Workshop | Achieving Equitable Outcomes Through Engagement and Communication

As public sector employees, the decisions we make shape programs and projects that impact our communities. How do you achieve equitable outcomes? Historically, those most impacted by our decisions often have the least voice. How do we shift that dynamic and ensure our work leads to more equitable results?

In this interactive workshop, participants will explore how intentional outreach, engagement, and communication strategies can be instrumental in advancing equity. We'll examine how to identify and remove barriers to participation, build trust with historically underserved communities, and design processes that center the voices of those most impacted.

Through real-world examples, tools, and an interactive activity, this session will highlight the intersectionality of engagement and communication, and how they can be aligned to deliver fair, inclusive, and meaningful outcomes.

Whether you're new to the work or looking to deepen your impact, this workshop will provide practical insights and approaches to ensure your decisions reflect and respect the full diversity of your community.

Harmonee Dashiell has been leading equity and engagement work at the Bureau of Planning & Sustainability in the City of Portland since 2023. Previous to this role, she was the bureau’s Community Engagement Strategist. 

Harmonee has an impressive and extensive background in community outreach and has a passion for working with youth. She grew up in Portland and began her career with the City of Portland at 15 years old in Portland Parks and Recreation as a lifeguard, swim instructor, coach, pre-school teacher, at risk youth coordinator, and site supervisor. This experience has helped shape her work in serving Portlanders that have historically been overlooked and has led to many years of professional and personal work applying equity and prioritizing communities that need it most.

She is an experienced trainer and facilitator both for the City of Portland and in other jurisdictions. She previously spoke at the NWPEDC in 2022 on Moving from Theory to Practical Application of Equity. 

Magan Reed believes policy belongs to the people who live with its outcomes. During her more than 20 years in public service, she has steered teams towards decisions that honor climate, racial, and social justice. Her unwavering commitment to equitable and accessible communications has brought agencies into compliance with local, state, and federal regulations around accessibility and brought more voices to the table on highly impactful projects and policy decisions. Magan's work embeds equity analyses, accessibility compliance, and community voices into complex policy, infrastructure, and land-use projects and ensures that communities most affected gain real power in the process.

In every communications plan she writes, Magan brings strategic vision, fiscal savvy, and an unwavering belief that government must earn trust every day. Projects benefit from her equity-centered leadership, crisis communication skill, and ability to turn technical policy into relatable human stories. Beyond the office, she's passionate about mentoring communicators to ensure equity- and community-centered communications are a part of as many projects as possible. 

Magan is excited to share how listening more than speaking and elevating community voices above our own leads to trust, shared power, and more equitable outcomes.