal moment in Ohio. From maternal care deserts and rising maternal mortality, to oncology advances and long-overdue conversations about menopause and postpartum mental health, this Columbus Metropolitan Club forum explores what our region is getting right—and where the system is still failing Ohio's women. Featuring Panelists: Jatu Boikai, Founder and CEO, Central Ohio Postpartum Extended Respite Center Dr. Kamilah Dixon, Director of the General Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Dr. Shilpa Padia,...
info_outlineThe state of Central Ohio’s childcare industry impacts parents, employers, the region’s overall economy, and of course, the children who depend on quality childcare facilities and professionals. With so much riding on the state of childcare, we unpack the new 2025 Action for Children’s Central Ohio Child Care Provider Survey. This comprehensive survey collects vital information from licensed child care providers about the local landscape of child care, and is the only continuing study of its kind in Ohio. Join CMC as a panel of experts and leaders unpacks this newest data to better understand the current state of childcare and the critical trends that will impact us all.
Featuring panelists:
Dr. Katherine Glenn-Applegate, Director of Child Care and Education Initiatives, Action for Children
Hannah Halbert, Executive Director, Policy Matters Ohio
Kara Wente, Director, The Ohio Department of Children and Youth
Rhonda West, Owner and Administrator, Rhonda’s Daycare Service
Opening remarks by Tasha Booker, CEO, Action for Children.
Closing remarks by Franklin County Commissioner Erica Crawley.
The host is Jennifer Bullock, Anchor, NBC4.
This forum was sponsored by The Care Economy Organizing Project, The Franklin County Board of Commissioners, Mollard Consulting, PNC, and The United Way of Central Ohio.
The presenting sponsor of the CMC livestream is The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. CMC's livestream partner is The Columbus Dispatch.
This forum was also supported by Downtown Columbus, Inc. and The National Veterans Memorial and Museum.
If you would like to keep exploring this week’s forum topic, our partners at The Columbus Metropolitan Library recommend reading "The Daycare Myth: What We Get Wrong About Early Care and Education (and What We Should Do About It)" by Dan Wuori, 2024.
This forum was recorded before a live audience at The National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio on February 11, 2026.