Participatory Governance Redesign

Overview

Contributed to a participatory governance redesign of Promise Partnership Utah's council structure. The process fundamentally restructured decision-making to redistribute organizational power toward communities with lived experience.

Context

The existing governance model concentrated decision-making among institutional stakeholders. As the organization deepened its commitment to racial equity, it became clear that the governance structure needed to reflect the communities it aimed to serve, not just the institutions that funded or administered programs.

Approach

• Participated in a working group tasked with reimagining the council's composition and authority
• Used participatory design methods to center the voices of community members with lived experience
• Facilitated conversations about power, representation, and accountability within the partnership
• Developed new governance protocols and decision-making frameworks for organization's strategic decision-making
• Operationalized and institutionalized the new processes, training staff on revised governance and collaboration

Outcomes

• Fundamentally restructured governance systems now embedded in the organization's strategic model
• Increased community representation in partnership decision-making
• New governance framework adopted as a core component of the 5-year strategic plan and organization's processes