250 & Beyond: Our American Story
A nationwide celebration of service
On April 24, 2026, we hosted a nationwide celebration of service. Thank you to everyone who joined our FREE live broadcast from across the country for our landmark hybrid symposium.
As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, the 2026 Service Symposium | 250 & Beyond: Our American Story served as a celebration of a movement launched in 2024 to honor and inspire the American spirit of service. Learn more about this movement.
By bringing together Americans from across the nation —including students, educators, nonprofit leaders, public servants, and community members—we reflected on our past, highlighted incredible acts of service happening today, and inspired the next 250 years of American service.
Recap the insightful conversations through the YouTube playlist, gaining insights from leaders at Giving Tuesday, 9/11 Day, National Museum of American History, Lilly School of Philanthropy, Hispanic Heritage Foundation and so many more!
Speakers
JoAnna Arnold, Ph.D.
Literacy Specialist with Georgia’s Chattahoochee-Flint Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA)
Brian Baird
Founder, National Museum and Center for Service
Julie Budkowski
Managing Director, National Museum and Center for Service
Vanessa Diamond
Chief Program and Impact Officer at Points of Light
Nathan Dietz
Director, Do Good Lab
Maureen Eccleston
Chief Impact Officer at Service Year Alliance
Stanley Fontaine
Special Assistant in the Office of the President at the Annie E. Casey Foundation
John Hewko
General Secretary and CEO of Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation
Joy G. Kinard, Ph.D.
Chair, Division of Political History, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Caity Leavey
Ambassador, 9/11 Day
Victoria Leonhardt
Director, Communities, Giving Tuesday
Linda Mathes
Chief Advisor Bipartisan Leadership Project
Kelly McFarland Stratman
Executive Director, National Council for the Social Studies
Antoinette S. Mitchell, Ph.D.
State Superintendent of the Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Mioshi Moses
Vice President of Volunteer Programs at AARP Foundation
Jeffrey Moore
Chief Strategy Officer, Independent Sector
Tay Moore
Associate, Education and Society Program, Aspen Institute
LeAnn Naillon
Lead Strategist of Telos Coaching & Consulting
Zeta Ouanes
Co-Founder of Sidwell Friends School NMCFS Project
Osewe Ogada
Co-Founder of Sidwell Friends School NMCFS Project
Dr. Amir Pasic
Eugene R. Tempel Dean,
Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
Deborah Sran
Senior Manager I, John R Lewis Leadership Program
Ava Tavakkoli
Co-Founder of Sidwell Friends School NMCFS Project
Trygve Throntveit
Research Professor in Higher Education and Associate Director, Center for Economic and Civic Learning, Ball State University
Jose Antonio Tijerino
President & CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend
Attorney & Former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
John Tyler
General Counsel, Secretary, and Chief Ethics Officer, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Shreyaa Venkat
Founder and CEO, NEST4US
Dr. Akilah Watkins
President & CEO, Independent Sector
Agenda
10:00 a.m.
Welcome
Speaker(s):
Akilah Watkins, President & CEO, Independent Sector
10:10 a.m.
Fireside Chat
Speaker(s):
Brian Baird, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend
10:30 a.m.
Story of Service
Speaker(s):
Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.)
10:40 a.m.
What Does Service Look Like in our Nation’s Capital?
Speaker(s):
Kelly McFarland Stratman, Shreyaa Venkat, Cait Leavey, Antoinette S. Mitchell, Ph.D
11:25 a.m.
Story of Service
Speaker(s):
John Lewis Leadership Program (Fairfax, VA)
11:35 a.m.
What is the Value of Volunteer Time?
Speaker(s):
Stanley Fontaine, Jeffrey Moore, Nathan Dietz, Tony Tijerino
12:50 p.m.
Fireside Chat
Speaker(s):
Moshi Moses, Tay Moore, Vanessa Diamond
1:30 p.m.
250 Years of Service: Our American History
Speaker(s):
John Tyler, Trygve Throntveit, Joy Kinard, Deborah Sran
2:15 p.m.
Story of Service – Chattahoochee-Flint RESA (Georgia)
Speaker(s):
JoAnna Arnold
2:25 p.m.
Making Service Visible and Valued
Speaker(s):
Linda Mathes, Dr. Amir Pasic, Victoria Leonhardt, Maureen Eccleston
3:10 p.m.
Story of Service – Idaho Network for Service (Boise, ID)
Speaker(s):
LeAnn Naillon
3:15 p.m.
Closing Keynote
Speaker(s):
John Hewko, General Secretary and CEO of Rotary International
3:45 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Speaker(s):
Akilah Watkins, President & CEO Independent Sector
Brian Baird, Founder & Executive Director, National Museum and Center for Service
