Our newest board member, Miguel Solis, couples a passion for public service with deep expertise in education policy and community-based economic development. He is the current executive director of Coalition for a New Dallas, which reimagines a Dallas made up of neighborhoods where jobs and basic services—housing, transit, schools, parks, and retail—are available within a … Continued
The fatal shooting of an unarmed African-American teen by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, sparked widespread protests in nearby St. Louis and placed a harsh spotlight on racial disparities in the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD), where just one third of officers are non-white, while nearly half the city’s residents are black. … Continued
This FUSE-produced story was originally published on CityLab. Lots of cities take pride in their rankings: the best place to live, the best place to work, the best place for single people, and so on. But what constitutes a “best place” for some may be misery for others. This was the case in Austin, Texas, … Continued
This week we mourn the lives of eight people in Atlanta, Georgia, six of them, Asian American women. Hate, misogyny, and racism all played a critical role in this attack, which has not yet been designated as a hate crime despite the number of Asian victims and the fact that Asian businesses were targeted. The … Continued
As a FUSE Executive Fellow, Ann Rogan (2017-19) worked with the Stockton Office of the Mayor to create workforce development programs and examined innovative economic opportunities and strategic business partnerships to further economic prosperity for residents. Since her fellowship, Ann founded Edge Collaborative. The organization’s mission is to catalyze economic resilience in the face of … Continued
As 2021 kicks into gear, the 16 fellows in our new winter cohort are ready to make a difference. With cities working fervently to recover from the public health and economic impact of Covid-19, public service at the local level is more important than ever. At the same time, the pandemic’s disproportionate burden on Black … Continued
As a FUSE Executive Fellow, Ray Cheung worked with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, helping create its first five-year capital plan, identifying project priorities, and developing a stakeholder engagement process to guide project implementation. Now he’s executive director and founder of SmartAirLA, a public-private partnership dedicated to empowering communities in Los Angeles that suffer from … Continued
This FUSE-produced story was originally published on Next City. Since the pandemic struck, the affordable housing crisis troubling so many U.S. cities has been threatening to exacerbate an already widespread health emergency as more people than ever face the possibility of losing their homes. The importance of housing stability in improving health outcomes is well … Continued
As a FUSE executive fellow, Wendy McCulley worked with the Fresno Unified School District (FUSD) and higher education stakeholders to increase secondary and post-secondary opportunities for students. During this time, she continuously explored ways to include the voices of students in the planning process. After her fellowship, Wendy joined FUSD as executive director of school … Continued