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Mandela Washington Fellowship 2025

Agenda

Fellows Arrive in Knoxville: Buses from TYS to Volunteer Hall throughout the day.

9:00 a.m. | Health Center Orientation and Documents Orientation – Including Group Breakfast


10:00 a.m. | Juneteenth Celebration as Walter Hardy Park


2:00 p.m. | Practical Orientation and Grocery Store Visit


4:00 p.m. | Unstructured Time

9:00 a.m. | Vaccination Visit to Cedar Bluff


10:30 a.m. | Academic Orientation


11:30 a.m. | Academic Session – Small Expert Group Formation, In-Group Introductions and Networking


12:30 p.m. | Library Lunch and Orientation


2:00 p.m. | Bukky Abdul: Practical Networking Session – How To’s, Norms and Expectations


3:30 p.m. | UTK Campus Tour


5:00 p.m. | Leadership Exercise – Group Norm Setting


6:00 p.m. | Opening Ceremony Rehearsal, Dinner and Unstructured Time

1:00 p.m. | Visit and tour of Ijams Nature Center, Picnic Lunch.


3:30 p.m. | Unstructured Time


5:00 p.m. | Movie Night, Volunteer Hall

Unstructured Time

9:00 a.m. | Weekly Overview, Introduction to Themes


10:00 a.m. | Tony Nownes: Practical Academic Programming – The American Political System


12:00 p.m. | Lunch Break, Unstructured


1:30 p.m. | Networking and Mentoring Fair – Toyota Auditorium


4:00 p.m. | Welcome Reception – Agriculture and Natural Resources Building


7:00 p.m. | Dinner, Unstructured Time

9:00 a.m. | Unstructured Networking Time


10:00 a.m. | Vasabjit Banerjee: Academic Session – Eliminating Roadblocks, Building Capacities


12:00 p.m. | Reflection and Feedback Time


1:00 p.m. | Lunch Break, Unstructured


2:00 p.m. | Geohistorical Tour of Knoxville


6:30 p.m. | Dinner, Unstructured Time

9:00 a.m. | Unstructured Networking Time


11:00 a.m. | Waren Doctker: East Tennessee History – Challenges and Opportunities


12:00 p.m. | Lunch Break, Unstructured


1:00 p.m. | Site Visits – Green McAdoo School and the Museum of Appalachia


6:30 p.m. | Dinner, Unstructured Time

8:30 a.m. | Meet with UTK Public Speaking Center, Ignite Talk Prep


10:00 a.m. | Focus Project Coaching


1:00 p.m. | Lunch Break, Unstructured


2:00 p.m. | Leadership Training CLC 1: Branding Kliewer, Reggie Lane and Natalie Frankel – McClung Tower


5:00 p.m. : Community Potluck

9:00 a.m. | Unstructured Networking Time


10:30 a.m. | Chattanooga Trip, Including Group Lunch


4:00 p.m. | Debrief and Thematic Discussion


5:30 p.m. | Unstructured Time, Option Group Activity: Bowling Night

10:00 a.m. | Visit to Market Square Farmer’s Market


12:30 p.m. | Group Lunch – Tupelo Honey


2:00 p.m. | Unstructured Time

Unstructured Time

9:00 a.m. | Weekly Themes and Overview


9:30 a.m. | Frankie Weaver: Building Relationships between communities and infrastructure for visitors


12:30 p.m. | Lunch, Unstructured Time


1:30 p.m. | Reflection and Feedback Session


2:30 p.m. | Unstructured Networking Time


6:00 p.m. | Dinner, Unstructured Time

9:00 a.m. | Site Visit: Blackberry Farms, Townsend, TN – Including Lunch


1:30 p.m. | Site Visit: Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Tremont Institute

8:00 a.m. | Meet with UTK Public Speaking Center, Ignite Talk Prep


10:00 a.m. | Stephanie Casey Pierce: Academic Programming – Data for Impact


1:00 p.m. | Lunch, Unstructured Time


2:00 p.m. | Leadership Training – CLC 2: Brandon Kliewer and Jada Russell – Student Union

9:00 a.m. | Meeting with Jumana Kamal – Department of State


10:00 a.m. | Annie Brown: Academic Programming – Grand Writing and Budgeting


12:30 p.m. | Lunch, Unstructured Time


1:30 p.m. | Community Service Hours – Jones Center


5:00 p.m. | Reflection and Feedback Session

9:30 a.m. | Debrief and Thematic Discussion | Independence


11:00 a.m. | Lunch, Unstructured Time


5:00 a.m. | 4th of July Celebration: Community Dinner at Volunteer Hall, World’s Fair Park

10:00 a.m. | Grocery Store Trip


5:00 p.m. | African Heritage Night – Volunteer Hall

Unstructured Time

9:00 a.m. | Weekly Themes and Overview


9:30 a.m. | David McCollum: Academic Session – Building Relationships Between Communities and Infrastructure for Visitors


12:00 p.m. | Lunch, Unstructured Time


12:30 p.m. | Practical Academic Session: Visit to the UT Institute of Agriculture


2:00 p.m. | Travel Time


2:30 p.m. | Practical Academic Session: UT Institute of Advanced Materials


4:30 p.m. | Reflection and Feedback Session

9:00 a.m. | Visit TVA Headquarters


12:30 p.m. | Lunch and Transportation Between Sites


2:00 p.m. | Visit Norris Dam State Park, Including Tour

9:00 a.m. | Leadership Training – CLC 3: Brandon Kliewer, Jada Russell – Student Union


12:00 p.m. | Lunch, Unstructured Time


1:00 p.m. | Unstructured Networking Time, Focus Project Coaching

9:00 a.m. | Ignite Talk Presentations


10:00 a.m. | Wayde Marsh Academic Session: Data Visualization


12:00 p.m. | Lunch, Unstructured Time


1:00 p.m. | Oak Ridge National Lab Visit

9:00 a.m. | Ignite Talk Presentations


10:00 a.m. | Kirsten Widner: The American Legal System – Practices for Advocacy


12:00 p.m. | Lunch, Unstructured Time


1:00 p.m. | Flex Academic Time – Per Arising Needs/Demands


3:00 p.m. | Debrief and Thematic Discussion


4:30 p.m. | Knoxville Closing Ceremony – Group Dinner and Celebration at Executive Dining Room of the Student Union

9:00 a.m. | Visit Market Square Farmer’s Market


4:30 p.m. | Movie Night – Volunteer Hall

Fellows Travel to TSU


5:00 p.m. | Welcome Dinner

9:00 a.m. | Orientation


10:30 a.m. | Practical & Academic Session/Weekly Overview: Introduction to Urban Planning


12:30 p.m. | Lunch, Unstructured Time


1:30 p.m. | Practical & Academic Session/Weekly Overview: Introduction to Urban Planning


3:30 p.m. | Optional Trip to Grocery Store


5:00 p.m. | Dinner, Unstructured Time

9:00 a.m. | Practical & Academic Session/Weekly Overview: Policy Frameworks in Urban Planning


12:30 p.m. | Lunch, Unstructured Time


1:30 p.m. | Networking – Structured & Unstructured, Focus Project Coaching


3:30 p.m. | Site Visit: Walking of 12 South Neighborhood

9:00 a.m. | Practical & Academic Session/Weekly Overview: Stakeholder Engagement in Urban Planning


12:30 p.m. | Lunch, Unstructured Time


2:00 p.m. | Second Harvest Food Bank


4:30 p.m. | Dinner, Unstructured Time

9:00 a.m. | Practical & Academic Session/Weekly Overview: Transportation Planning and Mobility


11:30 a.m. | Reflection, Feedback & Post-Institute Survey


12:30 p.m. | Lunch, Unstructured Time


1:30 p.m. | Leadership Training


3:30 p.m. | Cultural & Social Activity: Visit to TN Museum


5:30 p.m. | Dinner, Unstructured Time

Mandela Day

9:00 a.m. | Cultural & Social Activity: Visit to Farmer’s Market


7:00 p.m. | Trip to Geodis Park

Unstructured Time

9:00 a.m. | Practical & Academic Session/Weekly Overview: Introduction to Nonprofit Organizations


12:30 p.m. | Lunch, Unstructured Time


1:30 p.m. | Networking: Structured & Unstructured, Focus Project Coaching


5:30 p.m. | Dinner, Unstructured Time

9:00 a.m. | Practical & Academic Session/Weekly Overview: Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations


12:30 p.m. | Lunch, Unstructured Time


1:30 p.m. | Supplemental Leadership Activity with President Dwayne Tucker


2:30 p.m. | Cultural & Social Activity: Visit to National Museum of African American Music


5:30 p.m. | Dinner, Unstructured Time

9:00 a.m. | Site Visit: Conexion Americas


12:30 p.m. | Lunch, Unstructured Time


1:30 p.m. | Practical & Academic Session: Fundraising and Financial Management


5:00 p.m. | Cultural & Social Activity: Group Dinner at House of Kabob

9:00 a.m. | Practical & Academic Session/Weekly Overview: Leadership and Nonprofit Organizations


12:30 p.m. | Lunch, Unstructured Time


2:00 p.m. | Second Harvest Food Bank


4:30 p.m. | Dinner, Unstructured Time

9:00 a.m. | Practical & Academic Session/Weekly Overview: Evaluating Impact


11:30 a.m. | Reflection, Feedback & Post-Institute Survey


12:30 p.m. | Lunch, Unstructured Time


1:30 p.m. | Unstructured Time/Optional Activity


4:00 p.m. | Farewell Dinner

Unstructured Time

Summit Departures