Washington's Southeast and Northwest residents experienced fundamentally different cities according to HR&A's Talking Transition DC initiative. HR&A transformed Washington DC's 2014 mayoral transition from a closed-door process into an experiment in innovative civic engagement. Working for Open Society Foundations and District-based organizations, our Talking Transition DC initiative gathered input from 8,500 representative Washingtonians and presented findings directly to Mayor Muriel Bowser, shaping her understanding of residents' priorities.

For the first time in 12 years, New York City prepared to welcome a new mayor—and HR&A ensured tens of thousands of residents had a voice in shaping the transition. Our Talking Transition initiative for a ten-foundation coalition transformed the traditionally insular period between election and inauguration into broad public engagement, gathering input from nearly 70,000 New Yorkers across all five boroughs.

HR&A led the design and execution of NYC Speaks, a public-private partnership between the City of New York, a civic coalition of New Yorkers from all 5 boroughs, community-based organizations, and philanthropy, that engaged everyday New Yorkers in shaping the policies and priorities of the incoming mayoral administration. NYC Speaks conducted the largest policy survey in NYC history, capturing responses from more than 62,000 New Yorkers across every residential zip code.

Starting the morning after Sara Innamorato was elected as the first female County Executive in Allegheny County, HR&A provided intensive daily project management and strategic guidance to her transition and helped create an Action Plan to guide her Administration. We delivered the largest community engagement initiative in County history, capturing input from nearly 19,000 residents and translating their priorities into 91 concrete actions released on her 100th day in office.

At 27, County Judge Lina Hidalgo made history as the youngest and first Latina to lead Harris County, Texas—home to 4.7 million residents. HR&A supported her groundbreaking transition by building her leadership team, establishing policy frameworks, and launching Talking Transition, which engaged over 11,000 residents in defining priorities for her first 100 days.

HR&A played a pivotal role in the launch and development of La Liga, a nonpartisan groundbreaking network uniting mayors across Puerto Rico to drive coordinated, long-term recovery and resilience. Working with the Center for a New Economy, the Ford Foundation, and the Open Society Foundations, HR&A shaped La Liga’s structure, leadership, and strategy—creating a platform for cross-party municipal collaboration in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

HR&A developed a comprehensive strategy for the City of Tulsa to restructure community and economic development services across seven departments, authorities, and commissions, leading to the creation of the Tulsa Authority for Economic Opportunity (TAEO), known as Partner Tulsa. We then developed a three-year strategic plan for the new independent entity, establishing its mission, operational frameworks, and equity-focused performance metrics to advance racial equity and shared prosperity.