The 2018 Wilder Symposium will explore urban housing, education and public policy and the challenges and opportunities they present for urban communities.

The symposium, hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, will be held 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, at the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, 922 Park Ave.

Theme: “By the People: The Role of Urban Communities in Improving Housing, Education and Public Policy.”

The event is free and open to the public.

Panelists include former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder; Dr. Susan Gooden, interim dean of the Wilder School; 3rd District Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott; Melody Barnes, former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under former President Obama; Anthony “Tony” Miller, former deputy secretary and chief operating officer of the U.S. Department of Education; Dr. William “Bill” Spriggs, chief economist with the AFL-CIO; Dr. Fabrizio Fasulo, director of the Wilder School’s Center for Urban and Regional Analysis; Dr. Genevieve Siegel-Hawley, associate professor of educational leadership with the VCU School of Education; and Dr. Benjamin Teresa, assistant professor for the Wilder School’s Urban and Regional Studies and Planning program.

Dr. Robert “Bob” Holsworth, managing partner of Decide Smart, will moderate the discussion.

“As a matter of public policy, few issues are more central to vibrant communities than schools and housing,” Dr. Gooden said. “That’s why this conversation is so necessary, so timely, and so integral to the Wilder School’s mission.”

To submit a question for the panel, email wilderforum@vcu.edu. Details: wilder.vcu.edu