High Road Strategy Center

This week the Mayors Innovation Project was in Washington DC for our 20th Annual Winter Meeting! We held discussions on building strong mayor-council relationships, community wealth building, creating inclusive and welcoming communities, and the data and financing tools for flood resilient infrastructure. We connected with new and familiar friends; and heard from our wonderful keynote speaker, Xavier de Souza Briggs, and from Secretary Pete Buttigieg! This year, we were proud to report initial findings from our 2024 research project on the informal and formal barriers that women mayors face while campaigning and governing. Thank you to everyone who attended the briefing and to all of the mayors, partners, and sponsors, who participated and contributed to the research. A special thanks to Chasity Wells and Betsy Hodges for their partnership in this work and to the Barbara Lee Family Foundation who made this project possible. We look forward to digging deeper into the data and creating tools and resources for mayors later this year.  As always, our goal is to send each attendee home feeling inspired and with at least one new idea, policy, or connection that they can use to improve their city. We’re grateful to all the speakers, sponsors (Trust for Public Land, Next Street, Rails to Trails Conservancy, RepresentWomen, The Kresge Foundation, and Welcoming America), partners, mayors, city staff, and attendees who helped make this event a success! Be sure to stay tuned for more posts from us in the coming weeks recapping each panel and sharing photos and highlights from the meeting! Check out all materials from the meeting, including the briefing book from each panel, on our website: https://bit.ly/MIP-W25.

As we celebrate the close of 2024, we’re reflecting on an unforgettable milestone: our first official year as the High Road Strategy Center (formerly COWS)! What started as an idea decades ago has grown into a thriving organization dedicated to building sustainable, equitable, and democratic communities. We’re so grateful for this community and all we’ve accomplished together. Stay tuned for our Year in Review coming this winter 2025—we can’t wait to share more! 🛤️✨

🌎 It’s #InternationalMigrantsDay, and we’re celebrating the vital contributions of migrants and immigrants to our communities by sharing actionable resources to support their success: 📘 Increasing Skills & Opportunity for Wisconsin’s Immigrants (2016) explores how education, skills training, and inclusive policies can unlock economic opportunity for immigrant workers. 🔗: https://lnkd.in/gB36gCEA 📗 Good Ideas for Cities: Welcoming and Protecting Immigrants (2024) by Mayors Innovation Project highlights innovative ways cities are creating inclusive environments, from sanctuary policies to welcoming programs that empower immigrants and strengthen local economies. 🔗: https://lnkd.in/gGfnYVpq Let’s continue building communities where everyone can thrive! 💙 #MigrantsDay #WelcomingCommunities #ImmigrantSuccess #InclusiveCities

✨Team Member Spotlight✨ Meet Lindsey Hess, CMP, a vital member of our team here at High Road Strategy Center!: ❔ - What brought you to the High Road Strategy Center? I joined High Road Strategy Center in April 2023 and was thrilled to be their event planner. In my past experiences, I have only planned events in Wisconsin.  So having the opportunity to plan events in other states has been exciting and has helped me learn and grow as an event planner. ❔ - What does the “High Road” mean to you? The “High Road” is where we can live in a safe and healthy environment and affordable cities. Giving everyone access to transportation, good jobs and healthcare. ❔ - What’s your favorite part about this job? Planning events! I received my Meeting Planners Certification in 2019. Being able to be part of Mayors Innovation Project and State Smart Transportation Initiative, helping them plan great events can be challenging, but always rewarding seeing the event come together. I also enjoy meeting new people and have met some great people across the country.   ❔ - What’s something you’re passionate about? I have always had a passion for helping people. Whether it be helping plan an event, or helping a staff person with whatever they may need, to being a caretaker for an elderly gentleman. In my personal life and work life, I have always had the personality and drive for helping. ❔ - What are some of your favorite hobbies or interests outside of work? I love spending time with my husband, daughter, family and friends. We enjoy being outdoors, hiking, being on the water and traveling. I also enjoy dancing and teaching Zumba and Aqua Zumba. Zumba is my happy place! ... Working alongside you has been such a joy, Lindsey. Thanks for all you do! #HighRoad #MayorsInnovationProject #StateSmartTransportation #EmployeeAppreciation

Here at the High Road Strategy Center, we’re committed to building sustainable, equitable, and democratic communities—and we hope you’ll join us in this mission. We have big plans for 2025 and beyond, but we can’t do it alone. Your support this #GivingTuesday will help us empower cities to implement high road policies that foster efficient democratic governance, equitable transportation systems, inclusive workforce development, and so much more. Will you help us pave the high road? Visit highroad.wisc.edu/donate ✨ #GivingTuesday #DonateToday #HighRoad #Sustainability

This holiday, we’re thankful for the chance to work alongside communities across the country and for the opportunity to reflect on the history and significance of this season. As we gather with loved ones, we encourage taking steps to honor and learn about the Indigenous peoples who have stewarded these lands for generations. 🦃 🍁 Here are a few tips: 🍂 Learn about the history of the land you’re on and the Indigenous nations connected to it. Visit: https://native-land.ca/ 🍂 Explore the real history of Thanksgiving. Visit: https://lnkd.in/dn8nWEeB 🍂 Listen to and uplift Indigenous voices by supporting Native-led organizations and media. Wishing you a safe and restful holiday season! #GiveThanks

This #NationalApprenticeshipWeek, we’re spotlighting our Equity in Apprenticeship website, which features a policy brief and report series! This three-part series showcases innovative programs that use apprenticeship to open doors for historically marginalized groups, especially people of color and women. 📄 Health Care Pathways in LA: The Worker Education and Resource Center (WERC) creates apprenticeship opportunities tailored to LA’s diverse patient populations. ⚙️ Manufacturing Pathways in Milwaukee: A collaboration between labor and management leaders, the Industrial Manufacturing Technician (IMT) program builds skills and equity in the manufacturing sector. 🚌 Equity from the Frontline in California: The South Bay Valley Transportation Authority’s Joint Workforce Investment fosters apprenticeships and career advancement in transit. These case studies span industries and geographies, highlighting practical solutions for workforce equity. We’re proud to contribute to advancing opportunities for all. Read the full reports here: https://lnkd.in/ga_Hnk77 #HighRoad #Equity #Apprenticeship

✨Team Member Spotlight✨ Meet Chris McCahill, a key team member here at High Road Strategy Center! __ ❔ - What brought you to the High Road Strategy Center? I joined in 2013, not long after earning my PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Connecticut. I was excited to move to Madison and help shape national transportation policy through the State Smart Transportation Initiative. ❔ - What does the “High Road” mean to you? Ironically, the “High Road” is about more than roads—it’s about investing in sidewalks, bike facilities, and public transit to give everyone more choices in how they travel. Everyone should have clean, safe, and dignified ways to get around, whether or not they can drive. ❔ - What’s your favorite part about this job? Working with some of the most knowledgeable and dedicated public officials in the country is inspiring. It’s one thing to be an expert in a field, but seeing people turn that knowledge into real, on-the-ground change is especially rewarding. ❔ - What’s something you’re passionate about? I’m passionate about building a connected, supportive community. People-centered transportation and thoughtful urban design play a big role in making that happen. ❔ - What are some of your favorite hobbies or interests outside of work? When I’m not biking around Madison and catching up with friends and neighbors, I enjoy exploring new cities, camping, going to live music events, and diving into a nerdy book. … Keep up the great work, Chris! #TeamMemberAppreciation #HighRoad

✨Team Member Spotlight✨ Meet Quincy Midthun, an integral member of our team here at High Road Strategy Center! __ ❔ - What brought you to the High Road Strategy Center? I was a sociology student at UW-Madison, and I applied for a student hourly position at the High Road Strategy Center (then known as COWS) after I saw it advertised in a newsletter. I worked at the Center as a program support specialist during my senior year of college, and after I graduated, they had an opening for a full-time position and the rest is history 😊. ❔ - What does the “High Road” mean to you? It’s hard to say in just a few sentences, but to me, the “High Road” is a vision for the places we want to live, work, and play in. High Road cities are safe, inclusive, healthy, and affordable —where people have access to things that they need to thrive, including healthcare, transportation, and high-quality jobs. To get there, we need leaders to enact policies that are designed to uplift vulnerable populations and protect the planet. ❔ - What’s your favorite part about this job? My favorite part of this job is the variety of things I get to do and projects I get to work on. With this being my first job out of college, I really value having a wide range of experiences so that I can learn and develop skills. In this role I’ve had opportunities to meet a lot of amazing people in the policy world, write policy memos, participate in policy research, learn about fundraising, and even do some graphic design. It’s been a privilege to start my career at an organization and on a team that shares my values and is so dedicated to finding and implementing solutions. ❔ - What’s something you’re passionate about? Something I’m passionate about is lifelong learning. I’ve always liked to try new things and travel to new places. I’ve enjoyed continuing to work on campus after graduation because there are always interesting things happening and great speakers presenting. ❔ - What are some of your favorite hobbies or interests outside of work? Outside of work I like to spend time with my friends and family, play pickleball, crochet, and read. I especially love spending time up north with my family in the summer. I also like to listen to music, some of my favorite artists right now are Ethel Cain and Charli xcx. … Thanks, Quincy! You’re awesome! #TeamMemberAppreciation #HighRoad

We are so very excited to invite you to join us Wednesday, Jan. 15 - Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025 in Washington D.C. for the Mayors Innovation Project Winter Policy Meeting! This year we’ll be celebrating our 20th Anniversary, and we’re more committed than ever to centering our values of equity, sustainability, and democracy in city policymaking. We invite you to celebrate 20 years of MIP by joining us for two days of networking and policy sessions designed to send you home with fresh ideas and new friends and partners to support you. This year’s conference will include discussions on climate resilient infrastructure, creating inclusive and welcoming communities, reducing barriers to community wealth building, and a special workshop on improving mayor-council communications. We’ll also host a briefing on the results of our 2024 research project, summarizing the top challenges and opportunities that mayors shared with us and the ways our network is working to meet those challenges. Learn more and register today: https://bit.ly/MIP-W25!