Most people don’t think of local government as fast-moving. But when cities and counties bring in the right partners, they can tackle big problems with surprising speed.
Since 2011, FUSE has been a trusted partner with local governments. This partnership isn’t about outsourcing government work—it’s about bringing skilled professionals from the business world to collaborate from the inside. When governments welcome FUSE Executive Fellows to their teams, they gain partners who share fresh thinking and proven approaches where they’re most needed.
The FUSE approach stands out because it:
- Collaborates with government agencies to design projects tailored to specific community needs
- Embeds a dedicated FUSE Executive Fellow full-time in a government agency, adding needed capacity
- Builds networks across sectors, naturally connecting government departments, businesses, nonprofits, and community groups
- Shares lessons from other cities but adapts them to local needs
- Creates clear timelines that connect planning to actual implementation
- Builds lasting partnerships that often expand to address other challenges
- Takes holistic approaches to complex problems, addressing root causes rather than symptoms and creating more sustainable outcomes for communities
Breaking the “Government Is Slow” Stereotype
Cities working with FUSE gain partners who can work around the usual bottlenecks. Whether tackling housing shortages or climate threats, these partnerships help cities respond at a pace that matches the urgency of these challenges.
The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated this agility in action. In response to COVID-19, many of our projects had to quickly pivot to address the urgent needs of vulnerable communities most impacted by it. Fortunately, FUSE Executive Fellows are adaptable leaders and can rapidly mobilize when needs shift unexpectedly.
In Riverside County, California, FUSE Executive Fellow Stacy Cumberbatch (2019-20) quickly shifted focus from developing the Opportunity Zone ecosystem to addressing pandemic impacts. She partnered with U.S. Digital Response to create a public data tool tracking COVID-19’s effects on lower-income populations in Opportunity Zones. Cumberbatch helped align federal and state aid with local community needs, leading the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development to produce resource videos for pandemic response. Working directly with Economic Development Agency staff, she conducted outreach to businesses in Opportunity Zones, connecting them with critical resources like Small Business Association loans and the County’s microloan and grant programs. This rapid pivot showed how embedded partners can help governments respond quickly to emerging crises.
In Los Angeles County, FUSE Executive Fellow Anna Vold (2019-21) demonstrated similar flexibility when the pandemic hit. Hired initially to develop a staff management model for the Department of Health Services, she quickly shifted to address a critical need: childcare for essential healthcare workers. As schools closed, medical staff caring for COVID-19 patients struggled to find childcare. Vold helped establish childcare centers at four hospitals, surveying staff needs and recruiting county volunteers to run the facilities. She worked with local libraries to secure crafts and activities for children of different ages. The centers later expanded to serve all essential county employees. Vold also partnered with the Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles to explore additional options, including support for employees working night shifts and those with special needs. This rapid response helped healthcare workers stay on the front lines when the community needed them most.
From California to Nationwide Impact
What started with a few California cities has grown to 60 cities and counties across 27 states, 14 years later. These partnerships have created remarkable results:
In Cincinnati, Nikki Vandivort and Thanapat Vichitchot joined the sustainability team. Working inside city government, they connected utility companies, job training programs, and families struggling with high bills. Vandivort helped secure and integrate $300,000 of Office of Environment & Sustainability funds with HUD federal funding to support home repairs for lower-income residents, allowing for high-efficiency upgrades in HVAC systems and insulation. Meanwhile, Vichitchot has engaged nearly 500 people through one-on-one meetings, speaker panels, innovation labs, and webinars to build awareness of green job opportunities. Their work is helping Cincinnati tackle energy poverty while creating pathways to economic mobility through green jobs, aiming to train 4,000 individuals by 2028.
In Kansas City, KS, DeWayne Bright, Sr. (2022-24), joined the housing team as a partner. Working alongside city staff, he analyzed the city’s housing market, launched a pilot program, and engaged nearly 6,000 residents in addressing housing fairness. His presence inside the government helped speed progress by bringing new perspectives directly into daily operations.
In New Orleans, Carolyn P. Jones (2023-24) joined the utility operations team during a critical time. From her position inside city government, she helped address smart meter billing issues affecting 140,000 customers and millions in revenue. She also helped connect different departments in ways that wouldn’t have been possible from the outside.
Lessons From Coast to Coast
Working across diverse communities has taught FUSE valuable lessons about effective government partnerships:
Local context matters most. What works in Oakland may not work in rural Kentucky. Successful fellows adapt proven solutions to fit each community’s unique needs, history, and resources rather than imposing one-size-fits-all approaches.
Trust opens doors. Fellows who take time to build relationships with both government staff and community members achieve more lasting results. By listening first and acting second, they gain the trust needed to navigate complex local dynamics.
Government expertise is invaluable. The most successful projects combine outside perspectives with the deep institutional knowledge of career civil servants. When fellows respect and leverage this expertise, innovation happens faster.
Private sector execution accelerates public impact. Business professionals bring a unique value when embedded in government. They excel at the collaborative and rapid execution of complex initiatives, often bringing project management frameworks, agile methodologies, and results-oriented approaches that complement government’s regulatory expertise.
Community voice drives sustainability. Projects with meaningful community engagement from the start are more likely to survive beyond the fellowship year. When residents feel ownership of solutions, they champion their continuation.
Cross-department collaboration unlocks resources. Fellows often discover that breaking down silos between government departments creates unexpected efficiencies. Their unique position allows them to spot connections that others working within one government department might otherwise miss.
Data tells powerful stories. Communities that invest in collecting and analyzing data make better decisions. Fellows help governments translate raw numbers into compelling narratives that drive action.
Reimagining Connected Government
As communities face increasingly complex challenges, FUSE partnerships show that local governments can swiftly move when they have the right partners. Building bridges between sectors solves today’s problems and creates a new model for how connected government can work tomorrow.
The FUSE model challenges the traditional understanding of public service careers. Creating pathways for experienced professionals to contribute their skills to government without permanently leaving their sectors builds lasting bridges between worlds that often operate in isolation. Fellows frequently maintain relationships with their government partners long after formal engagements end, creating informal networks of expertise that cities can tap into as new challenges emerge.
The connected government approach pioneered by FUSE offers a promising path forward in an era of diminishing trust in public institutions. By demonstrating that government can be responsive, innovative, and effective with the right connections, these partnerships help restore faith in the public sector’s ability to deliver meaningful results. As more cities adopt this model, we may see a new generation of civic problem-solvers emerge—professionals who move fluidly between sectors, bringing the best of each world to bear on our most pressing challenges.
Ready to see how The FUSE Connection can help your government agency? Partner with us here.
