11. Community Participation

As the first social worker in the country ever elected to Governor, Governor Hobbs has reorganized state leadership to create a central focus on community engagement. The Director of Community Engagement reports directly to the Chief of Staff, where she oversees the work of the first ever State Director for DEIA, and they are embedding this work across Arizona, including in the strategic planning process. The Office Of Tribal Relations has also grown significantly. Now a team of 5, with a decentralized team of 34 tribal liaisons reporting to cabinet members,we are more responsive to our indigenous residents than ever. This meant re-established tribal consultation policies, during a time when we were also responding to sober living home Medicaid fraud that was dramatically impacting tribal members. Without the added capacity in community engagement, we would have not been able to navigate these challenges.

The Statewide Equity Office (SEO) is dedicated to fostering equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility through active engagement with both State of Colorado employees and community members. To further this commitment, the SEO launched five distinct Statewide Communities of Practice in June 2024: Accessibility, External Strategy, Internal Strategy, Supplier Diversity: Construction, and Supplier Diversity: Goods & Services. These groups, composed of individuals with professional and lived experience in overcoming disparities, guide the SEO’s strategic directions to ensure that our initiatives resonate effectively with the diverse communities we serve.

The Statewide Equity Office is committed to leading engagement with populations experiencing disparities. The Statewide Equity Office distributes resources and efforts across various initiatives. Among these, a key aspect of our work involves actively collaborating with both internal and external stakeholders to address and engage with communities experiencing disparate outcomes.

In 2022, the U.S Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded the Commission for Educational Technology, part of the Department of Administrative Services, $736,000 to develop a statewide Digital Equity Plan. This plan was created with input from resident surveys and in-depth focus groups with populations facing digital exclusion and poor outcomes. In April, 2022, OPM, the Department of Social Services (DSS), and the Office of Health Strategy (OHS) became participants in the Equity in Practice Learning Community (EIPLC) from Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP) to address equity in data and conduct an impact assessment of data sharing. The EIPLC work directly supports efforts to establish a Resident Advisory Board for the state longitudinal data system, P20 WIN, and to develop an equity impact assessment tool to standardize review of agency data use.

The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs was established as a separate state agency by the state legislature. The OCRA’s Executive Director is appointed by the Lt. Governor, who also serves as the Secretary of Rural Development. OCRA works with local, state and national partners to provide resources and technical assistance to aid communities in shaping and achieving their vision for community and economic development. A privilege of our agency is to award grants to fund public gathering places, fix water/sewer infrastructures, restore historic structures, build community facilities and revitalize commercial districts. These funds help communities improve their quality of life and ensure the health and safety of their citizens.

Minnesota prioritizes community participation throughout the enterprise and within the budget process. The government-to-government relationship between the State and 11 sovereign Tribal Nations sharing land with Minnesota is strong and codified within State law.

The Chief Equity Officer leads the Office of Equity, Opportunity, and Accessibility, connecting external stakeholders with state government partners. Their Mind, Body, and Soul Convenings exemplify the leadership of this Office. Statewide leadership is also provided by the Office of Public Engagement, as well as multiple Councils convened by Executive Order.

In 2023, Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) introduced the MN StoryCollective, a platform and process for people in Minnesota to share their experiences. MN StoryCollective shares these stories with state leaders, calling attention to the most pressing needs of our communities and issues to solve. The stories will help shape how Minnesota improves programs and services to support the health and wellbeing of communities. Over 1,000 submissions have been made to date.

​​​Wealth Disparity Task Force: Since its creation by Executive Order in 2021, the Wealth Disparity Task Force (WDTF) has focused on reaching out to the public for direct input to the WDTF working groups: Education, Health, Housing, Criminal Justice, and Economy. To inform its final report, the WDTF members continue to engage the public, building on the outreach conducted during in-person and virtual listening sessions.

​Based on the work of WDTF, several initiatives were included in the FY2024 and FY2025 budgets, including housing reforms and proposals to reduce medical debt, while continuing a first-generation homeownership down payment assistance program and programs to incentivize employee ownership and supplier diversity.

​​Office of Equity: Community engagement strengthens public awareness and informs our work to improve outcomes for families under EO 319 and in the work of the Equity and Literacy working group of the Artificial Intelligence Task Force.​

​The Office of Public Engagement and Inclusion (OPEI) is an open door for all North Carolinians to the Cooper Administration. OPEI’s mission is to advocate the Governor’s vision for creating a better educated, healthier and wealthier North Carolina while simultaneously exchanging information and ideas from diverse perspectives across the State.​

On his first day in office, Governor DeWine signed an executive order creating the RecoveryOhio Advisory Council to ensure that the state’s work to address the public health crisis improves the health and wellness of all Ohio citizens.

Ohio’s four Local Development Districts and the Governor’s Office of Appalachia collaborate and partner with local organizations, agencies, and individuals working to foster economic growth and improve the quality of life for all citizens in Ohio’s 32-county Appalachian region. They act as liaisons to connect people and resources.

One of the Oregon Agency Expectations is requiring all state agencies to have a Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (DEI) Plan; each plan requires meaningful community engagement. The previous administration established a road map, the DEI Action Plan, for agencies so they would have a resource to lean on, which includes a strategy to strengthen community engagement. When SIEA surveyed agencies in April 2023, 52% of agencies had a DEI plan in place. Like Governor Kotek outlined in her letter of agency expectations, Oregon state agencies were required to submit their DEI plans or an outline for a future plan by June 1, 2023. The goal is for all state agencies to have DEI plans adopted and established by June 2024.

PA Heart & Soul creates residentially driven plans that guide future town planning. the Paths to PennDOT Workshops initiative to assist disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) in learning about PennDOT and how to secure future contracting opportunities. The Mentor Protégé Program (MPP) to increase diversity and participation in the DBE Program through outreach to underserved and underrepresented companies. MPP directly addresses PennDOT’s 2018 Disparity Study findings. Governor’s Commissions on African American Affairs, Asian American and Pacific Islander Affairs, Latino Affairs, LGBTQ Affairs, Women, and Next Generation Engagement, with leading and respected executive directors and more than 120 commissioners appointed by the Governor, help in making state government accountable and responsive to the needs of historically underserved communities by advising the Governor, Cabinet, and all agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction on policies, legislation, and programs to advance the status of those communities.

The Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives mobilizes Tennessee’s Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) to unite with state government in serving vulnerable Tennesseans.

The Governor’s Office, and Utah’s executive branch agencies, actively seek public input and engagement on how to address issues within Utah, and place a high priority on engaging with members of historically underserved communities. For the first time in State History, Governor Cox has established the role of Senior Advisor on Equity and Opportunity to ensure that the Governor’s Office connects with groups that have historically not been included in state activities. One approach the office has taken is to require state boards and commissions to include members from various minority communities. 

It is also vital to the success of Utah that historically geographically underserved areas are brought to the table. The Governor’s Office has always made it a priority to serve rural Utah, especially as the state continues to grow.

Through the Guiding Our Growth campaign, the Governor’s Office has solicited public input from all Utahns on how they want to see the state grow, and what actions the state should take to preserve Utah’s quality of life as it grows.

Washington state’s Poverty Reduction Work Group (PRWG) is an interagency effort focused on the systemic policy, program, and partnership changes needed to realize our vision of a Washington without poverty and injustice. Governor Inslee created the PRWG in 2018, tasking the group to create a comprehensive, 10-year plan to reduce poverty and inequality. For two years, a diverse and dedicated group of 45 stakeholders, directed by a 22-member Steering Committee of people experiencing poverty, met monthly to ultimately craft and co-design eight strategies containing 60 specific recommendations that make up the Blueprint for an Equitable Future: The 10-Year Plan to Dismantle Poverty in Washington State (10-Year Plan).