The 2nd Annual Inclusive Growth Summit
THE POWER OF
THE NEXT STEP
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale
3 p.m.–8 p.m.
The 2nd Annual Inclusive Growth Summit convenes leaders across business, education, healthcare, housing, workforce development, entrepreneurship, climate and green energy, transportation, technology, and public policy to define what inclusive growth means for New Haven and identify actionable strategies that strengthen economic participation and opportunity for all residents.
Inclusive growth requires intentional next steps
This year’s theme, The Power of the Next Step, reflects the importance of practical action, cross-sector collaboration, and sustained momentum in building a stronger regional economy.
The Inclusive Growth Summit is designed to move beyond conversation alone. This convening will bring together leaders from various sectors to define what inclusive growth means for Greater New Haven, identify key priorities and opportunities, and develop actionable strategies to achieve a shared vision for the region’s future.
At a time of rapid economic, technological, and demographic change, the Summit creates space to remove silos, strengthen partnerships, and collectively shape a future where economic growth benefits all residents, leaving no one behind.
WHY THIS SUMMIT MATTERS
Inclusive growth is not a single initiative. It is a regional strategy.
The future competitiveness of the City of New Haven depends on whether institutions, employers, entrepreneurs, educators, policymakers, and community leaders can work together to create pathways that are sustainable, scalable, and shared.
The Inclusive Growth Summit exists to accelerate that work.
WHAT TO EXPECT
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Action-oriented conversations and breakout sessions
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Cross-sector networking with regional leaders and changemakers
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Practical strategies and implementation-focused ideas
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Emerging trends shaping the future economy
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Opportunities for partnership and collaboration
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Insight into regional economic priorities and innovation ecosystems
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
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Business leaders and employers
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Economic development professionals
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Entrepreneurs and founders
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Educators and workforce leaders
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Healthcare and housing stakeholders
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Public sector and civic leaders
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Transportation and infrastructure professionals
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Climate and clean energy innovators
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Nonprofit and community leaders
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Investors and philanthropic partners
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Residents interested in shaping Greater New Haven’s future economy
WHY NEW HAVEN, WHY NOW
New Haven stands at an important moment of opportunity.
As industries evolve and new economic drivers emerge, the region has an opportunity to build a future rooted in innovation, resilience, and broader participation in economic growth for all.
The Inclusive Growth Summit brings together the leaders, institutions, and ideas necessary to help shape what comes next.
LAST YEAR’S IMPACT
140+
Participants joined from across business, education, healthcare, housing, workforce development, entrepreneurship, climate and green energy, transportation, technology, and public policy
+27%
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15M
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890
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What Participants Said
I'm actually really excited about this opportunity to be able to share with other stakeholders about what inclusive growth means to me.
Rev. Scott Marks,
Director
New Haven Rising
People were very open and honest and willing to contribute and had a willingness to engage with both big-picture vision for what could be better and different, and also with some of the minutia on the ground that you have to deal with in order to effectuate change.
Anika Singh Lemar,
Clinical Professor Law,
Yale Law School
And that was really beneficial because we need people working at all levels to actually make the change that we want to have and have it be informed by the people who are most negatively impacted by the inequities in our society and also with support from people who are in positions of power to make that change.
Tagan Engel,
Economic, Food and Environmental Justice Strategist
On-Ramps to Economic Mobility
Intentional participation in the economy depends on nonnegotiable conditions such as housing stability, early talent pipelines, workforce readiness, and dignity.
These sessions examine place-based approaches that move beyond short-term services toward durable economic mobility and long-term participation in the economy.
2026 SUMMIT TRACKS
CALL FOR SPEAKERS
Help Shape the Conversation on Inclusive Growth
The 2026 Inclusive Growth Summit is now accepting speaker proposals from leaders, practitioners, innovators, and cross-sector collaborators whose work is helping shape a more inclusive and economically competitive future.
We are seeking engaging sessions, case studies, conversations, and actionable insights aligned with this year’s theme: The Power of the Next Step.
Selected speakers will join regional leaders across business, education, healthcare, housing, workforce development, climate and clean energy, transportation, entrepreneurship, and public policy.
Proposal Deadline:
June 17, 2026
Summit Agenda
3:00 PM
Arrival and networking
3:30 PM
Opening Plenary
4:10 PM
The Inclusive Growth Roadmap: From Community Conversations to a Shared Destination
5:05 PM
Networking Dinner
5:50 PM
Track 1: On-Ramps to Economic Mobility Concurrent Sessions
Free Teacher Housing: A Scalable Solution to the Educator & Child Care Crisis
Allyx Schiavone
Friends Center for Children
The Next Step in Inclusion: Integrated Models for Economic Mobility in Immigrant Communities.
Fereshteh Ganjavi
Elena’s Light, Inc.
Track 2: Powering Ownership Transitions Concurrent Sessions
Stewarding Collectively Owned Assets
Adriana Abizadeh-Barbour
Kensington Corridor Trust
From Engagement to Stability: Building Community Pathways to Housing Opportunity
Virginia Spell
Urban League of Southern Connecticut
Track 3: NextGen Ecosystems in Action Concurrent Sessions
Building the Developer Bench: TBC’s Fellowship Accelerator Model for Emerging Real Estate Entrepreneurs
Dave Madan and Sandra Meetran
The Builder Coalition
Building the Next Workforce: How Technology and Neuroinclusive Apprenticeships Create Economic Opportunity
Riana LeJeune
Repinned Upholstery & Restoration / Renewabl
6:45 PM
Track 1: On-Ramps to Economic Mobility Concurrent Sessions
From Kitchen to Commerce: Building Equitable On-Ramps for Food Entrepreneurs
Sasha Fay and Sarah Miller
CitySeed
Shifting from Placement to Power: Integrating Community Agency into Workforce Readiness
Caterina Passoni
Havenly
Track 2: Powering Ownership Transitions Concurrent Sessions
Employee Ownership: The Next Step for Business Succession, Workforce Stability, and Shared Prosperity
Amanda Calder
Project Equity
Creating Legacy: Building Ecosystems that Power Community Ownership
Roquel Crutcher
Common Future
Track 3: NextGen Ecosystems in Action Concurrent Sessions
Main Street Meets AI: Ecosystem Strategies for Tech-Informed Small Business Growth
Kobéy Smith
Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce
From Entrepreneurial Ecosystem to Community Capital: Lessons from Greater New Haven’s Journey to a Statewide Investment Strategy
Dr. Lomax R. Campbell and Joseph W. Williams Jr.
Third Eye Network and The Community Foundation Mission Investments Company, respectively
7:35 PM
Closing Plenary and Call Forward
2026 SUMMIT TRACKS
Intentional participation in the economy depends on nonnegotiable conditions such as housing stability, early talent pipelines, workforce readiness, and dignity. These sessions examine place-based approaches that move beyond short-term services toward durable economic mobility and long-term participation in the economy.
Session 1
Free Teacher Housing: A Scalable Solution to the Educator & Child Care Crisis
Allyx Schiavone
Friends Center for Children
Allyx Schiavone leads Friends Center for Children, driving education, innovation and systems change in early childhood. With 35 years in education and 28 years in real estate, she brings a unique perspective to this work. Allyx pioneered First Home, First Teacher, the first-in-the country rent-free Teacher Housing Initiative operating in five states. She is Chair of Childcare for CT.
Session 1
The Next Step in Inclusion: Integrated Models for Economic Mobility in Immigrant Communities.
Fereshteh Ganjavi
Elena's Light
Fereshteh Ganjavi is the founder and executive director of Elena's Light, a nonprofit based in North Haven, Connecticut. The mission, duty, and purpose of Elena's Light is to help build brighter futures for refugee and immigrant women and children through integrated education, health equity, and economic opportunity programming. Fereshteh holds bachelor's degrees in Business Administration and Public Health from Southern Connecticut State University, and she regularly partners with Yale-affiliated programs, healthcare institutions, and community organizations to expand access to services for newcomer families. A former Afghan refugee herself, Fereshteh has taken every opportunity to use her position as a nonprofit leader to speak out for what she believes in and to amplify the voices of the refugee and immigrant women she serves. Immersed in direct service and community-driven programming, she has led efforts to address the intersectionality between language access, health literacy, housing stability, and economic mobility for refugee and immigrant communities in Connecticut.
Session 2
From Kitchen to Commerce: Building Equitable On-Ramps for Food Entrepreneurs
Sasha Fay
CitySeed
Sasha Fay is CitySeed’s Director of Food Business. Sasha brings her perspective as a small business owner of Ovelle Coffee, which she co-founded with her husband, Ian Fay. Ovelle Coffee is known for its focus on direct trade, sustainability, and Jamaica Blue Mountain, one of the rarest coffees in the world.
Session 2
From Kitchen to Commerce: Building Equitable On-Ramps for Food Entrepreneurs
Sarah Miller
CitySeed
Sarah Miller is a lifelong New Haven resident and has served as Executive Director of CitySeed
since June 2024. She previously served as Director of Strategy at Clifford Beers Community
Care Center and Director of Development and Communications for the Institute of Cultural
Affairs International. Sarah is also an elected member of the New Haven Board of Alders.
Session 2
Shifting from Placement to Power: Integrating Community Agency into Workforce Readiness
Caterina Passoni
Havenly
Caterina is from Trieste, Italy, and has worked in refugee resettlement and researched the experience of Muslim female refugees in the US and Europe. She speaks Arabic, French and Spanish and has worked for Human Rights Watch Amman and in refugee education in Morocco. Caterina was an entrepreneur fellow with Collab and the Tsai Center for Innovation at Yale. She co-founded Havenly in 2018
Local economic strength depends on ownership transitions that keep businesses viable, rooted, and growing through succession, entrepreneurship through acquisition, and innovative ownership structures. These sessions focus on incremental, implementable growth that builds from what already exists to expand opportunity and sustain enterprises over time.
Session 1
Stewarding Collectively Owned Assets
Adriana Abizadeh-Barbour
Kensington Corridor Trust
Adriana Abizadeh-Barbour is the executive director of the Kensington Corridor Trust (KCT) in Philadelphia. KCT uses collective ownership to direct investments along the corridor that preserve culture and affordability while building neighborhood power and wealth in Kensington. Adriana has served as a policy fellow at Princeton University and Rutgers University and is currently an adjunct at Rutgers, where she teaches community organizing in the graduate Public Policy Department. Deeply engaged in public policy, she uses her nonprofit leadership platform to advocate for her values and amplify the voices of impacted community members. She has facilitated community collaboration at the intersection of immigration status, housing, poverty, and race.
Session 1
From Engagement to Stability: Building Community Pathways to Housing Opportunity
Virginia Spell
Urban League of Southern Connecticut
Coming Soon.
Session 2
Employee Ownership: The Next Step for Business Succession, Workforce Stability, and Shared Prosperity
Amanda Calder
Project Equity
Amanda Calder is VP of Scale and Strategic Initiatives at Project Equity, where she leads programs and partnerships to accelerate employee ownership nationwide as a strategy to preserve businesses and jobs and build wealth for workers. She brings cross-sector experience advancing initiatives that drive economic and community impact. She holds an MBA/MPA from Presidio Graduate School.
Session 2
Creating Legacy: Building Ecosystems that Power Community Ownership
Roquel Crutcher
Common Future
Roquel Crutcher is the Director of Strategy, Advocacy and Impact at Common Future, where she advances advocacy and systems-change strategies rooted in economic justice. Her career spans public policy, organizational strategy, and civic engagement. She currently leads Legacy Lab, an initiative exploring how community-rooted businesses, collective ownership, and flexible capital can build community wealth and shift economic power.
Economic competitiveness increasingly depends on using technology and climate as economic levers to strengthen the workforce of tomorrow, modern infrastructure, and inclusive growth. These sessions examine applied uses of AI, clean energy, and data-driven tools, along with workforce strategies that position inclusion as preparation for participation in the next economy.
Session 1
Building the Developer Bench: TBC’s Fellowship Accelerator Model for Emerging Real Estate Entrepreneurs
Dave Madan
The Builder Coalition
Dave Madan is a social entrepreneur, community organizer, and housing developer. He is the Founder and Executive Director of The Builder Coalition (TBC), a nonprofit cultivating the next generation of diverse real estate investors and developers while mobilizing industry institutions to open new pathways to capital and land.
Session 1
Building the Developer Bench: TBC’s Fellowship Accelerator Model for Emerging Real Estate Entrepreneurs
Sandra Meetran
The Builder Coalition
Sandra Meetran leads The Builder Coalition Institute, providing fellowship programs, seminars, and clinics that equip emerging real estate entrepreneurs with the skills and connections needed to grow their businesses. Prior to TBC, she worked in workforce development, supporting young adults with disabilities as they prepared for and entered employment.
Session 1
Building the Next Workforce: How Technology and Neuroinclusive Apprenticeships Create Economic Opportunity
Riana LeJeune
Repinned Upholstery & Restoration / Renewabl
Riana LeJeune is an award-winning artisan, applied AI technologist, and founder of Repinned Upholstery & Restoration and Renewabl Furniture Inc. She created the nation’s first registered apprenticeship for professional custom upholstery and develops patent-pending technology for craft businesses. Diagnosed with autism and ADHD at 41, Riana champions neuroinclusive leadership, skilled-trades innovation, and economic opportunity for overlooked people and industries.
Session 2
From Entrepreneurial Ecosystem to Community Capital: Lessons from Greater New Haven’s Journey to a Statewide Investment Strategy
Dr. Lomax R. Campbell
Third Eye Network
Dr. Lomax R. Campbell is a management scholar-practitioner, serial entrepreneur, and President & CEO of Third Eye Network, a national network-driven consultancy advancing social and economic transformation. With two decades of multisector experience, his work focuses on entrepreneurial ecosystem building, community wealth building, collaborative governance, and designing strategies that connect entrepreneurs, institutions, and capital to create more inclusive local economies.
Session 2
From Entrepreneurial Ecosystem to Community Capital: Lessons from Greater New Haven’s Journey to a Statewide Investment Strategy
Joseph Williams Jr.
The Community Foundation Mission Investments Company
Joseph W. Williams Jr., MBA, EDP, is Managing Director of The Community Foundation Mission Investments Company, where he leads efforts to build an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem across Greater New Haven. With extensive experience in entrepreneurship and economic development, Joe brings expertise in small business growth, cross-sector collaboration, and building the relationships and infrastructure that connect entrepreneurs to opportunity and capital.
Session 2
Main Street Meets AI: Ecosystem Strategies for Tech-Informed Small Business Growth
Kobéy Smith
Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce
Kobéy Smith is an inclusive growth and entrepreneurship leader focused on expanding opportunity for small businesses and historically underinvested founders. At the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, he leads small business and diversity initiatives, builds cross-sector partnerships, and supports entrepreneurs. An MBA graduate and impact investing fellow, Kobéy is passionate about inclusive capitalism, innovation, and community wealth creation.
OUR PARTNERS
Thank you to our Partners
FAQ
Omni Hotel New Haven at Yale
155 Temple Street,
New Haven, Connecticut, 06510The Summit will take place from 3 p.m.–8 p.m.
There will be parking available. Check back for details.
Business or business casual attire is recommended.
Please email your questions to summit@ignewhaven.org.