The National Academy of Public Administration (the Academy) and Funkhouser & Associates (F&A) are pleased to host a joint webinar on May 17th from 11 am to 12 pm Eastern Time to discuss a joint initiative to support strategic planning and community engagement in local government.
At a time when localities are facing operational challenges amid social, economic and environmental uncertainty, this partnership will augment the capacity for governments to respond to this critical moment and become stronger in the process. Leaders from Baltimore County, MD, and South Bend, IN, will talk about their communities’ needs, recent assistance from the Academy and F&A, and lessons learned on the importance of strategic planning and public engagement.
"Amid the many shocks of the past few years, local governments have an opportunity to take a fresh look at their strategies to identify new, bold but achievable ideas that make the biggest impact on their residents' lives," said Academy President and CEO Terry Gerton. "We recently helped Baltimore County identify new ideas to meet pressing needs, bring stakeholders together, and prioritize implementation steps. The Academy brings unmatched intergovernmental expertise, and we are excited to combine our efforts with F&A to help local governments plan for the future in an agile way."
“The pandemic strained local government to its limits while exposing the deep-rooted inequities, widening social rifts and undermining trust in institutions,” said F&A President Mark Funkhouser. “But these trends also provide an opportunity to change how governments and people interact to build systems that are more transparent, accountable and equitable. F&A’s recent work in South Bend designing a comprehensive plan roadmap based on hundreds of hours of stakeholder engagement crystalized this idea and process for us and we are thrilled to expand our resources with this new partnership.”
Webinar speakers: