𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐫. 𝐊𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 The staff and board of the Institute for Learning Innovation (ILI) are pleased to welcome Kimberly H. Robinson as our new Chief Executive Officer, effective September 29, 2025. Her appointment follows a national search led by the Institute’s Board of Directors, with significant input from staff, and signals an exciting new chapter in our mission to support lifelong free-choice learning as a mechanism for helping solve the major challenges facing humanity. “𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘊𝘌𝘖,” 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘯. “𝘐𝘓𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨-𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺-𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴.” https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7371962215588876289 (fb)

How Everyday Learning Can Build Stronger Communities: What Port Townsend Taught Us About Resilience When we think about what makes a community strong, we often think about jobs, housing, schools, or healthcare. But there’s another ingredient that plays a big role in helping communities thrive—especially in the face of change—and that’s learning. Not just school learning. Everyday learning. The kind that happens when families visit museums, when neighbors team up to solve local issues, or when kids explore the beach and start asking big questions. This kind of learning—often called free-choice learning—happens in parks, libraries, aquariums, community centers, and conversations. And it can make a community more connected, creative, and resilient. Here’s a great example. In a recent collaboration, ILI worked alongside the Port Townsend Marine Science Center (PTMSC) to launch a project to bring the community together around place-based learning—programs that connect students and teachers to the land, water, and history of their region. Local nonprofits, teachers, and science organizations worked side-by-side to create programs that were both educational and deeply rooted in the local environment. Students learned about their local shoreline, studied crab populations, and explored how their community fits into the larger ecosystem. These weren’t one-time events. They became a regular part of how the school district worked, and they made a lasting difference. It means that everyday learning—when it reflects local culture, environment, and people—can do more than teach facts. It builds relationships. It builds pride. It helps young people see themselves as part of something bigger. And it gives all of us more tools to adapt, solve problems, and support each other. Here are a few ways you can help build resilience through everyday learning: 1. Visit and support local museums, libraries, and science centers. These places are more than attractions—they’re community hubs for lifelong learning. 2. Look for programs that connect learning to your town’s history, culture, or environment. These are the programs that help people feel rooted and inspired. 3. Ask your school or community center about partnerships with local organizations. Are there ways to bring more hands-on, locally relevant learning into schools or youth programs? 4. Share your knowledge. Whether you're a gardener, artist, historian, or hobbyist, your experience can help others learn and connect. Communities are strongest when everyone has a chance to explore, ask questions, and feel a sense of belonging. Let’s make learning a shared part of that journey. (fb)