It’s been a year of essential and exciting growth for the team, adding 4 new staff members! We are now fully staffed and energized by the inspiration and expertise from our new team members.

Thanksgiving offers a moment to pause, reflect, and express gratitude. The work of building a region and state where everyone can prosper and have their needs met is both urgent and deeply interconnected. It doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens because people and organizations choose to show up—with shared purpose, shared values, and a commitment to strengthening our collective civic muscle.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had a number of conversations and meetings with civic leaders. While the issues we discuss are varied, a consistent theme emerges in those discussions: hope.