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The Role of the Agenda
Every three years the Allegheny Conference on Community Development convenes its Regional Investors and partners to take stock of our progress and to set priorities for the coming three years. These priorities are captured in a high-level Agenda outlining our goals and the actions we will take to accomplish them. In 2011, we set our Agenda for 2012-2014.
The Agenda setting process connects the state of our region with the vision of our leadership. It drives our committee structure, creates a new set of goals and objectives for our leadership and staff, and is the basis for the dashboards by which we measure progress. It also sets the foundation for our request for a three-year commitment of financial support from our board members, the foundation community and our RIC members.
The Process
We developed background materials and reached out to Conference and Affiliate board members, Regional Investors Council members and other civic and community leaders across our 10-county region to gain input and perspective on our priorities. We then developed a Proposed Agenda that was discussed and approved by the Conference Executive Committee and the Board. These high-level priorities -- and the incoming Conference board chair -- were introduced at the Annual Meeting on Nov. 8, 2011, with implementation beginning in subsequent board and committee meetings.
1. Planning Process
- 766 total participants
- 26 group discussion sessions around the region
- More than 200 young leaders at our first ever "Emerging Leaders" summit
2. What We Learned
- Genuine excitement was expressed about the progress the region has made in recent years around competitiveness and our global reputation.
- Challenges such as economic disparity across racial and ethnic lines persist, despite the overall improvements in the region's fortunes.
- Future funding for public transportation is a looming concern. Without a robust transit system, our ability to attract and retain young talent will become more difficult. Many communities across the region will be negatively impacted by transit cuts.
- Energy and environment were nearly always mentioned in concert.
3. What are our leaders concerned about?
- Our leaders said the top three barriers to the growth of their organizations include issues around transportation and infrastructure; lack of skilled workers; and lack of access to capital and credit.
4. What should happen next in our region?
- Our leaders would like to see fewer, more efficient government entities; job growth consistently above the national average; and improved transit between key populations and employment hubs.
The 2012 – 2014 Agenda: A Renewed Call to Action
Allegheny Conference staff, with input from the Executive Committee, distilled the results of the planning process into a new three year plan based on three strategies designed to encourage "sustainable prosperity" for everyone in the region. Each strategy is overseen by a vice chair of the Allegheny Conference and implemented through our affiliate boards and committees.
Our three strategies are:
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