OUR TEAM'S WORK

Civil Rights

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.

Good Government

Interagency Work Group 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.

Public Safety

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.

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 Working Group thoughtfully examined the history of the CCJJ, heard from past members and stakeholders about its successes and challenges, engaged in robust discussions about the opportunity for meaningful transformation and heard from a diversity of experts. The group also heard testimony from more than 50 stakeholders in addition to public comment at each meeting to inform their discussions and recommendations.

After extensive deliberations and discussions, the TCJJ Working Group reached consensus on a broad set of recommendations including the mission, vision, structure, membership and duties for the creation of the Colorado Commissions to Improve Adult and Juvenile Justice. With input and feedback from all members, Confluence organized the group’s recommendations in “A Transformative Approach to Criminal & Juvenile Justice,” the Report of the Working Group on Transforming Criminal and Juvenile Justice which was released in March of 2024.

Education

Colorado Safer Schools Initiative (CSSI)

In the Spring of 2023, Confluence convened the Colorado Safer Schools Initiative (CSSI) in partnership with the Public Education Business Coalition (PEBC). Built upon the framework published by Abramson for a community led exploration of the full range of issues affecting school safety, CSSI quickly attracted statewide interest and participation. CSSI is primarily focused on developing strategies to support action at the school, school system and community levels to respond to and reduce incidents of violence involving students. The stakeholder coalition and research initiative is bringing together system leaders, educators, students, parents, government officials, mental and behavioral health experts, law enforcement, security experts, counselors, community leaders, communications experts and other stakeholders to discuss a broad range of issues affecting school safety and climate. CSSI is a multi-year initiative is meeting monthly as a full group and makes use of multiple sub-groups and learning sessions to allow participants to dig more deeply into specific topics. At the end of 2023, CSSI had grown to over 250 members, making it the largest working group of education stakeholders in the state.

Colorado Blended Learning

Building on past work together, in 2022, the Blended Learning Initiative (BLI) at the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) asked Abramson to design a multi-component stakeholder engagement strategy to gather family, student, educator and system leader input on the use of blended and online learning. In partnership with the School Finance and Operations Unit and the Schools of Choice Unit, Abramson conducted stakeholder engagement outreach activities to educators and families to share perspectives on online and blended learning in Colorado. The goal of this 2022-2023 listening tour was to gather understanding of different forms of instruction as well as insights into what works well, what are the challenges, and what are the opportunities in different forms of instructional delivery.

Economic & Workforce Development

Puerto Rico Career Pathways

At the invitation and request of Puerto Rico Governor and Secretary of Education, Abramson designed and led a multi-phase initiative to modernize the system of career pathways for students in Puerto Rico as part of the school system redesign after Hurricanes Irma and Maria. “Career Pathways for Puerto Rico’s Students” established a first of their kind partnerships with employers that led to over 1,400 students being matched with employers for work-based learning opportunities in the first year with over 800 guaranteed a job upon completion at a living wage. Abramson’s work was recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative with an Ideas Into Action award.

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.

Confidential Client: Association of Governments

As a professional association representing dozens of government organizations sought to balance the interest of members with diverse constituencies and interests, they retained Abramson to design, manage and run their strategic planning retreat. With some members feeling marginalized or dissatisfied with decision making processes, Abramson designed sessions that enabled candid sharing of perspectives, consensus building discussions focused on shared values or priorities and opportunities to align on decision making processes going forward. The result of the retreat was a more fully developed approach to the members’ collaboration, new protocols for decision making and the establishment of a working group to investigate and make recommendations for organizational structural changes.

Strategic Planning

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

STAKEHOLDERS ENGAGED

WORK GROUPS/TASK FORCES MANAGED

MEETINGS PLANNED & FACILITATED

REGULATORY & POLICY CHANGES INFORMED

Confluence PSG partners with government and private sector leaders to support policy and system change.