The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation is now accepting applications for its Summer 2026 Intern Cohort, offering fully remote, flexible internship opportunities across six roles — Communications, Democracy Engagement, Digital Systems Infrastructure, Grant Writing, Membership Engagement, and Program Development — open to students, recent graduates, and emerging professionals regardless of current enrollment status. The cohort model prioritizes community, professional development, and hands-on experience in the dialogue and deliberation field, with training in facilitation, access to NCDD's staff and board, and the opportunity to contribute to real organizational work. Applications are due Monday, June 8, and require a PDF resume submitted through the NCDD Intern Cohort Application Form. This opportunity speaks directly to NCDD's mission of growing and sustaining a vibrant community of practice dedicated to dialogue, deliberation, and democratic engagement.

The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation announces the conclusion of Lori Britt's tenure as Board Chair and welcomes Christian Ohonba, Logan Steppan, and Peter Schutz as incoming Interim Board Chairs, marking a significant moment of leadership transition for the organization. Britt, Associate Professor and Director of the Institute for Constructive Advocacy and Dialogue at James Madison University, brought deep scholarly and practitioner expertise to her board leadership, contributing to NCDD's credibility and capacity across her tenure. The three incoming chairs bring complementary strengths in systems-centered equity work, community and policy facilitation, and grassroots civic engagement — together reflecting the diversity of practice and perspective that NCDD's network represents. This transition reinforces NCDD's commitment to distributed, values-driven leadership in service of a stronger dialogue and deliberation field.

​The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation partnered with the American Library Association’s Public Programs Office to produce “Leading Polarizing Conversations: Facilitation Guide,” a 45-page resource by NCDD Executive Director Keiva Hummel and Director Emeritus Courtney Breese. It provides libraries with practical tools for convening community conversations on divisive issues through planning, conversation design, facilitation best practices, and follow-up strategies. The guide integrates NCDD frameworks, including the Engagement Streams Framework, to help facilitators clarify conversation purpose and address challenges like distinguishing productive discomfort from harm, navigating misinformation, maintaining impartiality, and establishing group agreements for psychological safety. NCDD’s collaboration with ALA extends dialogue and deliberation practice to a trusted civic institution, encouraging libraries to access NCDD’s public member map for co-facilitation support and recognizing the emotional labor of facilitation through grounding techniques and self-care practices, especially for libraries with limited capacity. This project advances NCDD’s mission by positioning libraries as civic institutions that strengthen community resilience through structured dialogue, demonstrating how NCDD’s practices help model respectful engagement across divides, inspire listening and empathy, counteract echo chambers, strengthen civic trust, and provide templates for other institutions navigating polarization.

​The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation celebrates Matthew "Sagacity" Walker (they/them) as they conclude board service, bringing expertise in community engagement, youth development, and facilitation from their role as Program Manager at Everyday Democracy and Senior Associate with The Creative Discourse Group focused on racial equity. A University of Hartford graduate who worked as a Field Researcher co-designing program evaluations, Sagacity has facilitated community organizing trainings across multiple states and community dialogues on education, policing, and racial equity, contributing board expertise in equitable facilitation practices, youth engagement, and community-responsive approaches centering marginalized voices. NCDD thanks Sagacity for strengthening the coalition's equity and justice commitments while continuing to work on local and national initiatives contributing to more equitable, just, and informed communities.

The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation welcomes Don Waisanen, a communication scholar and practitioner, to its board. He’s a Professor at Baruch College’s Marxe School, adjunct faculty at Columbia and NYU, and founder of Communication Upward. Waisanen’s seven books include Improv for Democracy, Leadership Standpoints, and States of Confusion. He’s also published extensively in journals like Rhetoric & Public Affairs and Communication Monographs. His work emphasizes thoughtful communication practices that normalize conflict, establish peer-to-peer discussion agreements, check silences for authentic participation, and develop facilitative leadership. Waisanen’s addition strengthens NCDD’s capacity to connect scholarly research with practitioner needs, bridge academic and applied perspectives, and advance dialogue and deliberation as essential democratic infrastructure.

​The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD) serves as the primary network connecting practitioners, researchers, and community leaders who advance democracy through meaningful conversation and collaborative problem-solving. NCDD brings together facilitators, mediators, educators, and civic innovators across sectors, fostering cross-pollination of diverse approaches to dialogue, deliberation, and participatory governance while providing practical tools and frameworks grounded in real-world experience. The organization supports practitioners in designing inclusive engagement processes that bridge big differences, reach traditionally excluded voices, and generate sustainable community solutions through collective action. By connecting practice with research and cultivating continuous learning across the dialogue and deliberation field, NCDD directly strengthens the capacity of communities and institutions to engage in the democratic renewal central to its mission.

​The Spring 2026 NCDD Intern Cohort offers students and emerging professionals a learning-centered, fully remote internship opportunity with applications due Friday, January 30, across roles in Communications, Democracy Engagement, Digital Systems, Grant Writing, Membership Engagement, and Program Development. The flexible program, requiring one to fifteen hours weekly, treats interns as collaborators on meaningful projects while providing hands-on nonprofit experience, mentorship from experienced practitioners, training in dialogue and facilitation, and professional networking opportunities in a culture that emphasizes transparency, sustainability, and meeting people where they are. Through a cohort model blending independent work with optional weekly calls and peer connection, participants gain clarity on how their interests intersect with community work and civic engagement while developing skills in collaborative leadership and democratic practice. By offering structured learning combined with genuine flexibility and care for interns' wellbeing, this opportunity directly supports NCDD's mission of developing the next generation of dialogue and deliberation practitioners.

NCDD is accepting applications for remote, flexible internships in Communications, Democracy Engagement, Digital Systems & Infrastructure, Grant Writing, Membership Engagement, and Program Development. Internships are designed to support learning, community building, and hands-on nonprofit experience. Before applying, we encourage you to review our Intern FAQ, which answers common questions about time commitment, structure, and what to expect from the intern cohort experience. Applications are submitted through our Intern Cohort Application Form and require a PDF resume upload. The application deadline is Friday, January 30. Read more in the blog post below.

You are invited to join the upcoming free training "Bridging Across Political Differences" this Friday, January 9, from 3-5 pm Eastern, 12-2 pm Pacific​. Hosted by NCDD and the Democracy Resource Hub (DRH), this session brings together experienced practitioners who use different approaches to bridge political differences. Rather than offering a single method, the training explores when and how different strategies work, their limits, and what practitioners have learned from real-world experience.  These trainings are for civic hub builders, local leaders of place-based projects, engagement practitioners who are new to this work, and experienced practitioners looking to build new skills and deepen their practice. Learn more in the blog post below and register to join this free two-hour training at this link.