Become a Conversation Project Leader

Oregon Humanities is looking for people who want to facilitate conversations to get people talking, listening, and connecting to one another.

Read the full position description below, then submit an application online. The deadline to apply is Monday, August 31, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. PDT.

Click here for the application.

Interested in learning more about the Conversation Project program, what it’s like to be a facilitator, and the application process? Join us for an upcoming information session on Tuesday, August 11, at 11:00 a.m. PDT. Register here to attend.

As part of the session, current facilitators will share what it's like to lead Conversation Project programs. You can also visit our online catalog to see the topics currently offered.

What is the Conversation Project?

The Conversation Project is a statewide program that brings people together to talk about their beliefs and experiences around timely and important issues and ideas through reflective conversations.

It works like this: A local nonprofit, library, community group, or business applies to host a Conversation Project program from our catalog on a topic of interest to their community. Oregon Humanities vets and approves requests and provides support along the way, including connecting the host with their chosen topic facilitator, also known as a Conversation Project leader. At the mutually agreed upon date and time, the leader facilitates a ninety-minute conversation in the organization's community that gets participants talking with each other as a way to reflect on the conversation topic from multiple perspectives.

Certain conversation topics resonate strongly around the state, and some leaders have led over 10 conversations in a year; however, the average facilitator leads 2 to 5 conversations per year. Although they are not required to accommodate every request, leaders should be willing to travel throughout Oregon’s 36 counties during their contract period.

Selected Conversation Project leader trainees will receive free reflective conversation training and will work closely with Oregon Humanities to design their programs. These special Conversation Project training sessions are mandatory for leader trainees, so please note the dates before applying:

• Virtual (on Zoom): Friday, October 16, 10:00 a.m. to noon
• In-person: Friday, October 23, noon to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday, October 24, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at our offices in downtown Portland.

People traveling from outside Portland for the training will be reimbursed for mileage, meals, and lodging.

In addition to the free training, leader trainees receive $100 for attending the training and $150 for developing their conversations. Once their conversations are added to our catalog, Conversation Project leaders receive a $300 honorarium per approved conversation, a meal stipend, and the federal mileage rate or reimbursement for alternative travel (rental car, ride-share, bus). We ask host organizations to cover lodging if Conversation Project leaders are traveling over one hundred miles one-way to the event.

Leaders are also invited to take part in professional development opportunities, which could include additional training or participating in other Conversation Project discussions. Programs accepted during this application period will be included in the upcoming catalog and marketed to organizations across the state beginning in early 2027.

What are we looking for in a Conversation Project leader?

We are looking for people who can do the following:

• Facilitate open and lively conversations between participants while centering the knowledge in the room. These are not lectures or presentations.
• Connect what’s being talked about to participants’ lives and their local communities.
• Ask provocative questions that challenge participants to reflect on and talk about their beliefs, assumptions, and experiences.
• Remain comfortable holding space for multiple opinions about an issue, even if they personally disagree.
• Embody our core values of community, equity, and imagination.

Experience facilitating conversations is not required, but applicants should possess a strong desire to learn and get people talking with one another about a specific topic. The Conversation Project is a statewide program, and Conversation Project leaders may travel throughout Oregon to lead their conversations. We encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds, particularly those from historically underrepresented groups and those who live in/are from rural areas.

Conversation topics

For our 2027 catalog, we are seeking conversation topics within five themes. We hope to have four topics per theme. The sample topics listed below are just examples—we welcome any proposal that fits in one of the following themes.

• Environment and the Natural World

  • Topics might include: air, water, and natural resources; land use and stewardship; agriculture and food systems; water rights and scarcity; the role and rights of non-human animals

• Culture and Belonging

  • Topics might include: meaning-making and expression; safety, empathy, and values; education and access; family and relationship structures; cultural heritage and traditions

• Health

  • Topics might include: death and dying; bodily autonomy; trust and health systems; mental health, addiction, and social services; housing

• Technology

  • Topics might include: data centers; news/information and ai; transhumanism; digital life, social media, and the attention economy; privacy and surveillance

• Democracy and Society

  • Topics might include: civic/public life; class divides and politics; justice and civil rights; representation and forms of government; immigration, borders, and global relationships

In the application process, we’ll ask you to begin to hone in on a topic or question you are interested in exploring, but we don’t expect you to come to us with a fully formed program. We’ll work with you to develop your program to align with our model of reflective conversation.

We want Conversation Project facilitators to design questions and activities that get participants reflecting on and talking about their beliefs, assumptions, and experiences and leave thinking a little differently about themselves, the people in the room, or their relationship to the topic.

While the themes are set for this round, we welcome your thinking about what topics you want to get people talking about within each theme. We understand that some topics might encompass more than one theme, so please select the one you feel best fits your topic in your application.

How to apply

To apply, please complete the online application by 5:00 p.m. PDT on Monday, August 31, 2026. Applicants will have the opportunity to propose up to three questions or topics for consideration for this application round. Facilitators must reside in Oregon for the duration of their contract period. Multi-person facilitation teams are not eligible for this opportunity.

Please note: a prerequisite for applying is having completed OH’s Reflective Conversation Training or attending a Conversation Project event so you are familiar with the format. If you have not completed the training or attended a previous Conversation Project event, please visit our online calendar to find an event near you.

Following an initial application review, we will select candidates for virtual or in-person (in Portland) interviews, which will be held during business hours the week of September 28.

Individuals selected to become Conversation Project leader trainees receive free reflective conversation training. These special Conversation Project training sessions are required for leader trainees, so please note the dates before applying:

• Virtual (on Zoom): Friday, October 16, 10:00 a.m. to noon
• In-person: Friday, October 23, noon to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday, October 24, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at our offices in downtown Portland.

People traveling from outside Portland for the training will be reimbursed for mileage, meals, and lodging.

The best way to learn about the Conversation Project is to participate in one. Again, we encourage you to visit our online calendar to see if there are events scheduled near you (or online). If you have questions about the Conversation Project or the application process, please contact Program Manager Alex Stoehr at (503) 241-0543, ext.110, or by email a.stoehr@oregonhumanities.org.

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