DoPT at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
In November 2025, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences convened a group of place-based practitioners to discuss opportunities for lifting up the importance of local efforts to strengthen democracy.
DoPT's CEO, Ash Hanson, was honored to be one of the invited guests brought together by the Academy's Local Democracy Working Group to address broader challenges associated with place-based work in a systematic way and to help advance the value of and support for local work. Also in attendance were some of our close friends and partners from CivicLex, Art of the Rural, Warm Cookies of the Revolution, and Village Square.
Ash advocated for looking to and supporting local leaders in rural and tribal communities, and to value arts and cultural workers as vital to the efforts of increasing civic joy, love, creativity, and community engagement efforts.
Deep gratitude to the Academy for inviting DoPT to participate in such an important endeavor.
As an independent research center, the Academy is committed to multidisciplinary, nonpartisan research that engages experts in various fields and professions to provide pragmatic solutions for complex challenges.
The Academy, with the guidance of program-area advisors, undertakes a variety of projects - including commissions - and convenes exploratory meetings. No matter the topic, the Academy emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary study that draws on expertise from many fields of research and professional practice.
Many undertakings generate events, publications, and other resources - such as indicators and maps - to share findings and proposals with policy-makers and leaders in government, higher education, business, and philanthropy.