2026 Shear Colbert Symposium: “A Door That Locks: Housing, Homelessness, and Stability in Iowa”
MARSHALLTOWN – Marshalltown Community College will host the 2026 Shear Colbert Symposium on Wednesday, April 15, focusing on the critical issuesof housing and homelessness. Drake University sociology professor Dr. Elizabeth Talbert will present the keynote lecture, “A Door That Locks: Housing, Homelessness, and Stability in Iowa,” at 9:30 am, followed by a local panel discussion.
The keynote lecture examines homelessness in Iowa and the United States, beginning with findings from the Unsheltered Des Moines and Unsheltered Families studies. By situating Iowa within national trends, Dr. Talbert’s research highlights structural forces often overshadowed by narratives of personal failure, emphasizing that homelessness is fundamentally a housing issue. The presentation will also explore the vital role colleges and community institutions play in fostering informed dialogue and supporting evidence-based local change.
Dr. Elizabeth Talbert is an Iowa-based sociologist and Assistant Professor at Drake University. Her scholarship focuses on how policy decisions regarding housing, work, and family shape inequality and affect communities across the state. She is the author of Unsheltered Des Moines, a study conducted in partnership with Polk County’s homelessness planning organization and is a Russell Sage Foundation grantee. Originally from Ames, Dr. Talbert earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from Johns Hopkins University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality.
Following the keynote, a panel discussion will feature members of the Marshalltown Homelessness Task Force, including:
- Mike Ladehoff, Marshalltown Mayor
- David Hicks, Senior Director of Community Engagement for YSS
- Suzanne Reed, MPACT Community Advocate and Co-Chair of HTF
- Kendra Sorenson, Initiated efforts resulting in HTF; former United Way Director
- Jasmin Banderas, CAPS Program Director
The community is invited to join the conversation on Wednesday, April 15, from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm in DeJardin Hall (Room 808) on the MCC campus. Doors open at 9:00 am.
The event is free and open to the public. While there is no admission fee, participants are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item. All donations will be equally distributed between the MCC Food Pantry and Marshalltown’s Emergency Food Box to support local families.
The Shear Symposium lecture series was established in 1984 by history professor Dr. Tom Colbert as a memorial to his predecessor, Professor George A. Shear. For more information, visit the Shear Colbert Symposium website at https://sites.google.com/view/shearcolbertsymposium/home.