OUR TEAM'S WORK: GOOD GOVERNMENT PROJECTS
Good Government
Task Force on the Rights of Coloradans with Disabilities
With a declaration that protection from discrimination and basic access to government services, housing, employment and recreation are important for the well-being of Coloradans with disabilities, in 2023, legislators created the Task Force on the Rights of Coloradans with Disabilities. The Task Force was created with the mission of bringing together the appropriate stakeholders, experts, and impacted groups to study and make recommendations concerning issues related to persons with disabilities.
Legislation further created four subcommittees:
- The Government Subcommittee responsible for studying and making recommendations related to physical and programmatic basic accessibility within state and local government;
- The Housing Subcommittee created to study and make recommendations related to the affordability, accessibility, and attainability of housing for persons with disabilities;
- The Outdoors Subcommittee created to study and make recommendations related to basic access to the Colorado Outdoors for persons with disabilities; and
- The Rewrite Subcommittee is tasked with studying and making recommendations concerning various issues related to the rewrite and modernization of the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning civil rights for persons with disabilities.
Confluence was selected by the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) and its Civil Rights Division to support, facilitate and manage the work of the Task Force and each of its subcommittees. Among the first tasks undertaken by Confluence, the State leaders and Task Force Chair and Vice Chair was to guide Task Force members through the process of making recommendations to the Governor for the membership of each subcommittee which are comprised entirely of members from outside the Task Force with experience and backgrounds identified in legislation. Upon the appointment of all members, Confluence began scheduling, planning, managing and facilitating the work of all subcommittees in collaboration with the Chair, Vice Chair and state leaders.
Interagency Workgroup on School Safety
In January of 2023, Confluence was selected by the School Safety Resource Center (SSRC) to manage, support and facilitate the Colorado Interagency Working Group on School Safety, more commonly known as the School Safety Work Group (SSWG). The SSWG was formed by legislation and tasked with convening representatives from multiple state agencies with other specific stakeholders to examine the effectiveness, transparency, public awareness and collaborative approach of all state supported programs relating to school safety. Confluence’s team designed each meeting of the SSWG and its six subcommittees in collaboration with the Director of the Office of School Safety, including the topics, agendas, meeting materials, facilitation of meetings and identification of any outside experts or resources for the group’s work. Over the course of the SSWG’s work, Confluence’s team worked across state government to conduct a comprehensive inventory of all programs, resources, grants or other endeavors of any state agency to support school safety.
Drawing on the work of the six subcommittees and interviews with dozens of educators, school leaders, school system leaders, mental and behavioral health experts among others, a summary of ideas and areas for action was presented to the SSWG members. After a series of individual and small group conversations, a set of more than fifty actions was assembled to address the findings of each subcommittee. This Framework for Colorado State Government’s Approach to School Safety (the SSWG State Framework) became the foundation of the SSWG’s report and recommendations to state leaders which was published in January of 2024. 
The collaborative approach taken by leaders in Colorado and the focus on actionable recommendations are not only informing action in Colorado, they have attracted interest from state and federal officials across the country and bipartisan interest in the process and the recommendations.
Wildfire Resiliency Code Board
In the fall of 2023, Confluence was contracted by the Division of Fire Prevention and Control to support the newly formed Wildfire Resilience Code Board (WRCB). The Board was created by legislators in response to the continued increase in wildfire risk, the growth in communities at risk of wildfire and the growing intensity, frequency and devastation caused by wildfires since 2000. The WRCB is tasked by Senate Bill 23-166 to develop and adopt model codes defining and governing the wildland-urban interface (WUI). The 21 member Board’s mission is to ensure communities are safer from and more resilient to wildfires by reducing the risk to people and property through the adoption of statewide codes and standards based on best practice approaches to hardening structures and reducing fire risk in the defensible space surrounding structures in the wildland-urban interface. Confluence is supporting Division staff and Board Chairs in the design, sequencing and research needed to support the Board and its subcommittees. The Confluence team facilitates the Board meetings and collaborates with Board Chairs, Division staff and Board members to plan all meetings and ensure robust opportunities for stakeholder and public input.
Governor's Fiscal Policy Working Group
At the request of Governor and his team, Abramson designed and facilitated working group conversations and meetings of bipartisan public and private sector leaders to explore the fiscal policy condition of the state and recommend changes. Through extensive use of presentations, panels and facilitated full-group discussions, found common ground on several key areas for change that had historically been unable to find consensus.
Regional Convening on Housing
Facing a growing housing crisis for residents, a town manager in one Colorado communities was interested in gathering leaders to identify short and long-term strategies to address the workforce and broader housing needs. Confluence President Berrick Abramson developed a regional summit and gathering of city, county, private sector, non-profit and community leaders to discuss the current efforts in each jurisdiction, continuing needs, barriers to bringing new units online and opportunities for collaboration. The summit resulted in the identification of specific, actionable strategies and opportunities addressing a variety of needs from permitting and licenses, barriers to expansion of accessory dwelling units (ADUs), opportunities for cross-agency or municipality coordination, public-private partnerships and both short and long-term efforts.
Working Group on Future of Rail & Transit
In the fall of 2023, following the passage of the federal Infrastructure and Jobs Act (IIJA) and in furtherance of ongoing efforts in the state to grow use of public transit, improve transportation, expand passenger rail and support transit oriented development, state leaders sought to gather input from and build consensus among key stakeholders. Leaders from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) contracted with Confluence to convene the Working Group on the Future of Transit and Rail. Over a series of meetings, state, local, private sector and other leaders met to learn about options under the IIJA, to provide input on their aspirations, concerns and suggestions for the future of transit and rail and to begin developing consensus on strategies to move forward with a collaboratively developed strategy. In addition to hearing from experts and state and local leaders, members had the opportunity to attend and ask questions during a panel discussion with Colorado Governor, Jared Polis, CDOT Director Shoshana Lew and Federal Rail Administrator, Amit Bose. The working group’s discussions and the input gathered during and between meetings is directly informing continuing discussions and efforts on the use of state and federal funds and the future of the state’s transit and rail systems.
Working Group on Transforming Criminal & Juvenile Justice
During the 2023 legislative session, a bill to reauthorize the Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ) was postponed indefinitely, sunsetting the nearly 20 year old body that had been formed to help guide criminal justice policy. In October of 2023, Colorado Governor Jared Polis issued Executive Order B-2023-002 Creating the Working Group on Transforming Criminal and Juvenile Justice (TCJJ). The Governor directed the TCJJ to study and make recommendations outlining the structure, location, purpose, and composition of a future permanent, multi-disciplinary,
evidenced-based entity or entities with dedicated year-round staff to address matters related to criminal and juvenile justice. Confluence was selected to facilitate and support the 17 member body. The TCJJ began its work grounding its members in their specific tasks and an understanding of the timeline to complete its work. Supported by Confluence’s team, TCJJ quickly began gathering input from a broad range of experts and stakeholders with diverse personal, professional and lived experience perspectives on the issues before TCJJ including presentations and testimony from more than 50 stakeholders in the first sixty days of TCJJ’s work. The members are continuing to gather stakeholder input while moving forward with their duties and discussions to advance consensus based recommendations.
Governor & Legislative ARPA Listening Tour
In April of 2021, as Colorado state leaders continued their work to craft a stimulus bill as part of the economic recovery and officials in Washington, D.C. worked on the details of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a significant challenge was unfolding: How to maximize the impact of those funds. As part of preparing for that challenge, CO Governor Polis, in collaboration with State Treasurer Young, State House & Senate Leadership and legislators from both sides of the aisle convened a series of meetings to hear directly from Coloradans from across the State’s diverse communities, industries and areas of interest. On behalf of the Governor, Treasurer and legislators, Abramson designed and led the statewide listening tour to share information about the federal relief funds available through ARPA and solicit input from a broad array of public and private sector stakeholders about priorities and needs. “Build Back Stronger” listening sessions were scheduled across seven geographical regions and ten additional audience or topic specific sessions were held. Input received and the report authored directly shaped the state’s prioritization for use of the $3.8bn in funds. Following public engagement, Abramson facilitated legislative discussions of findings and member priorities, participated in leadership discussions between the legislature and executive branch, and supported drafting of the first report to the U.S. Treasury.
Governor-Elect Polis Transition
At the invitation of the Governor-elect and his Chief of Staff, Abramson managed all aspects of Boldly Forward, the official transition committee for then Governor-elect Polis. This included project management, operations support and consulting services for Governor-Elect Polis. Abramson – in collaboration with the Governor-Elect and his Chief of Staff – developed and implemented the transition committee operations and transition process, hiring process for 20 state agency directors, development of reforms and opportunities reports for each state executive agency, and the planning and management of a state-wide engagement effort for the Governor.
Governor's Transportation Funding Work Group
At the request of the Governor and his Chief of Staff, Abramson developed a plan, managed logistics for and facilitated a working group to explore the state’s transportation funding needs and strategies. Common ground found through the work group laid the foundation for legislation and the ballot initiative that made the largest investment in state’s infrastructure of the past half century.
County Leadership Retreat & Planning
As the Board of County Commissioners was undertaking its fiscal and long range planning process, Abramson was brought in to provide guidance leading up to the two-day workshop comprised of Arapahoe County department heads, budgeting office leads and elected officials. Abramson developed an effective meeting agenda that met the goals of the planning committee, created a voting process for the Leadership Workshop to help the group come to consensus on funding needs, and provided overall meeting facilitation.
Building on the success and relationships built during this work, the County subsequently contracted with Abramson to form and facilitate a series of meetings of the Long Range Planning Committee (“LRPC”) to provide counsel to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) relating to potential voter supported funding of various needs. The group’s work led to the politically diverse BOCC unanimously voting to place a measure on the 2019 ballot to ask voters for funding in a manner substantially aligned with the views of the LRPC. Abramson continued to serve as the lead on the work with Arapahoe County including as strategist and facilitator for this work
Confluence PSG partners with government and private sector leaders to support policy and system change.
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