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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260206T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260206T110000
DTSTAMP:20260417T190138
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SUMMARY:The Library Era with Jenni Gaisbauer
DESCRIPTION:TOPIC: The Library Era: Charlotte Mecklenburg’s New Main Library\nSPEAKER: Jenni Gaisbauer\, CFRE\, Executive Director\, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation \nA library has stood on the corner of Sixth and North Tryon Streets in Uptown Charlotte since 1903 when industrialist Andrew Carnegie donated $25\,000 (equivalent of $1million today).\nIn the spring of 2027\, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library will open its much anticipated new Main Library in the same location. Designed by internationally acclaimed architect Snohetta\, your Library will be an awe-inspiring fusion of architecture\, technology\, and civic gathering spaces spanning an impressive 115\,000 square feet. Join us as Jenni shares the vision and intimate details of the new Main Library and what will take place in all its beautiful community spaces. \n\nBIOGRAPHY \nA non-profit executive\, Jenni has more than 25 years of experience in strategic planning\, philanthropy\, comprehensive campaigns\, special events\, board development\, and community partnerships. Jenni joined the Library in 2013 and serves dual roles as the Chief Development Officer and the Executive Director of the Library Foundation. Previously\, Jenni served as the Senior Vice President of Development at Levine Museum of the New South and Assistant Development and Marketing Director at World T.E.A.M. Sports. \nJenni a graduate of the American Leadership Forum and has served on the boards of Association of Fundraising Professionals\, The Plus Collective\, Girls on the Run\, Community Building Initiative and currently serves on the boards of the Arts & Science Council\, Children’s Home of North Carolina and the Library Support Networks. In 2015\, Jenni was honored as the Fundraising Executive of the Year by Association of Fundraising Professionals\, Charlotte Chapter. Jenni earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Montana and a master’s degree from The Ohio State University. \nWhen not working\, Jenni enjoys traveling\, cooking\, reading\, watching football\, and spending time with her family. \n\nNOTE: Attend in-person at PUMC\, no registration required. Attend via Zoom\, please register with the Zoom link above.
URL:https://seniorscholars.net/event/the-library-era-with-jenni-gaisbauer/
LOCATION:Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom\, 2810 Providence Rd\, Charlotte\, NC\, 28211\, United States
CATEGORIES:Hybrid: In-person & Zoom,Speaker Presentations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://seniorscholars.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/JGaisbauer_2-6-2026.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260213T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260213T110000
DTSTAMP:20260417T190138
CREATED:20250925T165719Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250925T171537Z
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SUMMARY:Charlotte at a Crossroads: Building a Sustainable City for Generations to Come with Shannon Binns
DESCRIPTION:TOPIC: Charlotte at a Crossroads: Building a Sustainable City for Generations\nSPEAKER: Shannon Binns\, Founder/Executive Director Sustain Charlotte \nCharlotte is growing faster than almost any city in the nation. With this growth come big questions: How will we move around safely and efficiently? How do we keep housing affordable? How do we protect our air\, water\, and natural spaces? \nIn this talk\, Shannon Binns\, founder and executive director of Sustain Charlotte\, will share how smart growth and better transportation choices can make our community more equitable\, connected\, and healthy. He’ll highlight local success stories\, current challenges\, and ways that all of us — at every stage of life — can play a role in shaping a thriving future for Charlotte. \n\nBIOGRAPHY \nShannon is the Founder and Executive Director of Sustain Charlotte. Before moving to Charlotte in 2007\, Shannon worked at The Nature Conservancy in Washington\, D.C.\, where he was part of their climate change science and policy team. \nShannon served in the Peace Corps in Senegal\, in AmeriCorps’ National Civilian Community Corps\, and helped found a tsunami relief organization in Thailand. He worked as an industrial engineer for Motorola\, General Motors and Trane in the for-profit sector. He holds a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from Iowa State University and a Master of Public Administration in environmental science and policy from Columbia University. \nHe has previously served as a supervisor on the Mecklenburg County Soil and Water Conservation Board\, an adjunct professor in the Sustainable Technologies program at Central Piedmont Community College and a member of the North Carolina Advisory Board for Environmental Defense Fund. In 2015\, he was named one of “Seven to Watch” by The Charlotte Observer and one of the Charlotte Business Journal’s “40 Under 40.” In 2018\, Charlotte’s NPR affiliate\, WFAE\, named him one of “The Most Powerful Voices in Charlotte.” In 2024\, the Charlotte Business Journal named Shannon one of the region’s “Top 100 Innovators.” \nWebsite: https://www.sustaincharlotte.org \nBook Recommendations: \n\nHappy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design — Charles Montgomery\nThe Smart Growth Manual — Andres Duany\, Jeff Speck\, Mike Lydon\nReimagining Sustainable Cities: Strategies for Designing Greener\, Healthier\, More Equitable Communities — Stephen Wheeler\nToward Sustainable Communities — Mark Roseland\nThe Death and Life of Great American Cities — Jane Jacobs\n\n\n  \nNOTE: Attend in-person at PUMC\, no registration required. Attend via Zoom\, please register with the Zoom link above.
URL:https://seniorscholars.net/event/charlotte-at-a-crossroads-building-a-sustainable-city-for-generations-to-come-with-shannon-binns/
LOCATION:Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom\, 2810 Providence Rd\, Charlotte\, NC\, 28211\, United States
CATEGORIES:Hybrid: In-person & Zoom,Speaker Presentations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://seniorscholars.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/SBinns_2-13-2026.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260220T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260220T110000
DTSTAMP:20260417T190138
CREATED:20260119T163129Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260119T163129Z
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SUMMARY:The United States and Africa: History\, Change\, and the Road Ahead with Beth Whitaker
DESCRIPTION:TOPIC: The United States and Africa: History\, Change\, and the Road Ahead \nSPEAKER: Beth Whitaker\, Professor of Political Science\, UNC Charlotte \nHow has the United States engaged with Africa over time and what does that relationship look like today? \nIn this talk\, Dr. Beth Elise Whitaker\, Professor of Political Science and longtime scholar of African politics and U.S.–Africa relations\, will explore the evolving dynamics that have shaped American policy toward the continent. Drawing on more than two decades of research\, teaching\, and on the ground experience—including her work in Kenya as a Fulbright Scholar—she will trace key moments in the diplomatic\, security\, and economic ties linking the U.S. and African nations. \nDr. Whitaker will discuss how Cold War rivalries\, humanitarian crises\, and counterterrorism strategies influenced earlier eras of engagement\, and how today’s shifting global landscape has transformed U.S. priorities. She will also highlight the role of migration\, diaspora communities\, and African public opinion in shaping contemporary policy debates. \n\nBIOGRAPHY \nDr. Beth Elise Whitaker is professor of political science and associate dean for research and interdisciplinary collaboration in the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. \nWhitaker’s research focuses on migration and security\, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Her work explores how political dynamics influence attitudes and policies toward migrants and refugees. \nAs a Fulbright Scholar in Kenya in 2005-2006\, she examined U.S.-African counter-terrorism cooperation. \nShe is co-author with John F. Clark of Africa’s International Relations: Balancing Domestic and Global Interests (Lynne Rienner Publishers\, 2018) and her articles have appeared in many academic journals. \nWhitaker worked previously at the Brookings Institution and the American Council on Education and has consulted for the U.S. Department of State\, U.S. Department of Defense\, Social Science Research Council\, United Nations Foundation\, and Save the Children Fund. She earned her bachelor’s degree in public and international affairs from Princeton University and her master’s and Ph.D. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. \n\nNOTE: Attend in-person at PUMC\, no registration required. Attend via Zoom\, please register with the Zoom link above.
URL:https://seniorscholars.net/event/the-united-states-and-africa-history-change-and-the-road-ahead-with-beth-whitaker/
LOCATION:Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom\, 2810 Providence Rd\, Charlotte\, NC\, 28211\, United States
CATEGORIES:Hybrid: In-person & Zoom,Speaker Presentations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://seniorscholars.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BWhitaker_2-20-2026.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260227T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260227T110000
DTSTAMP:20260417T190138
CREATED:20251210T160650Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251210T160824Z
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SUMMARY:Microplastics with Olya Keen
DESCRIPTION:TOPIC: Microplastics and Other Contaminants of Emerging Concern\nSPEAKER: Olya Keen\, Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director\, UNC Charlotte \nThe talk will focus on microplastics and other contaminants of emerging concern\, such as PFAS\, plasticizers\, pharmaceuticals\, flame retardants\, etc. I will discuss where they come from in the environment\, where we encounter them in our daily lives and the latest research discoveries. \n\nBIOGRAPHY \nOlya Keen received her BS and MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of South Florida and her PhD in the same discipline for University of Colorado at Boulder. She has been a faculty member in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UNC Charlotte for 13 years. She has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles on contaminants of emerging concern and ways to treat them in water. \n\nNOTE: Attend in-person at PUMC\, no registration required. Attend via Zoom\, please register with the Zoom link above.
URL:https://seniorscholars.net/event/microplastics-with-olya-keen/
LOCATION:Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom\, 2810 Providence Rd\, Charlotte\, NC\, 28211\, United States
CATEGORIES:Hybrid: In-person & Zoom,Speaker Presentations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://seniorscholars.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/OKeen_2-27-2026.jpg
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