Democracy Summit

2026 Democracy Summit

The Democracy Summit is part of the College of Liberal Arts Democracy Initiative, which brings together students, scholars, and community partners to explore and strengthen democratic engagement through teaching, research, and meaningful collaboration.

The Spring 2026 Democracy Summit, held March 9–11, explored “Democracy at the Crossroads: 250 Years as a Nation, 150 Years of the Centennial State.” Inspired by the America 250/Colorado 150 project, the theme invited our community to reflect on shared history while envisioning the democratic future we aspire to create.

Highlights and photos from the 2026 Summit are available below.

Keynotes & Featured Conversations

Civic Experiences

Research & Student Work

Keynotes & Featured Conversations

Keynote Conversation with Congressman Joe Neguse

Conversation with Congressman Joe Neguse and CLA Dean Kjerstin Thorson exploring civic engagement, democratic participation, and the power of constructive dialogue.

During this session, the finalists for the Colorado Democracy Prize were announced—recognizing innovative ideas shaping the future of democracy in our state.

Project Title: Cultivating Civic Voices
Organization: Colorado Collegiate 4-H
Project Overview: A year-long civic engagement leadership series spanning four events — including days at the Colorado State Capitol — encouraging youth ages 14–18 to engage in democracy through interactive workshops, civic simulations, small-group discussions, and real conversations with elected officials.
Project Title: Civics by Design
Organization: The People United
Project Overview: An art and democracy symposium bringing the Colorado State University and Fort Collins communities together to create and present original works envisioning ideal futures for democracy — with finalists selected through a ranked-choice community vote and winning work displayed in public spaces across campus and Fort Collins.
Project Title: Walking Democracy: A Walking Tour of CSU's Democratic Legacy
Organization: Graduate Student Council
Project Overview: A self-guided walking tour through CSU and Fort Collins that brings the university's democratic heritage to life, connecting participants to stories of civic change, student power, and community leadership.

Congressman Joe Neguse and College of Liberal Arts Dean Kjerstin Thorson talk at Colorado State University’s 2026 Democracy Summit. March 10, 2026

Democracy: Historical Perspectives from Colorado

History Colorado Panel

Moderator:

Jason Hanson

Jason Hanson is the Chief Creative Officer at History Colorado, where he has written widely about Colorado and Western history and led the development of numerous exhibitions. He also works closely with Colorado’s State Historian's Council as the Deputy State Historian, and he is a member of the state’s America 250 - Colorado 150 Commission. Prior to joining the state historical organization in 2016, he was a member of the research faculty at the Center of the American West at CU Boulder. His most recent book, Brewed at Altitude: A Beer Lover's History of Colorado, with Sam Bock, was recently published to mark 150 years as the Centennial State.

Panelists:

Claire Oberon Garcia

Nick Saenz

William Wei

Dr. William Wei is a professor of history at the University of Colorado Boulder. He has served as Colorado State Historian for 2019–2020 and again for 2024–2025. He is a former member of the Colorado State Historian’s Council and the founding editor-in-chief of the Colorado Encyclopedia.

He specializes in modern Chinese history, Asian American studies, and Colorado history. His book Asians in Colorado: A History of Persecution and Perseverance (University of Washington Press, 2016) was a finalist for the 2017 Colorado Authors’ League Award for General Non-Fiction and was named by the Colorado Sun as one of 50 essential books on the American West. His most recent book is Becoming Colorado: The Centennial State in 100 Objects (University Press of Colorado, 2022). He is currently working on a book-length study titled "Hong Kong since the Handover: A History of Protests."

What Did 2025 Teach Us About American Democracy?

Keynote Conversation with Jake Grumbach

Jake Grumbach is an associate professor at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. Grumbach studies the political economy of the United States, with a focus on democracy and statistical methods. Grumbach's book, Laboratories Against Democracy, shows how state governments over the past generation moved from the periphery to the center of American politics and policymaking, with profound consequences for democracy.

The State of Democracy in the Centennial State: Insights into Colorado’s Political Landscape

Keynote panel discussion

This panel brought together leading experts to examine the key forces shaping Colorado’s political landscape.

Moderator:

Matthew P. Hitt

Matthew P. Hitt is Associate Director for Research at the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences and Associate Professor of Political Science at Colorado State University. His research focuses primarily on American political institutions, examining how institutional and external factors shape the choices political actors make—particularly at the collective level in the judiciary, Congress, and the media.

He is the author of White Identities in American Politics, Inconsistency and Indecision in the United States Supreme Court, Home Style Opinion: How Local News Can Slow Polarization, and Time Series Analysis for the Social Sciences, published by Palgrave Macmillan, the University of Michigan Press, and Cambridge University Press.

His research has been featured in outlets such as The New Yorker, The Associated Press, NPR, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, Axios, Big Think, Harvard Business Review, BYU Radio, and Wyoming Public Media. He has also written public-facing scholarship for Scientific American, The Monkey Cage, The Conversation, Mischiefs of Faction, The Brennan Center for Justice, and the London School of Economics.

Panelists:

Seth Masket

Seth Masket is a professor of political science at the University of Denver. He is the author of Learning from Loss: The Democrats 2016-2020 (Cambridge, 2020), as well as the forthcoming The Elephants in the Room: How Trump Voters Seized the Party from Republican Leaders (Cambridge 2026) and several other books on political parties, reform movements, and election narratives. He studies political parties, campaigns and elections, and state legislatures, and has been published in such journals as the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, and the Quarterly Journal of Political Science. He holds a bachelors degree from UC Berkeley and a doctorate from UCLA. He was the Senior Visiting Scholar at the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions at Vanderbilt University in 2024-25. He writes occasionally for Politico, the L.A. Times, NBC.com, and other publications, and maintains the popular Substack newsletter "Tusk.”

Kristin L. Olofsson

Dr. Kristin L Olofsson is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy at Colorado State University. Her research focuses on public policy, institutional design, and stakeholder participation. She specializes in policy process scholarship through the lens of environmental and energy justice to focus on the dynamics of policy coalitions and networks of policy actors. Dr. Olofsson explores differentiation in institutional settings to better understand how the people involved in the policy process shape policy outcomes. She has been published in Policy Studies Journal, Environmental Science and Policy, Review of Policy Research, and Journal of Environmental Management, among others.

Anand Edward Sokhey

Anand Edward Sokhey is a professor of political science at the University of Colorado Boulder. He studies democracy in the United States, with a focus on understanding how people form opinions and participate in civic life. His work often examines the roles that religion, social networks, and contextual factors (such as neighborhoods) play in shaping attitudes and behaviors. Sokhey is particularly interested in the extent to which people are exposed to disagreeable views and how such exposure may foster greater tolerance of others.

Sokhey currently serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Politics. At Colorado, he is the Director of the American Politics Research Lab (APRL) and a faculty fellow at CU’s Institute for Behavioral Science. Previously, he served as Director of CU’s Keller Center for the Study of the First Amendment from 2017 to 2021.

Messaging a Movement: Lessons from the Mamdani Campaign on Gen Z Politics and Disenfranchised Voters

Closing Keynote Conversation with Andrew Bard Epstein

Andrew Epstein is a communications consultant and political advisor to NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani. He served as Communications Director, Chief Spokesperson, and later Creative Director on Mamdani’s successful primary and general election campaigns, helping shape a message that mobilized new and historically disenfranchised voters.

He was previously a Chief of Staff in the New York State Assembly, helping pass landmark climate and corporate transparency legislation, managed multiple campaigns for elected office, and worked in communications and development for nonprofit news organizations, documentary filmmakers and labor unions. In a previous life, he pursued a doctorate in the history of New York City and holds a Masters in the field.

Civic Experiences

Courts in the Community

Courts in the Community brought the Colorado Court of Appeals to CSU for a rare, firsthand look at the judicial system in action. As part of this long-running educational outreach program, the court heard two real oral arguments from active cases. Each argument was followed by a Q&A with the attorneys, and judges joined the discussion at the conclusion of the session. This unique experience offered insight into how courts resolve disputes and uphold democratic principles in Colorado.

CSU alumni Chief Judge Gilbert Román and Judge Craig Welling were among the three judges who presided over the oral arguments, alongside Judge Stephanie Dunn.

Actress Jane Fonda Talks with Colorado State University President Amy Parsons at “A Presidential Conversation with Jane Fonda” part of CSU’s thematic Year of Democracy. February 2, 2024

Ramplify: Civic Engagement Fair

Students explored ways to make a difference in their communities, engaged with local and national organizations, and discovered opportunities to get involved in civic life. Through conversations and hands-on learning, they built the tools to become more informed and active participants in democracy.

Colorado state University hosts the Democracy Expo as part of the Thematic Year of Democracy, April 12, 2024

Principles and Priorities: Federal Budget Exercise presented by The Concord Coalition

Ever wondered how hard it really is to balance the federal budget?
In this interactive exercise, allowed students to step into the role of a policymaker, working with others to review taxes and spending, debate national priorities, and see how their values shaped real policy choices.

Careers with Impact: An Alumni Roundtable on Local Politics & Public Service

Panelists:

Hannah Prinzi, City Planner, City of Pueblo, CO
Tyler Marr, Deputy City Manager, City of Fort Collins, CO
Emily Francis, Mayor, City of Fort Collins, CO
Kimberly Carracedo, Organizing Manager, Denver Metro Tenants Union
Deep Singh Badhesha, Government Political Liaison, Denver Public Schools
Jakob Lindaas, Director of Climate Action, The Nature Conservancy of Colorado
Manny Santisevan, Director of Governmental Affairs and Policy, Colorado Department of Labor and Employment

Research & Student Work

Research Presentation Session 1

Place-based Democracy: Building Belonging and Agency in Local Communities (Room 390)

This presentation examines how innovative democratic processes are shaping public policy and civic culture in Colorado. Presentations explore the first successful U.S. ballot measure to emerge from a civic assembly in Fort Collins, the collaborative redesign of governance for the statewide Colorado Food Summit, and the growing use of direct democracy in wildlife policy through recent predator ballot initiatives. Together, the papers highlight how deliberation, public engagement, and voter-driven action are redefining community decision-making and the ethics of collective life.

Studying the Fort Collins Civic Assembly on the former Hughes Stadium site: Interactions, outcomes, and impacts in a bounded deliberative system

Katie Knobloch, Associate Professor and Associate Director, Center for Public Deliberation (CPD)
Sabrina Slagowski-Tipton, Managing Director, CPD
Lisa Auer, Community Engagement Specialist, Office of Engagement and Extension
Tamanda Chabvuta, Postdoctoral Fellow, CPD
Liliana Carredo, M.A. Student, Communication Studies
Lali Suarez, Undergraduate Student, Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology
Emily Gross, Doctoral Student, Human Dimensions of Natural Resource

From Exclusion to Ownership: Restructuring Colorado Food Summit’s Governance

Tamanda Chabvuta, Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Libby Christensen, State Food and Agriculture Specialist, CSU Extension
James Hale, Research Director of Community Food Systems and Social Sustainability, Department of Sociology
Christian Gomez-Navarrete, State Coordinator, Colorado Food Business Center

Direct Democracy in Colorado Wildlife Management: Predators & the Complexity of Desire

Hannah Barnhart, Instructor, Department of English

Democratic Cultures in the Centennial State (Room 376-378)

This presentation explores how civic and cultural life took shape in the nineteenth-century American West. One paper examines how Masonic lodges in early Colorado fostered habits of constitutional self-governance on the frontier, while the other investigates how women’s clothing, textile trade, and adaptation to new climates shaped community formation and identity during westward expansion. Together, the presentations highlight the institutional and everyday practices that helped define Western democracy and culture.

Sean Nelson, M.A. candidate, History
Aubree Vecellio, M.A, candidate, History
Paetyn Burrell, M.A. Candidate, History

Democratic Governance: Public Voice and Structures of Power (Room 390)

This presentation explores how democracy is realized—and contested—through institutions, rhetoric, and lived experience. Papers examine how U.S. municipalities, including those in Colorado, incorporate social equity into budgeting processes; how Ketanji Brown Jackson advances a race-conscious constitutional vision on the Supreme Court of the United States; and how immigrants enact democratic belonging through everyday practices of emplacement beyond formal citizenship. Together, these presentations consider the depth and quality of democracy—how it shapes outcomes, constitutional memory, and inclusive membership in American public life.

Equity How and Equity for Who? Incorporating Equity into Local Government Budgeting Processes

Alexis R. Kennedy, Assistant Professor, MPPA
Kelli Davison, MPPA Candidate

Rewriting the Script: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s: Rhetoric of Progressive Originalism

Katie Gibson, Professor, Communication Studies

Democracy at the Crossroads: Immigration, Ius Situs, and the Ethics of Civic Belonging

Nada Abdulaziz, M.A. student

Everyday Democracy: Culture’s Role in Crafting Democracy (Room 376-378)

This presentation explores how democratic culture is lived, performed, and negotiated in everyday spaces—from mountain trails to museum galleries to late-night comedy. A public reading reflects on the Colorado Trail and Appalachian Trail as unexpected forums for deliberation and civic reflection, while the Anchors Aweigh exhibition at the Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising traces how sailor-style fashion expanded women’s public presence. A third paper analyzes political satire—from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to The Joe Rogan Experience—to examine how humor shapes civic identity and democratic belonging in the United States.

Project Eveningland: Deliberation Across Difference on American Hiking Trails

Doug Cloud, Associate Professor, English

"Anchors Aweigh!": Sailors' Dress and American Women’s Fashion, 1900 - Present

Evan Stackpole, M.A. student
Dr. Paula Alaszkiewicz, Curator, Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising

The Politics of a Punchline: How Joe Rogan and Stephen Colbert Use Humor to Reinforce Ideology

Rachel Owen, M.A. student

Research Presentation Session 2

Public Scholarship and Democracy: A Humanities Approach (Room 390)

Sponsored by the Joe Blake Center for Engaged Humanities, this panel explores the role of public scholarship in strengthening democratic life. Humanities faculty reflect on how translating academic research for broader audiences can challenge assumptions, expand civic understanding, and support the university’s public mission. Panelists will consider both the possibilities and pitfalls of engaged humanities work, asking how public-facing scholarship can more intentionally foster democratic values and participation.

Thomas Dunn, Associate Professor, Communication Studies and Interim Director, Joe Blake Center for Engaged Humanities
Karrin Vasby Anderson, Professor, Communication Studies and Co-Director of the CDAPC
Nick Marx, Professor, Communication Studies
Ernesto Sagas, Professor, Race, Gender, and Ethnic Studies
Michael Childers, Associate Professor, History
Leisl Carr Childers, Associate Professor, History

Introducing the Center for Democracy, Art, and Popular Culture: Promoting Healthy Democracy through Cultural Engagement (Room 386)

This session introduces the Center for Democracy, Art, and Popular Culture (CDAPC), a new interdisciplinary hub dedicated to examining how film, television, digital media, music, sports, and other forms of popular culture shape democratic life. Presenters will share initial findings from a national survey on Americans’ pop culture consumption and discuss what those trends reveal about civic identity and political engagement. Designed as an interactive working session, the panel invites faculty and students to collaborate on research and public programming that connects popular culture to democratic health.

Karrin Vasby Anderson, Professor, Communication Studies and Co-Director of the CDAPC
Nick Marx, Professor and Co-Director of the CDAPC, Department of Communication Studies
Natalie Pennington, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Studies
David Wolfgang, Associate Professor, Department of Journalism and Media Communication

Community Voices at the Crossroads: How FLTI Alumni and Coordinators Shape Local Democracy Across Colorado (Room 390)

As Colorado marks 150 years of statehood, this session highlights how grassroots leadership can strengthen democratic participation across diverse communities. Focusing on the Family Leadership Training Institute (FLTI), presenters draw on 16 years of statewide data to show how culturally grounded, multilingual civic training equips residents to engage in policy processes and address local challenges. By bridging community passion with public action, FLTI offers a model for building democratic resilience from the ground up in the Centennial State.

Jonathan Cable, Office of Engagement and Extension
Aliria Bello Curiel, Community Engagement Specialist & FLTI Coordinator, Office of Engagement & Extension
Ariackna Gonzalez, Youth Program Director, Lifespan Local
Candice Bailey, Policy and Advocacy Manager, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative
Glenda Wentworth, County Director, Eagle County Extension
Marcelino Casias, Community Engagement Specialist, Denver County Extension

Challenges to Democracy and Finding Hope: A Sociological Mini Teach-In (Room 386)

Join a panel of social scientists for a mini teach-in exploring the multi-pronged attacks on democracy and how higher education can serve as both a target and a source of solutions. The discussion will cover far-right and fascist movements, anti-fascist responses, and the role of collective action—particularly in universities—as an antidote to despair and a way to strengthen democratic institutions. Panelists will conclude by highlighting opportunities for hopeful, joyful civic engagement and preview ongoing 2026 teach-ins.

Stephanie A. Malin, Professor, Sociology
Vanessa Centelles, Assistant Professor, Sociology
Erin O’Callaghan, Assistant Professor, Sociology
Carrie Chennault, Assistant Professor, Anthropology & Geography

The Great American Melting Pot: ICE in a Politically Divided Era (Room 390)

Explore the history and evolving role of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a divided America. This panel delves into ICE’s origins, its mission, and how it navigates the tensions between national security, human rights, and politics. Join us for a focused discussion on what ICE’s past and present reveal about the future of American identity.

Panelists:

Jessica Jackson, Director of Social Studies Teaching, History
Ernesto Sagas, Professor, Ethnic Studies
Penny Gonzales-Soto, Director and Attorney, CSU Student Legal Services

Revitalizing Democracy in News Deserts: Prototyping a Model of Local Journalism (Room 390)

This panel explores the challenges faced by communities without local news, where gaps in coverage can weaken civic participation and oversight. Using Wellington, Colorado as a case study, the research team will share findings from surveys and focus groups on how residents seek information and evaluate credibility, and discuss a prototype student-produced newsroom designed to strengthen local democratic engagement. Panelists will reflect on lessons learned and consider how universities can support civic life in news deserts.

Ashley Anderson, Professor, Journalism and Media Communication (JMC)
Jenny Fischer, Instructor, JMC
David Wolfgang, Associate Professor, JMC
Rebekka Dailey, Town Trustee, Town of Wellington

AAUP Teach-In: Forbidden Knowledge in Illiberal Times (Room 386)

This teach-in highlights the impact of funding cuts and legislative restrictions on academic freedom at CSU, focusing on research and teaching areas under attack, from climate and environmental justice to equity and anti-racism. Panelists will share their experiences, discuss the consequences of censorship for democratic dialogue, and spotlight the “forbidden knowledge” that is essential to evidence-based research. The session is co-sponsored by AAUP-CSU and UCW-CSU and underscores the importance of defending academic freedom and rigorous scholarship.

Chris O’Dell, Senior Research Scientist and Scholar at Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere
Stephanie Malin, Professor of Sociology, Founding Co-Director of the Center for Environmental Justice at CSU.
Maggie Clark, Associate Professor and Head of the Epidemiology Affinity Group in the Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at CSU

Collegiate Policy Challenge: The Harvest Health Initiative

Strengthening Colorado's Agricultural Economy Through Workforce Wellness

This year, CSU students brought their ideas to the national stage through the National Collegiate Policy Challenge, hosted by the University of Chicago. In November 2025, CSU held an exciting campus Pitchfest, where teams presented innovative solutions to pressing policy issues. The winning team, The Harvest Health Initiative, earned the opportunity to represent CSU at the national competition in Chicago in February 2026.

The Harvest Health Initiative

Strengthening Colorado's Agricultural Economy Through Workforce Wellness

Cheyenne Phillips, Judah Weir, Melanie Brousseau

The Harvest Health Initiative is a fiscally responsible proposal to mend this missing capacity. The initiative’s core is the development of a public-private partnership fund named the "Farmworker Health & Safety Fund.” This fund will be used to bridge funding gaps for rural healthcare providers and existing infrastructure. The initiative will improve health outcomes for a marginalized workforce, enhance stability for agricultural producers, and reduce the burden of costly emergency care on the regional healthcare system.

Notice of Filming & Photography

By entering this Colorado State University building, event, or program, you are entering an area where photography, audio, and video recording may occur.

Through your entry, presence, or participation in or at the event premises, you acknowledge that you have been informed that you may be photographed, filmed, and/or otherwise recorded and grant the Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System permission to use your voice, name, and/or likeness without any compensation, credit, or other consideration for exploitation in any media now known or hereafter devised, in perpetuity, throughout the universe, and the advertising and publicity thereof.

Furthermore, you hereby release the Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System, its officers, employees, and each and all persons involved from any liability connected with the taking, recording, digitizing, or publication and use of the above-mentioned recording including, but not limited to, any claims for invasion of privacy, violation of the right of publicity, defamation, copyright infringement, or for any fees, payment, or royalties for use of such recorded media.

2026 Democracy Summit in Photos

Explore highlights from the 2026 Democracy Summit through our photo collection on Flickr, capturing key moments, conversations, and community engagement throughout the event.

2026 Democracy Summit Photos