Community as Strategy: Leadership Beyond the Institution 

This session brings together leaders who are applying their experience, judgement, and voice in deeply local, deeply human contexts - from civic coalitions to healthcare systems to community regeneration. They’re not building legacy projects. They’re building trust, traction, and long-term impact in the places that shaped them.


As leaders step away from formal roles, the question isn’t whether they’ll keep contributing, it’s where and how. For many, that answer is rooted in community - not as a soft landing, but as a serious platform for influence - in cities, neighbourhoods, networks, and systems that don’t respond to titles, but still need leadership.

Speakers include:
Dr. Sylvia Rousseau - Professor Emeritus of Education, USC; Former Superintendent, Santa Monica Malibu School District
Dr. Charles A. Moody, Jr. - Founder & CEO, The Community Coalition for Health (C2H); Senior Pastor & CEO, The Rock ATX
Julian Hirst - Strategic Leader, Innovator, and Global Business Growth Catalyst
Kamy Akhavan (moderator) - Managing Director, USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future 

We’ll be talking about what leadership looks like when you step outside the institution, and still choose to lead. Topics include:
* Real-world examples of how leaders are building relevance and credibility in community
* A shift in how to think about proximity, visibility, and systems-level influence
* Practical insight into how to lead without a formal platform, and still be heard
* A deeper understanding of how community can be a serious, strategic answer to “what’s next?”

Dr. Sylvia Rousseau - Professor Emeritus of Education, USC; Former Superintendent, Santa Monica Malibu School District
A nationally recognized voice in education reform, Dr. Sylvia Rousseau is a retired professor from USC’s Rossier School of Education and a woman of many firsts. She was one of the first two Black women to graduate from Wake Forest University. In 1993, she became the first woman and Black person to serve as principal for Santa Monica High School. She later served as interim Co-Superintendent of the Santa Monica Malibu School District, where again, she set a new standard for academic rigor and culturally-relevant instruction.

Dr. Charles A. Moody Jr. - Founder & CEO, The Community Coalition for Health (C2H); Senior Pastor & CEO, The Rock ATX
Dr. Moody is a strategist dedicated to addressing health disparities affecting vulnerable populations. Known for his ability to facilitate authentic discussions and collaborations, he works at the intersection of faith, policy and community health. As a USC Distinguished Leader, Charles is enhancing his leadership skills through deep self-reflection, exploring its impact on his growth and community-driven work.  Passions: Community Building, Education, Healthcare, Technology. “My role as a senior pastor requires me to integrate political, economic and theological perspectives. I aim to deepen my understanding of these challenges and develop strategies to address them effectively.”

Julian Hirst - Strategic Leader, Innovator, and Global Business Growth Catalyst.
With 15 years of board-level experience on four continents, Julian Hirst loves working with founders to build companies, including helping entrepreneurs and investors move from Phase One to Phase Two. Currently, he is the Regional Director, EMEA, for Busbud, a global online travel platform. Previously, he was Executive Director at WhereIsMyTransport, raising over $20m from investors including Google, Samsung, and Toyota, and leading the team that enabled millions of people in emerging markets to make a positive change in the way they move and in the way they live.

Kamy Akhavan - Managing Director, USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future; Former CEO of ProCon.org.
An expert in solutions to political polarization, interpersonal communication, nonprofit leadership, digital marketing and civics education, Kamy Akhavan’s efforts have served more than 300 million people around the world. Akhavan leads and facilitates the Washington, D.C. module on Policy and Social Good for the USC Distinguished Leaders Program.