Leading Edge Dialogues (LED’s) were six 90-minute interactive workshops held during the 2019* National Urban Extension Conference, which explored critical issues facing our cities and universities. Each LED consisted of a multi-sector panel presentation followed by a facilitated group discussion with all attendees. Papers have been written, capturing both the presentations and the innovative discussion that followed, for each of the LED’s. The papers in this compilation can also be found individually: Youth Engagement, Preparing the Extension Workforce, Data and Policy, Fulfilling the Land Grant University Mission, Smart Cities, Urban Green Infrastructure, plus an Editors’ Introduction to the Leading Edge Dialog Series.

*The National Urban Research and Extension Center (NUREC) was originally established in 2014 as the Western Center for Metropolitan Extension and Research (WCMER) with members exclusively in the Western states. In 2024, with membership having expanded across the U.S., the WCMER became NUREC. These papers were published prior to that transition.