About Meeting of the Minds

Meeting of the Minds brings together urban sustainability and technology leaders to share knowledge and build lasting alliances.

Read our Annual Report

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We foster person-to-person and city-to-city learning by spotlighting projects and practitioners working on urban solutions in these 8 focus areas:

MOBILITY

Public transit, shared mobility

We connect people and ideas through digital and in-person events and resources, including:

Meeting of the Minds Annual Summit

Each fall, the Meeting of the Minds Annual Summit brings together 400 opinion-shapers, policy-makers, leading thinkers and innovator from around the world for two and a half days of intensive exchange in thought leadership and cross-sector alliance building. Gathered together, they have a unique opportunity to think critically, ask questions, share tools, identify new best practices, and build lasting partnerships — which make smarter and more sustainable cities possible.

The next Meeting of the Minds Annual Summit will be in Sacramento, CA from November 27-29, 2018. Find more information at this link.

Roundtables and Workshops

Meeting of the Minds organizes roundtable discussions and workshops throughout the year with the purpose of convening thought leaders from diverse sectors and geographies to identify and debate breakthrough innovations, build partnerships and continue a dynamic dialogue throughout the year. These events range in size from 40-400 attendees. Some are in partnership with other organizations.

See examples of past roundtables and workshops in our archives.

Meetups

Started in San Francisco in 2013, the monthly Urban Sustainability Happy Hour Meetups are a casual place to meet with others working on the future of cities. There are no name tags, no presentations, and no formal introductions. Participants are encouranged to show up and and introduce themselves. Grab a drink and join a conversation.

For more information, and so RSVP to our next meetup, visit our group on Meetup.com.

Print Magazine

The Annual is a once-a-year publication from Meeting of the Minds that features the best thought leadership pieces from the MeetingoftheMinds.org blog. Printed copies are distributed at our annual event, and digital copies are available for download at MeetingoftheMinds.org/the-annual.

Webinars

Meeting of the Minds produces monthly webinars with key urban influencers who share their work, vision and strategies for sustainable and innovative cities. Thousands of people attend these webinars each year. Webinars are ranked by our email subscribers as our most popular format in a recent survey.

In each webinar, a short presentation is followed by an interactive Q&A session with the audience. For a list of past, and upcoming, webinars, visit our Webinars page.

Blog

The Meeting of the Minds Blog is a large library, full of urban practitioners’ projects, and their predictions about the future of cities. The website inhabits a unique space — not a company blog, and not a media outlet — that allows urban sustainability professionals to connect with others interested in the topic, and to tell their stories with their own words. Since its launch in 2012, over 400 people have written 800+ articles that share their visions for smart, resilient cities.

Our blog is the communal bulletin board to which change-makers and innovators pin their thoughts for the benefit of the rest of the community. Individuals interested in writing for the blog are encouraged to follow the writing guidelines and submit their pieces to the Meeting of the Minds staff for review.

Articles are published Monday through Thursday. New articles are sent to our email subscribers and promoted throughout the week on our social media channels.

Event Archives

MeetingoftheMinds.org includes 10 years of organizational and event archives. Among the most important collections are past summits, webinars, videos and event photos.

For more information, visit our Archives.

Online Courses

Meeting of the Minds’ online courses, available through Udemy.com, are an introduction to various innovators and initiatives at the bleeding edge of urban sustainability and connected technology. The courses focus on real world examples within several key themes — smart cities, transportation, and equity — as a way to look at the challenges and practical responses related to urban sustainability.

For more information, visit our course pages:

Our Network

SECTOR

Private 34% 34%
Public 20% 20%
Non-profit 19% 19%
Start-up 15% 15%
Academic 10% 10%
Philanthropy 2% 2%

GEOGRAPHY

Based in US

SENIORITY

Founder/CEO 26% 26%
Senior Level 24% 24%
Executive 21% 21%
Manager 16% 16%
Junior Level 8% 8%
Entry Level 5% 5%

PREFERRED FORMAT

Webinars 57% 57%
Blog 51% 51%
Workshops 47% 47%
Annual Summit 43% 43%
Meetups 40% 40%
Magazine 33% 33%

Network Interest Topics

Staff

Jessie Feller Hahn

Executive Director

Jessie F. Hahn is the Executive Director of Meeting of the Minds. Since 2010, she has built and managed the development of Meeting of the Minds into an international leadership platform for city-to-city learning. Jessie’s focus is identifying global urban sustainability, innovation, and technology best practices; developing platforms for city leaders to exchange best practices; spotlighting innovators; and building alliances and partnerships between the private sector, public sector, non-profit and philanthropic sectors.

Previously, Jessie launched and ran the Regional Energy Policy Program at Regional Plan Association in New York City. She has written numerous articles which have been featured in NPR, Urban Age Magazine, The Record, RPA’s Spotlight on the Region, The Hartford Courant, among others. Previous to RPA, Jessie worked as a cluster specialist at Economic Competitiveness Group, as a Sustainability Fellow at the Portland Development Commission, and started her career at SMWM (now Perkins + Will) in their urban design studio.

Jessie holds a BA from Vassar College in Urban Studies and Hispanic Studies (Phi Beta Kappa) and a Masters in Environment and Development Studies (honors) from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Dave Hahn

Director of Digital Strategy

Dave joined Meeting of the Minds in 2012 to conceive of, develop, and launch the Meeting of the Minds digital platform which includes the Meeting of the Minds website, blog, monthly webinar series, online and print magazine, online courses, and communications strategy.

Dave designs, implements, and deploys a digital strategy that amplifies the messaging and priorities of the Meeting of the Minds organization. He designed and built the MeetingoftheMinds.org website, and oversees the organization’s marketing and communication campaigns. He created and maintains organizational branding, produces the monthly webinar series, serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Meeting of the Minds Blog, curates the digital archives, and directs social media and all media/PR strategies. Dave is also the in-house graphic designer for all Meeting of the Minds print and digital media.

Dave received a BA in Germanic Studies from Indiana University (With Distinction) and has worked on digital strategy, marketing, and UIX for two decades.

Caroline Firman

Program Manager

Caroline joined Meeting of the Minds as Executive Assistant in January 2014 and transitioned to Program Manager in November 2014. As Program Manager, Caroline is responsible for managing operations for the annual conference, assisting with fundraising and social media, and general administrative responsibilities.

Previously, Caroline worked for six years in a variety of roles at the Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO). During her time at ACSO, Caroline helped to plan and implement five Annual Conferences, played a significant role in expanding ACSO’s social media presence as well as an integral part in the redesign of ACSO’s website in 2012.

Caroline holds her BA in Music from UC Davis and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Arts Education from California State University Sacramento.

Hannah Greinetz

Managing Editor, Meeting of the Minds Blog

Hannah joined Meeting of the Minds as a freelance writer in 2014, and became the Managing Editor of the Meeting of the Minds Blog in 2017. She works on outreach, editing, and publishing for the Meeting of the Minds digital platform.

When not editing blog posts, Hannah works as a consultant to businesses, non-profits and city governments. She manages projects that approach urban sustainability through regulatory change, funding and financing efficiency upgrades, startup strategy, and the implementation of smart city technologies. Hannah started her career in the scrap metal recycling industry and has spent time managing grants and business affairs for a variety of non-profits, from mental health services to affordable housing solutions.

Hannah holds a BA in Anthropology from UC Santa Cruz and an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School.

Kate O’Brien

Writer and Consultant, Meeting of the Minds Blog

Kate O’Brien joined Meeting of the Minds in 2018 as a consultant and writer of our monthly Global Mobility Research blog series.

When not interviewing and writing about the work of mobility researchers around the world, Kate leads a collaborative consulting practice focused on coaching, capacity building, and facilitation for teams navigating and driving change. She also serves as Senior Advisor for technical assistance and capacity building at Groundwork USA, a national nonprofit that supports a network of equitable development and environmental justice organizations driving inclusive community development work on the ground.

Kate holds a BA in Human Development and Social Relations from Kalamazoo College, and an MA in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University. She lives and works in Portland, Maine.

Board of Directors