The Kettering Foundation’s Dayton Democracy Fellowship is a one-year program that supports innovative leaders, changemakers, and dreamers who are building movements for inclusive democracy in their communities and in our wider world. This series of articles about the Dayton Democracy Fellows highlights their robust work and the powerful narratives that drive the advancement and defense of democracy. 

Dayton Democracy Fellow Peter Benkendorf believes people are more important than making money, and if companies and regions understood the power of that concept, everyone would benefit. 

Despite Benkendorf’s background in mechanical engineering and spending years in marketing, advertising, and industry, his calling is helping people articulate their own vision of making their community a better place. He does this through the nonprofit organization he founded, The Collaboratory, which has been in Dayton for 32 years and Chicago before that. 

One such vision might be a dream of encouraging community journalism and training people to become reporters, which are the goals of Dayton’s Journalism Lab. Its founder, Stephen Starr, began the nonprofit after consulting with The Collaboratory. Another vision is putting a skate park on the site of old tennis courts, which David Schweitzer wanted to do. That got the attention of hip-hop artists at Rhymesayers Entertainment. It took a while, but Claridge Park is the result. 

“We are not trying to finish stuff. We are trying to start stuff,” said Benkendorf. “I can see dots most people don’t see and connect them. People come here because they are trying to figure stuff out. They walk through the door with an idea. We help them with the concept and help them build a team of folks who are like-minded and are going to be compatible.” 

Benkendorf said the values that shape his work were instilled by his parents, who both emigrated from Vienna to the United Kingdom before World War II, and then to the United States in the early 1950s. His mother, who came here as a Fulbright scholar in 1951, turned 100 this year. She studied under Anna Freud, daughter of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. Benkendorf explained that his background in communication stems from his father’s career in public relations, and this emphasis on communication is the basis for how he runs his organization. 

One of The Collaboratory’s core projects is the Community of Well-being Initiative, which uses the Gallup Well-Being Index and Rickter Scale Method to create a new, holistic measurement tool for the Dayton region’s health and success, one that goes beyond economic, racial, and environmental indicators to focus on people’s well-being. Their financial and physical health are measured as well as their connections to the community, how people feel about their own personal situation, and what it would take to make change. By combining these elements, the initiative offers a more effective way to gauge the health of the region. 

“We want to make well-being the new measure of success in community. Right now, we have economic data that doesn’t tell us how we are doing,” Benkendorf said. “Some [measures of well-being] we present to business leaders as tactical, pointing out that if we improve the well-being of employees in the community it will be good for the company. But we are really talking about a new model. Lifting everyone up is critical for the region,” he said. 

This comes naturally to both Benkendorf and his organization, with many projects going on at once. 

The Collaboratory is advocating for a teen center downtown; hosting community conversations aimed at helping residents grapple with community issues; hosting monthly dinners at immigrant-owned restaurants; and finding ways to connect artists with organizations and professionals in technical fields. Benkendorf estimates the Collaboratory has helped bring into existence around 250 organizations and engaged with thousands of people seeking ways to bring their own visions to life. 

And in so doing, Benkendorf’s vision helps others. 

“My work is all about building cultures of belonging,” he said. “We can’t change the whole country, but if we can begin to bring a different set of priorities, we can begin to shape a different future for the region.” 

Maura Casey is a former editorial writer for the New York Times and has worked with the Kettering Foundation since 2010.

The Charles F. Kettering Foundation Dayton Democracy Fellowship is a one-year program designed to support innovative leaders, changemakers, and dreamers who are building movements for inclusive democracy in their communities and in our wider world.