UNC Asheville’s Leadership Programs Office and Leadership Asheville 24 will host “Building Collaborative Leadership,” a one-day forum on collaboration and economic development from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, June 29, at UNC Asheville. The event is open to the public. Admission is $75.

The conference will feature a keynote address on “Adapting to a Changing World” by noted cultural anthropologist and international speaker Jennifer James. She will share her experiences of working with communities which are effectively adapting to a changing world. The event will also include sessions and panel discussions conducted by community leaders, including Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy, Asheville Citizen-Times Publisher Virgil Smith, HandMade in America Executive Director Becky Anderson and many others.

“Thriving communities collaborate well. Part of the Leadership Asheville 24 experience has been learning about effective collaboration in our community as well as the issues facing our region,” said Jackie Dula, a member of the Leadership Asheville 24 class. “We saw the potential to host this conference as a way to build collaboration and help address the economic development of our region.”

“Building Collaborative Leadership” is sponsored by UNC Asheville, Mission Hospitals, Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa, Advanced Business Equipment, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, BB&T, Capital Bank, CarePartners Health Services, Carolina First Bank, City of Asheville, First Charter, Macon Bank, Mountain 1st Bank & Trust, YMCA of WNC, AdvantageWest-North Carolina, Colton Groome & Company, WOXL 96.5 and the Asheville Citizen-Times.

For more information or to register, call UNC Asheville’s Leadership Programs Office at 828/250-3869, e-mail aileadership@unca.edu or click on www.unca.edu/leadership.