Carol Coletta, president and CEO of CEOs for Cities, and host and producer of the
nationally syndicated public radio show "Smart City," will visit Syracuse on
Thursday, March 26, to learn more about the city's ongoing revitalization projects.
She will share the work of CEOs for Cities with leaders from the community and
Syracuse University.
CEOs for Cities is a national network of urban leaders from the corporate,
philanthropic, civic, higher education and public sectors dedicated to building and
sustaining the next generation of great American cities. The organization has
identified four core areas that make up the framework for a successful city: talent,
connections, innovation and distinctiveness. CEOs for Cities then works with partners
in its network to develop local strategies based on each city's strengths and needs.
Coletta will spend the day in Syracuse at the Creative Corner, located on the fourth
floor of The Warehouse, 350 W. Fayette St., she will hear presentations about
ongoing SU engagement efforts. She will also attend the 11 a.m. opening of King &
King Architects' new headquarters at 358 W. Jefferson St., have lunch in Armory
Square, and participate in a roundtable discussion with the Near Westside Initiative
Board of Directors.
"Carol's visit underlines the national significance of what's happening in Syracuse
today," says SU Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor. "CEOs for Cities is an
important force for urban revitalization in the nation. They embrace an approach to
helping older industrial cities reinvent themselves that is consonant with the energetic,
cross-sector collaboration we're seeing here in Syracuse. Syracuse University is proud
to serve as an anchor institution in this revitalization, and we're thrilled that Carol is
visiting."
Coletta became interested in Syracuse after meeting Cantor at a conference on
revitalizing older industrial cities hosted by the American Assembly in Hershey, Pa.,
in November 2007.
"Syracuse University is doing important work in the area of economic development,
especially as it relates to the role of anchor institutions in our cities," says Coletta.
"Successful cities depend increasingly on universities playing beyond their borders to
connect the campus to the city with imagination and confidence. Clearly, Chancellor
Cantor has done that, and I look forward to taking the lessons of Syracuse back to
our network."
Prior to her work at CEOs for Cities, Coletta served as president of Coletta & Co. in
Memphis, Ga. In addition, she was executive director of the Mayors' Institute on City
Design, a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, the U.S. Conference
of Mayors and the American Architectural Foundation.
Coletta was a Knight Fellow in Community Building for 2003 at the University of
Miami School of Architecture and is currently a candidate for a master of design
methods degree at the Institute of Design at IIT. Last year, she was named one of the
world's 50 most important urban experts by a leading European think tank.
"Carol is one of the most influential thinkers on urban issues in the country today, so
it's really an honor to have her come visit our city and hold discussions with several
members of the community all day," says Marilyn Higgins, SU vice president for
community engagement and economic development, whose office leads, in
collaboration with many local partners, the revitalization of the Syracuse Art, Life
and Technology (SALT) District in the Near Westside neighborhood. Higgins is also a
member of CEOs for Cities.
While in Syracuse, Coletta will learn about various interdisciplinary projects
undertaken by SU and various community partners:
To learn more about CEOs for Cities, visit http://www.ceosforcities.org/.
To learn about the SALT District, visit http://saltdistrict.com/.
