22 Sep Connect the Dots is excited to have Rosanne on board!
Connect the Dots is excited to share the latest addition to our team of engagement experts: meet Rosanne, our new Manager of Engagement + Strategy in the Philadelphia office. Learn all about her and her journey below!
Why did you join Connect the Dots?
Connect the Dots’ focus on public engagement is so unique, and it drew me in right away. My experience in the planning field has varied, but the highlight for me has always been working directly with the community. The opportunity to be creative – and to collaborate with people to find solutions and build consensus – is what made me want to become a planner in the first place. High quality outreach programs lead to better projects and better services, and Connect the Dots uses an inclusive approach that I embrace wholeheartedly.
What did you do before Connect the Dots?
I have worked both in Chicago and Washington, DC in transportation, economic development, and real estate development. For the Chicago Department of Transportation I was the lead planner for the City’s Vision Zero initiative, a citywide commitment to eliminate traffic crashes causing death and serious injury. It was a wide ranging process to build that strategy, involving over a dozen city agencies, and even more community and advocacy groups. We found that the neighborhoods that were most affected by these severe traffic crashes needed more focused and individualized engagement strategies, which led to a year-long community outreach process on the West Side. We were privileged that we got dedicated grant funding to try innovative outreach strategies that allowed for us to hire from within the community, test out strategies, and have a much more robust outreach program than funding usually allowed.
In Washington, DC I worked mostly on economic development programming along historic corridors. We worked with small business owners, residents, and landlords to build on the communities’ vibrancy and individuality. I was always struck by the optimism and creativity of the community members who worked with us. Giving people the space to think about place and work through their vision of the neighborhood adds such vitality. It was exciting to see projects come to fruition that were borne out of these opportunities.
What do you value most about your work?
Learning new perspectives. Each person who shares their time and thoughts is valuable to me, because each one is so unique. An artist will see the world very differently from an attorney or a restaurant worker, but each individual experience contributes to the communal nature of a strong city. I want to hear from every one of them. We have seen such a shift toward inclusivity in the planning process over the past decade, and it is a phenomenal opportunity to redefine how government interacts with people. Where, when, and how are all being examined in a new way, and there is an appetite for new ideas and ingenuity. It’s a really exciting moment to be doing this work.
When do you feel most like yourself and why?
In and on the water, in any form. Whipping around on a boat, floating in the waves, even just swimming laps in a pool or sitting on a beach or a dock. I grew up in Southwest Florida, so the water is always like going home to me.
I spend a lot of time thinking about…
My next creative project: art, design, or DIY. I paint as a hobby, and I like playing with how my home is decorated. I redo furniture and play around with woodworking, though I am not very skilled at the latter. I usually start thinking about how I will change up the colors and layout next time almost as soon as I finish a room. It’s always evolving!