For months, Leslie Ciuppa had been hearing about Fairfield’s growing involvement in an international movement to help communities become more innovative, prosperous, and sustainable.

Nahom Abegaze, MIU’s Director of Continuous Improvement, had attended international conferences and returned with enthusiastic accounts of what other communities were accomplishing.

But Ciuppa, MIU’s Vice President of Operational Excellence, didn’t fully appreciate what he was describing.

“I got it before, but I didn’t feel it until I went there and saw how everyone works together.”

— Leslie Ciuppa

Then, in October, she joined Abegaze and three other Fairfield representatives at the 2026 Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) Global Summit in Columbus, Ohio.

“I got it before, but I didn’t feel it until I went there and saw how everyone works together,” she said.

The summit brought together civic leaders, entrepreneurs, educators, and economic development specialists from communities around the world, including Taiwan, Brazil, Spain, and the Netherlands.

For Ciuppa, the experience was eye-opening.

A small town with an extraordinary distinction

Fairfield had already attracted international attention. In 2025, the Intelligent Community Forum named Fairfield/Jefferson County one of the world’s Top 7 Intelligent Communities — an extraordinary achievement for a community of approximately 10,000 people competing alongside metropolitan regions with populations in the millions.

Fairfield had previously earned Smart21 recognition in 2023 and 2024 and received that distinction again in 2026.

The ICF evaluates communities on six measures: connectivity, workforce development, innovation, digital inclusion, sustainability, and community engagement.

But as Ciuppa discovered, the movement is about much more than technology.

“It’s not about smart cars and all these other things that you’re thinking about,” she explained. Instead, it focuses on bringing universities, businesses, governments, and community organizations together “to create a place where people want to live, work, stay, and invest their time.”

One statistic particularly impressed her.

Fairfield, she reported, has 56.9 microbusinesses (very small enterprises, often run by just one person) per 100 residents, compared with a metropolitan benchmark of 4.8 — nearly twelve times as many.

That remarkable concentration of entrepreneurship is one of Fairfield’s greatest strengths.

“What we have is not intentional yet, but we have this big entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

— Leslie Ciuppa

But Ciuppa sees an opportunity to accomplish much more by bringing together the community’s businesses, educational institutions, talent, and resources.

“What we have is not intentional yet, but we have this big entrepreneurial ecosystem,” she said. “How do we connect businesses, capital, talent, education, government, all together to really work together to be more cohesive?”

What universities can make possible

One of Ciuppa’s most memorable conversations was with an Ohio State University professor who described a 14-week accelerator course in agriculture.

Students work directly with surrounding communities on practical challenges involving water quality, soil, and other agricultural needs.

The communities benefit from the students’ work, while the students gain valuable hands-on experience.

“Now the town is turning to the university to help identify opportunities and address local challenges,” Ciuppa said. “In turn, students gain valuable hands-on experience while contributing to initiatives that move the community forward.”

“Every place that was a top town, universities were really the catalyst for the community transformation.”

— Leslie Ciuppa

She encountered similar examples throughout the summit.

“Every place that was a top town, universities were really the catalyst for the community transformation,” she said. “They’re the connector points, the ones that help bring people together.”

For MIU, the possibilities include student internships, community-based projects, entrepreneurship initiatives, innovation hubs, and partnerships that help graduates build careers locally.

Ciuppa emphasized that attracting talented people is only half the challenge. Communities must also create opportunities that encourage them to stay.

“Economic development is more than attracting businesses,” she said. “It’s about how we’re retaining the talent and creating the opportunity that’s going to strengthen our neighborhoods, support the entrepreneurs, and make this a place people want to come and call home.”

Turning inspiration into action

Joining Ciuppa and Abegaze in Columbus were Fairfield City Councilor Bob Ferguson, Torah Torres, founder and CEO of Adventure CPG, a national distributor serving the natural products industry, and the company’s Chief Strategy Officer, Nevada King.

Abegaze also participated in a summit panel, Workforce of the Future: Skills, Talent & Retention.

For the delegation, the next challenge is translating Columbus’s lessons into coordinated action back home.

“One of my biggest takeaways from attending the conference in Columbus was how important collaboration is in building vibrant, economically thriving communities.”

— Leslie Ciuppa

“One of my biggest takeaways from attending the conference in Columbus was how important collaboration is in building vibrant, economically thriving communities,” Ciuppa said. “Fairfield has already received global recognition for its innovation, entrepreneurship, and community development, and I think there is a real opportunity for MIU to play an even greater role in that progress.”

She sees opportunities for MIU to contribute through student internships, community-based projects, entrepreneurship initiatives, and closer partnerships with local businesses and organizations.

“As one of Fairfield’s key institutions, MIU has so much to contribute through our students, faculty, programs, partnerships, buildings and resources,” she said. “And when Fairfield thrives, MIU benefits as well.”

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Community members interested in participating can contact Abegaze at nabegaze@miu.ed u and explore the ICF Community Accelerator, an online educational resource made available to Fairfield through donor support.

Photo by Jordan Griffith on Unsplash