Columbus Metropolitan Club

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This week we were on stage at the Palace Theater for another SOLD OUT Wednesday forum! We want to once again thank every...
09/04/2026

This week we were on stage at the Palace Theater for another SOLD OUT Wednesday forum! We want to once again thank everyone who came to this very special CMC forum spotlighting the future of the performing arts in Columbus: who it serves, how it’s funded, and whether this city is ready to invest in its next century of creativity.

Be sure to watch this forum on our website and hear from panelists Suzan Bradford, Executive Director, Lincoln Theatre; Julia Noulin-Mérat, General Director & CEO, Opera Columbus; Chad Whittington, President & CEO, CAPA; Remi Wörtmeyer, Artistic Director, BalletMet, with moderator Amy Juravich, Host and Executive Producer of All Sides with Amy Juravich, 89.7 NPR News, WOSU Public Media.

09/02/2026

For 100 years, the Palace Theatre has evolved alongside Columbus, bringing generations of performers and audiences together in the heart of downtown. As the city continues to grow, what will it take to sustain a thriving performing arts ecosystem? Leaders from the Lincoln Theatre, Opera Columbus, CAPA, and BalletMet explore the future of Columbus’ cultural life, the institutions and stages that support it, and how the performing arts can continue evolving in Central Ohio. Listen to this special Columbus Metropolitan Club forum recorded onstage at the historic Palace Theatre.

Featuring:

Suzan Bradford, Executive Director, Lincoln Theatre

Julia Noulin-Mérat, General Director & CEO, Opera Columbus

Chad Whittington, President & CEO, CAPA

Remi Wörtmeyer, Artistic Director, BalletMet

Your host is Amy Juravich, Host and Executive Producer of All Sides with Amy Juravich, 89.7 NPR News, WOSU Public Media.

This forum was made possible by Carol A. McGuire Legacy in Civic Engagement Fund — Celebrating Arts and Culture.

This forum was sponsored by The Greater Columbus Arts Council, Opera Columbus, Otterbein University, and WOSU Public Media.

The presenting sponsor of the CMC livestream was The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. CMC’s livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch. This forum was also supported by Downtown Columbus, Inc.

CMC’s theme music was composed by Jeffrey Ciampa.

If you would like to keep exploring this week’s forum topic, our fantastic partners at The Columbus Metropolitan Library recommend reading "The Secret Life of the American Musical," by Jack Viertel (2016).

Last week we hosted a panel discussing the impact and future of Flock Cameras here in central Columbus. We asked the big...
08/31/2026

Last week we hosted a panel discussing the impact and future of Flock Cameras here in central Columbus. We asked the big questions and invite you to watch the panel on our website with the link in our bio! Thank you again to our panel featuring Trevor Chandler, Senior Director of Public Affairs, Flock Safety; Gary Daniels, Legislative Director, ACLU of Ohio; Assistant Chief Nick Konves, Columbus Division of Police; Emmanuel V. Remy, Columbus City Councilmember, with moderator Anna Lynn Winfrey, Reporter, The Columbus Dispatch.

As Columbus grows, so does the question of what role the arts will play in its future. How do we sustain the organizatio...
08/28/2026

As Columbus grows, so does the question of what role the arts will play in its future. How do we sustain the organizations, venues and artists that give a city its identity? And what happens when the cost of keeping the curtain up keeps rising?

Join Columbus Metropolitan Club on September 2, onstage at the historic Palace Theatre, for Raising the Curtain on Columbus’ Cultural Future.

Leaders from CAPA, BalletMet, Opera Columbus and the Lincoln Theatre will come together to discuss the future of the performing arts in Columbus, from funding and audiences to downtown vitality, tourism and the city’s cultural identity.

The next century of Columbus arts is being written now. What should it look like?

08/26/2026

Flock Safety’s automated license plate readers are becoming a common sight across Central Ohio, helping police locate missing children, recover stolen vehicles, and solve crimes. But when does a public-safety tool become mass surveillance? With millions of ordinary drivers captured in these databases, how much privacy should Central Ohioans surrender for public safety? Can strong rules on warrants, data sharing, and searches preserve Flock’s crime-fighting benefits while preventing abuse?

Featuring:

Gary Daniels, Legislative Director, ACLU of Ohio

Nick Konves, Assistant Chief, Columbus Division of Police

Emmanuel V. Remy, Columbus City Councilmember

Your host is Anna Lynn Winfrey, Reporter, The Columbus Dispatch.

The presenting sponsor of the CMC livestream is The Center for Human Kindness at The Columbus Foundation. CMC’s livestream and promotional partner is The Columbus Dispatch.

This forum is also supported by Downtown Columbus, Inc. and The National Veterans Memorial and Museum.

CMC’s theme music was composed by Jeffrey Ciampa.

If you would like to keep exploring this week’s forum topic, our partners at The Columbus Metropolitan Library recommend reading "We See it All: Liberty and Justice in the Age of Perpetual Surveillance," by Jon Fasman (2021).

Who is watching?Flock cameras are becoming a familiar part of Central Ohio roads, capturing license plates and vehicle i...
08/26/2026

Who is watching?

Flock cameras are becoming a familiar part of Central Ohio roads, capturing license plates and vehicle information that can be accessed by law enforcement. Supporters say they help solve crimes and find missing people. Critics question how much privacy we should give up in exchange for public safety.

So, who’s watching the watchers?

Join Columbus Metropolitan Club TODAY on August 26 for Who is Watching? The Fight Over Flock Cameras, for a conversation about surveillance, privacy, public safety and who should have access to the data collected on our roads.

Missed last week’s CMC forum—or want to hear it again?The conversation continues on the Columbus Metropolitan Club podca...
08/25/2026

Missed last week’s CMC forum—or want to hear it again?

The conversation continues on the Columbus Metropolitan Club podcast.
Every week, we bring you the full conversation from our latest lunch forum: the people shaping Central Ohio, the issues that matter, and the ideas worth thinking about.

08/19/2026

People can order groceries, deposit checks, and manage their healthcare from a smartphone. So why does dealing with government still sometimes require paperwork, phone trees, waits, and multiple websites?

Across Ohio and Central Ohio, that’s changing. From the Ohio BMV’s digital upgrades to COTA’s “Tap to Pay” fare technology, local broadband efforts, and AI-enabled traffic management, public agencies are rethinking how government serves residents and businesses.

The goal isn’t just to digitize paperwork. It’s to make public services more capable, faster, and centered on citizens. Who benefits when government goes digital? Can government funding be equally innovative across a huge spectrum of complex services? And what does it take to build public systems that are not only faster, but fairer?

This week's forum unpacks how innovation, technology, and better design are helping public agencies earn trust, save time, lower barriers, boost Ohio’s competitiveness, and even strengthen democracy.

Featuring:

Remard Colston, InnovateOhio Platform Administrator, State of Ohio

Angel Mumma, Chief Administrative Officer, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium; former Chief Financial Officer, COTA; and former Director of Finance, City of Dublin

Daniel Poliquin, Principal, Digital Trust & Privacy / Government and Public Sector, Deloitte & Touche

The host is Megan Kilgore, Co-Founder of BKC Group and Former Auditor for the City of Columbus.

The presenting sponsor of the CMC livestream is The Center for Human Kindness at The Columbus Foundation. CMC’s livestream partner is The Columbus Dispatch.

This forum is also supported by Downtown Columbus, Inc. and The National Veterans Memorial and Museum.

CMC’s theme music was composed by Jeffrey Ciampa.

If you would like to keep exploring this week’s forum topic, our fantastic partners at The Columbus Metropolitan Library recommend reading "Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better," by Jennifer Pahlka (2023).

08/19/2026

Earlier this week, CMC's weekly forum held space for the untold stories of the women who built Ohio.

In September 2026, the new Ohio Women’s Monument will be unveiled on Capitol Square, becoming not only the first monument on the Statehouse grounds to depict real women and their role in shaping Ohio’s history, but the second state in the country to do so. Together as a community, we ask what it means to finally place women’s courage, leadership, and fight for equality at the center of Ohio’s public memory.

Featuring Brenda Councill, Ohio Women’s Monument Artist and Sculptor; Stephanie Kunze, Chair of the Ohio Women’s Monument Commission, Capitol Square Foundation Board Member, and Former State of Ohio Senator; Charley Moses, Capitol Square Foundation Board Chair, and Former Ohio Statehouse Representative, with moderator Charlene Brown, Co-Host, WOSU Public Media’s Columbus Neighborhoods TV Series.

Address

1041 Dublin Road, Suite 103
Columbus, OH
43215

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Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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+16144643220

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