An introduction to the Ojai Chautauqua project.
The purpose of The Agora Foundation's Ojai Chautauqua panels is to engage Ventura County in civil discourse about controversial and highly passionate subjects. The Chautauqua was an adult education movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s.
The Chautauqua brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with speakers, teachers, musicians, entertainers, preachers, and specialists of the day. Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was quoted as saying that Chautauqua is “the most American thing in America.” The Ojai Chautauqua is continuing this movement, with a special focus on encouraging civil discourse on controversial and highly passionate subjects. The feedback so far has been phenomenal. Civil discourse is dangerously absent from all aspects of contemporary life. The result of this failing is not only sad… it is dangerous. If we can develop this essential ability, we can begin to affect a positive change to many aspects of life that can extend far and wide.
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Past Events
Watch the Agora Foundation Interview with Ojai City Manager Ben Harvey
March 6, 2024
On Wednesday, March 6, 2024, Tom Krause and Andy Gilman of the Agora Foundation met with Ben Harvey, Ojai’s new City Manager. The conversation ranged from the role and best practices of a city manager to the characteristics of a well-functioning city council. Topics included: - Priorities on capital improvement and land use, - Ojai’ similarities with other tourist cities in California, - How to think about visitors and new residents, - How can a balance of priorities and pressures be achieved, - How do we address a middle class under cost-of-living pressures, - Legal expenses in Ojai, - The health of our city budget, - What Ben hopes to accomplish in 2024.
Watch the Agora Foundation Ojai Unified School District Interview
November 2, 2023
Watch the Agora Foundation Help of Ojai Interview
November 1, 2023
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Watch the August 11, 2023 Interview
with the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy
Watch the June 24, 2023 Interview
with Rachel Lang - Ojai City Council Member
Watch the April 14, 2023 Interview on Housing Ojai Valley -
with Leslie Rule - Ojai City Council Member
Watch the January 31, 2023 Interview on Water in the Ojai Valley -
with Richard Hajas - Board Chair of Casitas Municipal Water District and the Ojai Basin Ground Water Management Agency
Watch the September 28, 2022 Ojai City Council Candidate Forum
Moderators - Andy Gilman and Laura Rearwin Ward
Watch the May 28, 2020 online panel What is the Future of Education After COVID-19?
Moderator - Tom Krause of the Ojai Chautauqua
Erika Beck - President of CSU Channel Islands
Jodi Grass - Head of Oak Grove School
Paul Lazenby - Director of Mother of Divine Grace School
Tiffany Morse - Superintendent of Ojai Unified School District
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Watch the February 16, 2020 panel Addressing Declining Public School Enrollment in Ojai
Moderator - Andy Gilman of the Ojai Chautauqua
Gerardo Alcantar - Recent Nordhoff graduate, Photographer, Administrative Assistant
Johnny Johnston - Mayor of Ojai
Sofia Moreno - Sophomore at Nordhoff High School
Tiffany Morse - Ojai Unified School District Superintendent
Bruce Stenslie - President and CEO of the Economic Development Collaborative
Erik Wilde - Real Estate Broker for LIV Sotheby’s and past President of the Chamber of Commerce
Download the information handout in PDF format - Addressing Declining Public School Enrollment in the Ojai Valley
Watch the August 25, 2019 panel What is Education For?
Moderator – Tom Krause – President of the Ojai Chautauqua
Jim Bailey – Co-Founder of Rock, Tree, Sky
Meredy Benson Rice – Director of Teaching and Learning, Oak Grove School
Katie Braude – Executive Director, Speak UP
Tiffany Morse – Ojai Unified Superintendent
Elizabeth Reyes – Professor (tutor), Thomas Aquinas College
Richard Yao – Vice President of Student Affairs, CSUCI
Download the information handout in PDF format - What is Education For?
Watch the July 28, 2019 panel Is Legal Cannabis Good for Ojai?
Moderator – Andy Gilman – Executive Director of The Agora Foundation
David Bearman, MD - Medical Director of Zona Seca
Ryan Blatz - Ojai City Council
Christopher Danch - Hoban Law Group
James Fryhoff - Chief of Police
Daniel Hicks - Manager, Ventura County Behavioral Health
Chelsea Sutula - CEO of Sespe Creek Collective
Download the information handout in PDF format - Is Legal Cannabis Good for Ojai?
Watch the March 30, 2019 panel Preparing for the Next Wildland Fire
Moderator – Andy Gilman – Executive Director of The Agora Foundation
Sean Anderson – Professor at CSUCI
Bryant Baker – Los Padres Forest Watch
Theresa Bulla-Richards – Educator, Community Leader
Will Castagna – Chair of the Ojai Fire Safe Council
John McNeil – Ventura County Fire Division Chief
Download the information handout in PDF format - Preparing for the Next Wildland Fire
Download the information handout in PDF format - Ready, Set, Go - From the Ventura County Fire Department
Watch the September 30, 2018 panel The Future of Water in the Ojai Valley – Part III
Moderator – Tom Krause – President of the Ojai Chautauqua Committee
Anthony Emmert – Assistant General Manager of United Water Conservation District
Richard Hajas – Board Member of the Ojai Basin Groundwater Management Agency
Susan Mulligan – General Manager of Calleguas Municipal Water District
Stephanie Pincetl – Director of California Center for Sustainable Communities
Jim Word – Board Director of Casitas Municipal Water District
Download the information handout in PDF format - Water in the Ojai Valley - Part III
Watch the April 15, 2018 panel The Future of Water in the Ojai Valley – Part II
Moderator – Tom Krause – President of the Ojai Chautauqua Committee
Tom Ash – Water Conservation Expert and Horticulturalist
Mary Bergen – Board Member of the Casitas Municipal Water District
Dan Breen – Board President of the Ojai Basin Groundwater Management Agency
Richard Hajas – Member of the Ojai Valley Water Advisory Group
Connor Jones – Ojai Permaculture Founder
Bruce Kuebler – Board Member of the Ventura River Water District
Alex Kim – Managing Director of the Ojai Valley Inn
Bill Weirick – Ojai City Council Member
Download the information handout in PDF
format - Water in the Ojai Valley - Part II
Watch the February 17, 2018 panel Beyond the Whistle-Blowers – What Happens Next? Power, Gender, and Writing New Rules for the American Workplace
Moderators – Cecile Ablack and Dan Schnur
Shakari Byerly – Managing Partner of EVITARUS, INC.
Ana Cubas – Founder of the Latina Public Service Academy
Ted Johnson – Senior Editor at Variety Magazine
Cinny Kennard – Executive Director at The Annenberg Foundation
Tom Krause – President of the Ojai Chautauqua Committee
Watch the November 19, 2017 panel on Tourism in the Ojai Valley
Moderator – Tom Krause – President of the Ojai Chautauqua Committee
Caryn Bosson - Non-profit Leader, Executive Director of The Crew
Leslie Clark - Artist, Business Leader
Michael Haley - Citizen, Activist
Johnny Johnston - Mayor of OJai
Hallie Katz - Artist, Business Leader
Dennis Rice - Board Member of the Ojai Valley Defense Fund
Download the information handout in PDF format - Tourism in the Ojai Valley
Watch the October 20, 2017 event An Evening with Dan Schnur and Warren Olney