We are living in a time of profound, drastic change. Whether it be transformations in the way we communicate and interact with each other, social awakenings tied to climate change or racial and economic injustice, or the challenges and opportunities posed by new technologies such as AI, developments of the last year have illustrated how complex our world is.

This has also been a time of change for Knology. Following the departure of our founder, Dr. John Fraser, and Dr. Christine Reich’s appointment as Knology’s new CEO in January 2023, staff and board members devoted a significant amount of time to reflecting on how our organization is making the world a better place. Through these reflections, we realized how all of the societal shifts of the present moment underscore the need to connect and work together in community.

Of particular importance to this work are those institutions that form the fabric of our communities—including libraries, museums, media agencies, small businesses, and schools. As “third spaces,” these institutions help anchor our social environments and are vital to ensuring that our communities are informed, cooperative, sustainable, and equitable. In recent years, they’ve been rethinking their roles, goals, and impacts, as issues like misinformation, the questioning of expertise, and increasing political and social polarization have prompted them to find new and better ways of effecting positive change.

Social science is key to helping these institutions successfully adapt to a rapidly changing world. As an organization that thrives in third spaces, Knology is committed to strengthening the impacts of the organizations who are working to knit our communities together. Through research, evaluation, convenings, and capacity building, we’ve learned that in order to build strong communities, it’s vital that institutions be trustworthy (and not just trusted), be responsive to societal changes, find ways to serve people equitably, and be prosocial by looking out for the needs of the community as a whole. Given the importance of these four qualities, we made them a focus of our efforts in 2023.

Our 2023 annual report highlights some of the different ways we’re working toward these goals through collaboration with a variety of partners. We hope that these examples will inspire you to imagine new ways we can work together to further strengthen our communities and create a world that’s better for all.

Christine Reich, Ph.D. President & CEO

Joanna Laursen Brucker, Ed.M. Chief Operating Officer

Adam J. Wasserman, J.D. Chair

Photo by Katt Yukawa @ Unsplash