civic saturday speakers
Brant T LEe
Civic Saturday 11.15.25 | This Land Is Your Land? Civic Saturday 10.18.25 | Where to Look for Hope in America Today Civic Saturday 10.05.24 | Vote Your Conscience Despite the Odds
Professor Brant T. Lee is Assistant Dean for Diversity and Social Justice Initiatives at the University of Akron School of Law and a Citizen University Civic Saturday Akron Fellow.
Before joining the Akron Law faculty, Professor Brant T. Lee served as Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and served briefly as acting Deputy Staff Secretary and Special Assistant to the President in the White House. He was the founding Chair of the Akron Civil Rights Commission and founding Director of the Akron Law PLUS (Prelaw Undergraduate Scholars) Program, a diversity pipeline program funded by the Law School Admission Council.
Lee received his B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and his J.D. and M.P.P. (Master of Public Policy) degrees from Harvard University. Professor Lee writes in the area of race and complex systems. He teaches courses on Property Law, Employment Discrimination, and Social Justice Lawyering, among others. In the Fall of 2020, Professor Lee created and taught a free, online course to the general public on “Racial Equality and the Law,” in which over 5,000 participants enrolled.
dominic moore-dunson
Civic Saturday 08.09.25 | Neighborhood Identity
Dominic Moore-Dunson is an award-winning choreographer based in Akron, Ohio. He is the Co-Founder and Creative Director of MooreDunson Moves, a family-led creative studio and consulting company helping people move better as teams, couples, and artists.
Alongside his wife and co-founder Ashley Moore-Dunson, Dominic leads the company’s growing slate of work. Its first expression is his career as a choreographer, while its second brand, THRIVE Leadership & Team Development, is currently active. Two additional brands — Dominic Teaches and Married in the Middle — are set to launch soon.
Through Urban Midwest Storytelling, work that reflects the emotional, cultural, and spiritual weight of growing up Black in post-industrial America, Dominic centers stories that bridge the personal, political, and familial, creating immersive experiences that challenge, uplift, and inspire.
Dominic is a 2024 Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award recipient, was named one of Dance Magazine’s 2023 “25 to Watch,” and is a former Associate Artist at the Atlantic Center for the Arts. His work has been presented nationally and featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Akron Beacon Journal, among others.
He is the creator of several signature works, including inCOPnegro: Aftermath, The Remember Balloons, and The Block, a digital substack essay series blending personal storytelling, satire, and cultural reflection.
His work engages audiences across generations, sparking conversations about race, memory, identity, and belonging. Together, Dominic and Ashley are building a creative ecosystem where artistry, leadership, and love intersect.
Marjan h ehsassi
Civic Saturday 06.14.25 | People-Powered Problem-Solving
Movement builder, strategic policy advisor, researcher and practitioner, Marjan H. Ehsassi is a fierce believer in citizen-centric, inclusive, responsive and impactful government-led engagement that provide citizens with consequential voice in policy reform.
Marjan is executive director of FIDE (Federation for Innovation in Democracy North America), Berggruen Institute Future of Democracy Fellow, an IDEA Senior Fellow, a Senior Associate at MASS LBP, and Strategic Program Director of the Democratic Action Fund. She is on the steering committee of Global Innovations and Democracy (GID) and serves on several boards including Healthy Democracy, the American Friends Service Committee, Apolitical Academy and the Local Policy Lab.
She was one of four guarantors selected to the Collège des Garants of the French Citizens’ Convention on the End of Life (Convention Citoyenne sur la Fin de Vie) (2022-2023) and on the Oversight Committee of G1000’s We Need To Talk Citizens’ Panel (2022-2023).
Morgan Lasher
Civic Saturday 11.02.24 | What If We Are the Answer: Citizen-Led Democracy
As Chief Community Officer at Unify America and one of our Civic Saturday Akron Fellows, Morgan is a leader in community building, public engagement, and democracy innovations.
Her career path winds from start-ups and local media to multinational foundations and Fortune 500 brands. In her role at Unify America, Morgan leads teams that help thousands of people in America have conversations across political differences and build collaborative public decision-making opportunities in local communities.
Morgan began her career as a management consultant, specializing in brand growth and new product launches in the consumer packaged goods and biopharmaceutical sectors. She later founded an Ohio-based marketing and communications agency focused on amplifying organizations on mission from local governments to foundations and nonprofits.
She’s a former Akron Public Schools board member, and she currently serves on a local public radio board and the advisory board of the Northeast Ohio Boys & Girls Clubs.
Morgan is a fierce advocate and founding member for ATHENA Akron and a recipient of the Greater Akron Chamber’s 30 for the Future award. She is an avid fan of skeeball, local art, book clubs, and all things Akron, Ohio. She lives in Akron with her two kids and her husband, a fellow Ohio University alum.
Alicia Robinson
Civic Saturday 05.18.24 | We Are Purpose-Driven Change Agents
Alicia Robinson is a trailblazer in women’s leadership development, dedicating her career to crafting impactful initiatives that resonate across K-12 and Higher Education spaces. She is the Founder of Limitless Ambition, a Non-Profit organization that empowers young women through teen enrichment programs, donating care packages to girls in foster care, and hosting women’s empowerment events. The organization has empowered over 6,000 women and girls in Northeast Ohio.
Alicia also serves as the Director of Community Engagement and Partnerships at Summit Education Initiative, where she orchestrates collaborative efforts for systems change in education across the cradle-to-career continuum. Alicia’s journey stands as a testament to her unwavering dedication to empowering women and effecting lasting positive change within communities, solidifying her as a true leader and advocate for a brighter, more inclusive future for the generations to come.
kate tucker
Civic Saturday 04.13.24 | Power in Community
Kate (Hope) Tucker is a performing artist, producer, and writer with eight records and multiple collaborations in film, music, podcasts, books, performance art, and immersive events. In short, she knows how to throw a good party.
Kate first saw America from the passenger side of her grandpa’s eighteen-wheeler. All grown up, she would hit the road again, touring the country with her rock band, and now she’s on a different kind of tour, a listening tour in search of hope. Hear what she’s finding on the podcast, Hope Is My Middle Name, now in its fourth season, and follow Kate’s adventures on Made In America, the award-winning documentary series, now at over 20 million views. A local artist at heart, Kate edited and compiled Comeback Evolution: Selected Works by Walter K. Delbridge, published by UA Press in 2022. And in 2024, she co-founded Civic Saturday Akron with her dear friend Kristy Clark.
Subscribe to Kate’s monthly newsletter for music, travels, and more stories of hope.
Are you a community leader or civic catalyst interested in speaking at Civic Saturday? Send us a message!