Join us online for our Annual maker leader convening on JUNE 23-26, 2021
Our Theme:
From Local to Global: Supporting Local Makers to Create a Resilient Movement for Positive Global Change
Makers are having an incredible impact in communities across the U.S., and around the world. Community needs — from equitable access to personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic; engaging and accessible hands-on educational experiences that provide students with 21st Century skills and prepare them to be innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders; innovation in the solar and geothermal energy sectors; accessibility solutions that address the needs of the full population; and so much more — have been addressed by makers in all 50 states and beyond.
This year's NOMCON theme, "From Local to Global: Supporting Local Makers to Create a Resilient Movement for Positive Global Changes", focuses on how we can magnify the local activism and impact of local communities of makers.
This impact was evidenced not only by the tremendous amount of personal protective equipment and medical supplies (over 47 million units) produced by makers during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also in the impact that local makers have in sectors as varied as education, workforce and economic development, entrepreneurship, job creation, defense, innovation, and beyond. We look forward to convening a diversity of leaders of maker organizations (spaces, events, and support entities - public, private, academic, corporate, government, non-profit and for-profit), from across the United States and beyond, to dialogue, share best practices, and work towards an actionable agenda to push forward the impact of the maker movement. Building on our previous themes of Intentional Inclusion (2018), The Power of the Network (2019), and Sustainability: Building and Supporting an Ecosystem that Sustains us all (2020), this year's conference will focus on both celebrating the incredible contributions of local makers that have resulted in a global impact while both dialoguing about and creating structures to support and scale-up communities of change.
Join Nation of Makers as we work together to:
Sustain and strengthen our inclusive network of maker organizations
Engage our diverse maker network in deep and meaningful collaborative exchange
Celebrate the continued positive impact of the maker movement
Expand our Nation of Makers network
Together, we can sustain the maker movement by building an inclusive ecosystem that produces tangible projects and partnerships amongst maker organizations of all shapes and sizes, and has far reaching impacts throughout the United States and beyond. Join us for over 40 engaging sessions, panels, workshops and working group meetings and work with us as we continue to push the maker movement forward locally, nationally, and globally.
conference schedule
Our Keynote speakers
Jean-Claude Brizard is President and CEO of Digital Promise, a global, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused on accelerating innovation in education. He is the former Senior Advisor and Deputy Director in US Programs at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation where he focused on PK-16 education across five communities in four states. He also led several strategies to help close the racial and economic achievement gaps in Washington State’s educational system as well as support the growth and sustainability of the state’s public charter school sector.
He is the former Chief Executive of Chicago Public Schools. Prior to his appointment in Chicago, he was Superintendent of Schools for the Rochester, NY School District. Under Mr. Brizard’s leadership, both the Chicago Public Schools and the Rochester City School District saw substantial improvements in student performance. Mr. Brizard’s experience also includes a 21-year career as an educator and administrator with the NYC Department of Education. He served as a Regional Superintendent, supervising more than 100 schools in the Borough of Brooklyn and he also served as the system’s Executive Director for its 400 secondary schools. He is a Fellow of the Broad Center, a Fellow of the Pahara-Aspen Institute, and a member of the Aspen Institute Global Leadership Network.
Ilana Preuss is the Founder of Recast City LLC, a consulting firm that works with local leaders, real estate developers, city and other civic leaders to integrate space for small-scale producers into redevelopment projects and place-based economic development. She is passionate about making great places and sees that small-scale manufacturers are a missing piece in today’s real estate and economic development efforts.
With over 20 years of experience in community development, Ms. Preuss projects at Recast City span the country – from Washington, D.C. to Honolulu, HI. Through work with small-scale manufacturing business owners, real estate developers, foundations, city planning, and economic development offices, improvement districts, and mayors, the projects go from idea to action to build great places with vibrant economies. Ms. Preuss’ forthcoming book, Recast Your City: How to Save your Downtown with Small-Scale Manufacturing, will be released by Island Press in 2021.
Previously, Ilana was Vice President & Chief of Staff at Smart Growth America and worked in the US EPA Smart Growth Division, and she currently serves on the Board of Directors for the national non-profit, Incremental Development Alliance.
lead Partners
Program partner
platform partner
networking Partner
Media Partner
corporate members
We look forward to continuing to grow support for the conference both locally, and nationally! If you know organizations from around the country that would like to get involved as partners, please contact Dorothy Jones-Davis directly at dorothy@nationofmakers.us