Building a Beloved Community Summit

Building a Beloved Community: A Peacebuilding and Nonviolence Summit

When: November 16, 2026

Where: University of Pittsburgh Alumni Hall (Ballroom) | 4227 5th Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

This event is free and available to all individuals

Register here

Scroll down to learn about the event, awards, program schedule and more.

A huge thank you to our cosponsors: 

  • Pitt's David C. Frederick Honors College
  • Pitt's Office of Engagement and Community Affairs
  • Pitt's Office of Institutional Engagement and Wellbeing
  • Pitt Catering Co.
  • Division of Student Affairs (PittServes)

Race & Equity

The Center on Race and Social Problems is forming the Racial Equity Collaboratory. Anyone interested in membership is asked to complete the Racial Equity Collaboratory form.

About Building a Beloved Community

Building a Beloved Community represents a transformative approach to creating lasting social change through the principles and practices of peacebuilding and nonviolence. This engaging, day-long summit brings together university and regional community members to explore how nonviolent engagement can foster peace and positive transformation in our communities and beyond.

Our Vision: To cultivate a beloved community where peace, justice, and nonviolent solutions to conflict create the foundation for thriving, inclusive societies where all individuals can flourish.

Photos of CRSP events

Event Schedule

Time

Session

8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Registration and Check-In

9:30 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks (Dean Kyaien O. Conner)

9:40 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.

Fireside Chat

10:45 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.

Break

11:00 a.m. – 11:40 a.m.

Community Interactive Workshop #1

11:40 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.

Awards Luncheon

1:15 p.m. – 2:05 p.m.

Community Interactive Workshop #2

2:05 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

Closing Panel

3:15 p.m.

Adjourn

Featuring Mayor Corey O'Connor:

Fireside Chat Special Guest Speaker

Monday, November 16 | 9:40 – 10:45 AM | Alumni Hall, Connolly Ballroom

We're excited to open this year's Building a Beloved Community Summit with Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O'Connor in a fireside chat hosted by Dean Kyaien Conner. Drawing on a decade of public service, from City Council to County Controller to Mayor, O'Connor will discuss how city leadership can foster peace, trust, and belonging across Pittsburgh's neighborhoods, and what it takes to build a community where all residents can thrive. The conversation will close with audience Q&A.

Mayor Corey O'Connor

Featured Workshops

This year's summit features two interactive workshops led by community leaders working to strengthen how we care for one another and participate in civic life.

Cartographies of Care
Courtney Abegunde, Managing Director, Steel Smiling
What if we mapped not only where services are located, but where care, belonging, wisdom, and healing already live within our communities? Drawing from a project counter-mapping the Black mental health ecosystem through a healing justice lens, this interactive session invites participants to consider the often-unseen networks that sustain our wellbeing: the people who hold us, the places where we feel grounded, the practices that restore us, and the cultural knowledge that helps us navigate healing and wellbeing. Participants will draft a personal care atlas—a map of the relationships, places, practices, and sources of wisdom that help them feel connected and cared for. Through sharing selected elements of these maps, we will explore what becomes possible when our individual knowledge of care becomes collective knowledge.

The Time is NOW: Action through Civic Education
Marita Garrett, MA, Founder | President & CEO, Civically
In an era of increasing social and political complexity, civic education and engagement are more crucial than ever. Many individuals lack the knowledge and tools necessary to participate effectively in their communities, leading to disengagement and a weakened democracy. Hence, the top Google search after the 2024 Presidential election, "Can I change my vote?" This workshop will highlight the significance of civic education, outline key strategies to promote engagement, and introduce Civically, Inc.'s innovative approach to fostering informed and active citizens. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the importance of civic education and engagement. They will gain actionable strategies to improve participation within their communities and learn how Civically, Inc. serves as a catalyst for change.

Learn more about the two workshop facilitators below:

Workshop Facilitators
Courtney Abegunde
Courtney Abegunde

Managing Director, Steel Smiling

Courtney is a community mental health educator and advocate who provides practical tools and activities for mental health education, healing and wellbeing to community members, groups, and organizations including support groups and healing circles, discussion groups, trainings and workshops. She currently serves as the Managing Director for Steel Smiling, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit whose mission is to bridge the gap between Black folks and mental health support through education, advocacy, and awareness. Courtney contributes to Steel Smiling’s mission by overseeing strategy, fundraising, and day to day activities of the Steel Healing program (peer support and referrals to care), Beams to Bridges (mental health education and support for community members), and Wellspring (a program for community building in the Black mental health ecosystem).

She holds a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and an M.A. in Psychology from Chatham University. She previously served as Board Chair to Message Carriers of Pennsylvania- a Recovery Community Organization, and she currently serves as Board Secretary to Shiftworks Community + Public Art. She has been recognized as a Distinguished Alumni for the Graduate Psychology Program at Chatham University (2025), a New Pittsburgh Courier Fab 40 Under 40 (2025), an Inaugural Global Citizens Fellow with the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh (2024), a Dignity and Respect Champion by UMPC (2021) and has achieved the Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award from the University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry (2021), and the Women’s Health and Leadership Award from Chatham University (2015).

Marita Garrett
Marita Garrett

Founder, President & CEO, Civically

Born into a family that firmly believed in exercising their civic duty and spirit of volunteerism. Marita Garrett’s drive and commitment to serving underinvested communities is palpable. As an undergraduate, Marita became immersed in the community and public sectors, as an Outreach Coordinator with University of Pittsburgh’s Alzheimer Disease Research Center. In 2017, Marita launched Civically, Inc, a social enterprise that focuses on community development by promoting civic and social literacy to instill self-reliance.

Initiatives include Free Store Wilkinsburg, Fresh Market, Civically Speaking, and Wilkinsburg Community Conversations, as well as initiatives for health literacy and education. Advocating for women in leadership, Ms. Garrett was the co-host of Shattered Glass stories of extraordinary women shattering the glass ceiling are highlighted. She was featured in Pittsburgh Magazine’s Women & Business. Recognized for leadership and diligence in civic and community engagement by numerous organizations and media outlets.

She is a sought-after speaker and has delivered keynote addresses at various events. In 2021, she was the keynote speaker at the Chatham University Spring Commencement, where she received an Honorary Doctorate in Public Service.

Closing Panel: Investing in the Beloved Community - Philanthropy’s Role in Peacebuilding and Belonging

The summit closes with a conversation among Pittsburgh’s philanthropic leaders on how giving can bridge divides, build trust, and strengthen belonging across our neighborhoods. Panelists will share how their work supports peacebuilding and community connection, and what the next generation of social workers, organizers, and community leaders can do to help create more just and flourishing communities.

William Generette
William Generett Jr., Esq.

William (Bill) Generett Jr. is an accomplished executive with extensive experience in the nonprofit, corporate, legal, educational and entrepreneurial sectors. He is nationally recognized for effectively building organizations, teams and partnerships that have grown economies and become national models for regions and cities to follow.

On Aug. 1, 2026, Bill became president and CEO of The Pittsburgh Foundation (TPF). With approximately $1.6 billion in assets, nearly 3,000 donor funds and $70 million in annual grantmaking, the Foundation is one of the largest community foundations in the U.S. Before assuming the role of president and CEO, Bill served as senior vice president of civic engagement and external relations at Duquesne University, where he oversaw the university’s office of corporate and foundation relations, including fundraising and strategic partnerships; its government affairs function, including state and federal lobbying efforts; and the office of community engagement, which he established in 2018. Bill also served as an executive in residence at Duquesne University's School of Business and has worked as an adjunct professor in its Thomas R. Kline School of Law. Bill provided strategic guidance to the university’s president and board of directors, focusing on all aspects of external relations, including community engagement initiatives that fostered positive social impact, provided educational opportunities and bolstered fundraising efforts. He also provided counsel on the effects of state and federal policy changes on the university. Under his leadership, the university achieved significant fundraising success and strengthened partnerships with community-based nonprofits, foundations, corporations and elected officials.

Before joining Duquesne, Bill was the founding president and CEO of Urban Innovation21, where he gained national recognition for connecting underserved communities to Pittsburgh's innovation economy. He was appointed to the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship during the Obama administration, where he contributed to developing a national entrepreneurship strategy for underrepresented populations. He has received an honorary doctorate from Carlow University and serves on several boards, including the Eden Hall Foundation, and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Pennsylvania Governors Wolfe and Shapiro appointed him to the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority Board. Bill is a graduate of Emory University’s School of Law and Morehouse College and is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and Georgia (voluntarily inactive status).

Richard W. Taylor, Esq.
Richard W. Taylor, Esq.

Richard W. Taylor, Esq. is President of Eden Hall Foundation, where he brings extensive experience in corporate and entrepreneurial leadership, philanthropy, government affairs, and community engagement. Prior to joining Eden Hall Foundation in May 2026, Richard served as CEO of ImbuTec, a Pittsburgh-based electrical and general construction firm serving commercial, governmental, and institutional clients. His previous experience includes government affairs and legal roles with Consolidated Natural Gas Company and serving as CEO of Macedonia Development Corporation in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. Earlier in his career, he worked on regional and national political campaigns and served as a law clerk to a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Richard currently serves on the boards of the Pittsburgh Foundation, Macedonia Development Corporation, and the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute of Politics. He is also an active member of the 100 Black Men of Western Pennsylvania. Richard earned his undergraduate business degree, cum laude, from Georgetown University and his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Tulane Law School, where he also earned a certificate in environmental law.

Mark Lewis
Mark S. Lewis

Mark is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Michigan State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in accounting, he began his career as a financial auditor with the Pittsburgh office of Price Waterhouse, a Big 4 public accounting firm. He became a Certified Public Accountant in 1991 and later transferred to the Information Systems Risk Management group specializing in auditing and advising Fortune 500 and midsized companies on security and controls within computerized environments. After eight years with Price Waterhouse, Mark joined Ernst & Young LLP, another Big 4 firm, reaching the level of senior manager prior to departing his position after 5 years to lead POISE Foundation, the first Black community foundation in the country.

In addition to his day to day employment, he is very active in the community. He has attended Deliverance Baptist Church since 1990 where he serves as an Elder, Trustee, and Treasurer and is active in the teaching ministry. Mark currently serves on the board of the following organizations: Program to Aid Citizen Enterprise; Kappa Scholarship Endowment Fund, Jewish Healthcare Foundation, Support America’s Teachers, and Western PA School for Blind Children. He has served on many boards, task forces and committees throughout the Pittsburgh Region as well as nationally.

His past board service includes the following: Urban Youth Action, Community Investment Network, August Wilson Center, Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management, Sustainable Pittsburgh, Grantmakers of Western PA, Habitat for Humanity Greater Pittsburgh, Scouting America Laurel Highlands Council, and EQT GP Services LLC, a public corporation. He is a graduate of Leadership Pittsburgh XXII and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

With philanthropy as a central theme and focus, Mr. Lewis is the co-founder of the African American Funders Group, a local group of African Americans working in philanthropy in the Pittsburgh region, the National Network of Black Funds and Foundations, and was also instrumental in the founding of the Sankofa Fund of Southwest PA, a local Black giving circle. He is also a co-founder of the Black Equity Coalition, a group of multi-sector Black leaders who came together to address COVID 19’s impact on Pittsburgh’s Black community, which has now shifted to address the broader equity issues affecting our community.

Mr. Lewis resides in Wilkins Township, PA with his wife, Michelle. They have three adult daughters and three grandchildren.

Maggie Johnson Richardson
Maggie Johnson Richardson

Maggie Johnson Richardson is an accomplished non-profit leader with over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, marketing, fundraising, partnership development, and program innovation. At PACE, Maggie oversees the organization’s mission to advance a more equitable community by strengthening small-to-mid sized, community-based nonprofits within BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities that have been marginalized. She guides PACE’s strategic direction, programs, partnerships, financial sustainability, and community impact initiatives. Prior to joining PACE, Maggie founded Jazzspace Consulting in 2012, providing arts management and collaborative leadership for clients like Arts | Equity | Reimagined and the COVID-19 Arts Working Group. She has previously held leadership roles at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, Light of Life Rescue Mission, and Pittsburgh Opera, raising over $5.5 million in support for various collaborative initiatives.

Maggie’s accomplishments include receiving the 2006 ADDY Award from the Pittsburgh Advertising Federation and a Woman of Excellence Award from the New Pittsburgh Courier. She has served as a visiting professor at Point Park University’s Sport, Arts & Entertainment Management program and volunteers with the Performing Arts Academy of the Urban Impact Foundation. Maggie earned a Master of Arts Management degree from Carnegie Mellon University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology degree from Millikin University.

Building a Beloved Community 2024 | Recap Video

Building a Beloved Community Champion Awards

These awards celebrate individuals whose work advances equity, inclusion and the creation of a more compassionate, just and connected community. Submission deadline: October 5th

Click here to submit a nomination

Individual Champion

A person who goes above and beyond to advocate for a cause, initiative, or group of people. This designation highlights someone whose personal commitment and actions create meaningful change, often serving as a role model or catalyst for progress.

Nomination Criteria:

  • Demonstrates consistent personal commitment to advancing a cause or community need
  • Serves as a role model or advocate for others
  • Shows measurable impact through individual actions or initiatives
  • Inspires and empowers others to get involved

 

Organizational Leadership

An organization that demonstrates strong commitment to values like equity, innovation, or community well-being. This award recognizes how the organization’s leadership, policies, or practices set a standard for others and produce positive, lasting impact.

Nomination Criteria:

  • Implements policies, practices, or programs that drive positive change
  • Demonstrates accountability and commitment at all levels of the organization
  • Produces measurable outcomes that benefit employees, clients, or the community
  • Serves as an example of how organizations can lead with vision and values

 

Community Collaborator

An individual or group that excels at building partnerships across different sectors or communities. They bring people together, foster trust, and create shared solutions that benefit the broader community.

Nomination Criteria:

  • Builds strong partnerships across different groups, organizations, or sectors
  • Demonstrates inclusivity and respect for diverse perspectives
  • Creates shared solutions that benefit the broader community
  • Strengthens long-term trust, cooperation, and capacity within the community

 

Educational Innovator

A person or organization that creates new, creative, or effective approaches to teaching, training, or knowledge-sharing. This award acknowledges those who rethink traditional education methods and develop programs or tools that improve learning and access for others.

Nomination Criteria:

  • Develops creative approaches to teaching, training, or knowledge-sharing
  • Increases accessibility, engagement, or equity in education
  • Demonstrates measurable improvement in learning outcomes or opportunities
  • Serves as a model for rethinking traditional education systems or practices

 

Emerging Leader

A rising individual who shows exceptional promise and early achievements in their field or community. While still early in their career or leadership journey, they demonstrate vision, initiative, and the potential to make significant contributions in the future.

Nomination Criteria:

  • Shows early achievements that demonstrate vision and initiative
  • Displays leadership qualities such as integrity, collaboration, and innovation
  • Has already created positive impact in their field or community
  • Demonstrates strong potential for continued growth and long-term contributions

 

Emerging Student Leader

A rising student who demonstrates exceptional promise and achievements in their field or community. While still early in their leadership journey, they demonstrate vision, initiative, and the potential to make significant contributions in the future.

Nomination Criteria:

  • Shows early achievements that demonstrate vision and initiative
  • Displays leadership qualities such as integrity, collaboration, and innovation
  • Has created positive impact in their field or community
  • Demonstrates strong potential for continued growth and long-term contributions

Questions?

Email us at CRSP@pitt.edu