Event Summary
Last February, President Obama established the White House
Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships and created a presidential advisory council of leading religious and secular scholars and figures to recommend changes in how these partnerships are carried out. While public attention has been focused on the economic downturn, the health care debate and two wars, the White House office has continued to foster government partnerships with religious and secular community organizations around the country. A year into the Obama administration, what is the state of the debate over these partnerships? What has changed since the Bush administration?
Event Information
When
Thursday, February 18, 2010
8:30 AM to 2:00 PM
Where
Falk Auditorium
The Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC
Map
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On February 18, the Brookings Institution hosted a forum on partnerships between government and faith-based and neighborhood groups during President Obama’s first year in office. The event focused on understanding what has been accomplished thus far. Discussion also centered on what will and should happen in this area over the rest of the president’s term.
Panelists included some of the country’s leading scholars and religious figures focused on examining partnerships with faith-based groups and other nonprofits. Joshua DuBois, director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, delivered an opening address on his office’s first year and plans for the future. The forum concluded with remarks by Rabbi David Saperstein, director and counsel of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, and Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA.
Participants
8:30-8:40 AM -- Welcome and Introductory Remarks
Senior Fellow, Governance Studies
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Governance Studies
Director, Center for Religion and Public Affairs, Wake Forest University
8:40-9:20 AM -- Opening Address
Joshua Dubois
Director, The White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships
9:30-10:45 AM -- The State of Social Science Research
Mark Chaves
Professor of Sociology, Religion, and Divinity, Duke University
Renata Cobbs Fletcher
Vice President for Public Policy and Community Partnerships, Public/Private Ventures
Stephen Monsma
Senior Research Fellow
Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity
Rebecca Sager
Visiting Fellow, Center for the Study of Religion, Princeton University
Senior Fellow, Governance Studies
11:00 AM-12:15 PM -- The State of the Law
Noel Castellanos
CEO, Christian Community Development Association
Dan Mach
Director of Litigation, ACLU's Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief
Steve McFarland
Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, World Vision
Former Director of the Department of Justice's Task Force for Community and Faith-Based Initiatives
Bob Tuttle
Professor, George Washington University Law School
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Governance Studies
Director, Center for Religion and Public Affairs, Wake Forest University
12:30-2:00 PM -- Lunch: Reflections on the Past, Present and Future of Government Partnerships with Faith-Based and Neighborhood Organizations
Rabbi David Saperstein
Director and Counsel, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Rev. Larry Snyder
President, Catholic Charities USA