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Durham Recovery & Renewal Task Force
In March 2020, Mayor Schewel and Commissioner Wendy Jacobs assumed extraordinary powers under local declarations of emergency due the COVID-19 pandemic. Under these powers they have issued emergency stay-at-home orders and other declarations to keep Durham safe during this crisis. Now the time has come to plan for how Durham will recover, renew, and reemerge, and to accomplish the dual purpose of keeping our community safe while helping our economy reopen. In order to make best decisions about how to revise emergency declarations and stay-at-home orders, the Durham Recovery & Renewal Task Force (RRTF) was formed to advise them. Throughout the process, RRTF will engage with community partners, experts, and local businesses, in order to provide our elected leaders with actionable guidance and advice. The Task Force ended in May 2021, however, the continued work of COVID-recovery is being carried out by various City and County departments.
PARTNERS
- Task Force Members
- Meeting Calendar
- Meeting Agendas
- Past Meeting Minutes
- Watch Past Meetings On-Demand
- Industry Roundtables
- Community Town Halls
- City Life Episodes
- Media Spotlights
Members
- Katie Galbraith, Task Force Co-Chair, President, Duke Regional Hospital
- Maticia Sims, Task Force Co-Chair, Vice President and Corporate Controller, Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC
- Ibukun Akinboyo, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Duke University Hospital
- Susan Amey, CEO, Discover Durham
- Ed Boyd, Chief Strategy Officer, iNvictus
- Chanelle 'C.C.' Croxton, North Carolina State Organizer, National Domestic Workers Alliance
- Dr. Herbert Reynolds Davis, Senior Pastor, Nehemiah Christian Center
- Lois DeLoatch, Executive Vice President, Self-Help
- Geoff Durham, CEO, Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce
- George Habel, Vice President, Capitol Broadcasting Company
- Philip Harewood, CEO, Lincoln Community Health Center
- Rodney Jenkins, Health Director, Durham County Department of Public Health
- Anthony Nelson, Dean, North Carolina Central University School of Business
- Jodi Miller, Deputy County Manager, Durham County Government, representing the Emergency Operations Center
- Pilar Rocha-Goldberg, President and CEO, El Centro Hispano
- Nicole Thompson, CEO, Downtown Durham Inc.
Staff Support
- Ryan Smith, City of Durham (Policy and Partnerships)
- Anna Davis, City of Durham (Legal Advisor)
- Amber Wade, City of Durham (Assistant to Mayor Steve Schewel)
- Shannon Beasley, City of Durham (Project Support)
- Bryan Fox, Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce (Business Roundtables)
- Mariel Beasley, Duke University (Behavioral Science Advisor)
- Judson Bonick, Duke University (Behavioral Science Advisor)
The Task Force met virtually each week from May 15 - August 28, 2020. Bi-weekly meetings were held in September 2020.
Meetings will continue to be held on the 2nd Friday of each month from October 2020 - May 2021.
- October 9
- November 13
- December 11
- January 8
- February 12
- March 12
- April 9
- May 14
Members of the public may use the following information to join meetings via Zoom.
https://zoom.us/j/96834214257?pwd=QmVHc081aGVaenIrS1EzUVhJOVFnQT09
Webinar ID: 968 3421 4257
Passcode: 236281
Or iPhone one-tap :
US: +13017158592,,96834214257#,,,,,,0#,,236281# or +13126266799,,96834214257#,,,,,,0#,,236281#
Or Telephone:
US: +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 929 205 6099 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 6833 or 888 475 4499 (Toll Free) or 833 548 0276 (Toll Free) or 833 548 0282 (Toll Free) or 877 853 5257 (Toll Free)
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 5_15
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 5_22
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 5_29
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 6_5
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 6_12
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 6_19
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 6_26
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 7_10
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 7_17
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 7_24
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 7_31
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 8_21
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 8_14
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 8_28
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 9_11
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 9_25
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 10_9
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 11_13
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 12_11
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 1_8
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 2_12
- _Durham RRTF Meeting - 3_12_21
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 4_9_21
- Durham RRTF Meeting - 5_14_21
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - May 22, 2020
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - May 29, 2020
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - June 5, 2020
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - June 12, 2020
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - June 19, 2020
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - June 26, 2020
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - July 10, 2020
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - July 17, 2020
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force- July 24, 2020
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - July 31, 2020
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - August 7, 2020
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - August 14, 2020
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - August 21 2020
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - August 27, 2020
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - September 11, 2020
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - September 25, 2020
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - October 9, 2020
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - November 13, 2020
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - December 11, 2020
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - January 8, 2021
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - February 12, 2021
- Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force - March 12, 2021
- Durham Recovery and Renewel Task Force - April 9 2021
All Task Force Meetings are available on-demand on the City of Durham's YouTube Channel.
- May 15, 2020
- May 22, 2020
- May 29, 2020
- June 5, 2020
- June 12, 2020
- June 19, 2020
- June 26, 2020
- July 3, 2020 - No meeting due to holiday
- July 10, 2020
- July 17, 2020
- July 24, 2020
- July 31, 2020
- August 7, 2020
- August 14, 2020
- August 28, 2020
- September 11, 2020
- September 25, 2020
- October 2, 2020 - Special Meeting: Economic Recovery Presentation & Discussion
- October 9, 2020
- November 13, 2020
- December 11, 2020
- January 8, 2021
- February 12, 2021
- March 12, 2021
- April 9, 2021
- May 14, 2021
Each roundtable is lead by at least two local business leaders in that industry. These leaders organize other businesses across Durham to help inform and design recovery plans for their industry. Task Force members engage with roundtables throughout the process to further advance ideas.
Current Roundtables
- Fitness Centers, Studios & Pools – meets monthly on Monday
- Places of Worship – meets every other Wednesday
- Restaurants, Bars & Taprooms – meets monthly on Tuesday
- Education (Higher Education Institutions) – meets monthly on Thursday
- Youth Activities – meets monthly on Thursday
- Construction & Field Operations – meets monthly on Thursday
- Retail – meets monthly on Monday
- Barbershops, Salons & Personal Services – meets monthly on Monday
- Vulnerable Populations – meets every other Tuesday
- Immigrant and Refugee – meets monthly on Thursday
- Other industry-specific groups are meeting on their own or irregularly.
If you are interested in learning more about a specific roundtable, how to get involved, or how to start your own, contact Task Force Staff at [email protected].
Town halls are public events and opportunities for the task force to engage the wider community and hear directly from residents.
Previous Town Halls
Immigrant & Refugee Virtual Town Hall: Tuesday, February 23, 2021; 7-9 pm
Live broadcasted in three languages (English, Spanish, & Arabic) to discuss housing assistance, financial assistance, COVID-19 and vaccines, and education.
Workers' Town Hall: Thursday, April 29, 2021; 6-7:30 pm
Live broadcasted in two languages (English & Spanish) to present the results of our survey project to assess the impacts of COVID-19 on people who live and work in Durham, and hear from Durham workers about their experiences navigating the pandemic and their ideas for helping workers recover.
If you are interested in learning more about upcoming town halls, contact Task Force Staff at [email protected].
CityLife: Durham Recovery & Renewal Task Force Advising on COVID-19 Re-Opening (6.20.20)
As we continue to deal with COVID-19, the Durham Recovery & Renewal Task Force is advising local elected leaders on how to safely re-open our community. In our new City Life episode, host Beverly B. Thompson sits down with Mayor Steve Schewel and Task Force Co-Chair Katie Galbraith, who is president of Duke Regional Hospital, to get a big picture view of what the task force is doing and why it’s needed.
CityLife: COVID-19 and Durham’s Latinx Community (7.2.20)
As the number of positive cases of COVID-19 continue to increase in Durham County, the Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force is focusing much of its attention on the Latinx community. In this new CityLife episode, host Beverly Thompson talks with Durham County Health Director Rod Jenkins and Pilar Rocha-Goldberg, the President and CEO of El Centro Hispano about why that’s the case and what’s being done to try to protect this vulnerable community.
CityLife: “Back on the Bull” Campaign Helps Durham Reopen (7.20.20)
As restaurants and businesses are reopening, many questions remain about how that can be done as safely as possible. In this new CityLife episode, host Beverly Thompson talks with Mariel Beasley, a principal with Duke University’s Center for Advanced Hindsight and Toriano Fredricks, co-owner of Boricua Soul about how Durham’s new “Back on the Bull” campaign is offering guidance and help for business owners and customers alike.
CityLife: Addressing Child Care Concerns and Questions in Durham (8.3.20)
Now that we know what the plans are for the beginning of the school year for Durham Public Schools and as more workplaces are opening back up for in-office employees, many parents are facing questions about child care. In this new CityLife episode, host Beverly Thompson talks with Dr. Ibukun Akinboyo, an assistant professor of pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the Duke School of Medicine and June Shillito, Director of Yates Baptist Church Child Development Center about what child care might look like in the coming months as well as the concerns and questions that many of us have.
CityLife: Office Operations During COVID-19 (8.17.20)
As some offices are beginning to open back up or are beginning to make plans for re-opening to employees, there is a lot of concern about how safe it really is to go back into such settings. In this new CityLife episode, host Beverly Thompson talks with Tim Scales, American Underground’s Director of Growth and Roz Dodd, the Senior Property Manager with the Research Triangle Foundation about office operations and what they might look like in the coming months with COVID-19 as our backdrop.
CityLife: Places of Worship During COVID-19 (8.31.2020)
Among the most important organizations that have not been able to shut down for COVID-19 but that have had to dramatically shift how they operate are our places of worship. In this new CityLife episode, host Beverly Thompson talks with Bishop Clarence Laney, Pastor of Monument of Faith Church and Dr. Herbert Davis, Senior Pastor at Nehemiah Church about how some of those places are starting to resume in-person services while many others are choosing to remain virtual through at least the fall.
CityLife: COVID-19 Update for Durham (Jan 2021)
It’s hard to believe, but it’s been nearly a year since Coronavirus and COVID-19 became household words. In this new CityLife episode, host Beverly Thompson talks with Katie Galbraith, Co-Chair of the Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force and President of Duke Regional Hospital and Durham County Health Director Rod Jenkins about where we are now in Durham and how we can continue to keep ourselves and others safe.
ABC11 interview with Mayor Schewel and Commissioner Jacobs
ABC11 interview with Mariel Beasley and Rod Jenkins about the Back on the Bull campaign
WRAL Out & About interview with Susan Amey and the owners of Da Kine’s Kava, about the Back on the Bull campaign
ABC11 interview with Pilar Rocha-Goldberg about the campaign and Latinx community
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