Community Catalysts

Imagine arriving at work tomorrow morning to discover that your organization's computer network is simply gone. What stops working? If you lead a city, county, school district, or other public organization, the answer may be far more consequential than you realize. And that raises some uncomfortable questions. How long could your organization actually function without its technology? At what point...

Karen Corbett Sanders has built a career across international business, technology, public education, and elected service, with relationships and listening as a constant thread. Drawing on experiences from corporate boardrooms in Europe to eight years on the Fairfax County School Board, Karen reflects on why leaders need to slow down, create space to think, and listen beyond the loudest voices. Sh...

Jeremy Nunes was a stand-up comedian looking for an extra $75 a month when he decided to run for his small-town board. Two years later, campaigning as "a real joker in office," he was elected mayor of Dawson, Illinois.   Then the joke got serious.   A broken water main threatened the town's water supply. Flooding put its water plant at risk. Residents resisted change. A pig got loose on Main Stree...

Who owns the problem when no one person or organization is actually in charge? Philip Falcone represents downtown Riverside, California, a complex ecosystem of residents, businesses, government agencies, cultural institutions, historic infrastructure, and competing community needs. In this conversation, Philip explores what it takes to lead where responsibility is shared: bringing people together...

What becomes possible when we stop questioning the intentions of people with whom we disagree? David Ramadan, former member of the Virginia House of Delegates and Professor of Practice at George Mason University, believes relationships are the currency of leadership. Drawing on his journey from war-torn Beirut to elected office in Virginia, David shares how relationships helped him win across part...

What does local government look like to someone whose job is to watch it closely, ask difficult questions, and explain its decisions to everyone else? Mary Ramsey, local government accountability reporter for The Charlotte Observer, offers a journalist's perspective on the people and processes of local government: what accountability means, how reporters decide what is newsworthy, and how shrinkin...

What happens when someone enters public service to improve one part of their community and discovers a responsibility to the whole? Nick Rutledge, Mayor of Moody, Alabama, began his career as an apprentice carpenter and spent nearly three decades in commercial construction before a desire to improve opportunities for his daughter and other young people drew him into community service, city council...

What if the first responsibility of leadership isn't solving problems, but creating the conditions where people feel safe enough to face them? Matt Sandoval, CEO of Art Heals Arizona, believes that trust, connection, and resilience begin with one fundamental human need: to be seen and understood. Through arts-based experiences and caring adult mentors, Art Heals Arizona helps young people affected...

What does it mean to lead people who deeply value independence while recognizing that no community succeeds alone? Raised on his family's ranch in rural Wyoming, Governor Mark Gordon learned early that responsibility begins with doing your own work, but leadership grows through trusting neighbors, sharing burdens, and working toward a common purpose. Those lessons have shaped his approach to publi...

What happens when someone driven by personal conviction steps into the broader responsibility of governing an entire community? Liz Campos came to public service through decades of advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities, environmental justice, and some of Ventura's most vulnerable residents. Elected to the Ventura City Council in 2022, she brings to public office not only a passion for jus...

How do communities build trust, navigate disagreement, and make difficult decisions that people can genuinely support? After nearly a decade as superintendent of Northfield Public Schools, Matt Hillmann is preparing to lead school administrators across Minnesota as the incoming Executive Director of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators. Reflecting on his leadership journey, he shares...

What does it take to help young people see themselves as future leaders, public servants, and changemakers? Sarah Jakle believes leadership begins long before someone runs for office. As founder of the nonprofit DemocraShe, she works with high school girls across the country to build the confidence, resilience, and civic skills needed to participate in public life and help shape their communities....

What does it take to lead when people are anxious, frustrated, or losing faith in public institutions? Mayor Alyia Gaskins believes leadership begins by helping people feel heard. In this conversation, she shares how listening, transparency, and authentic communication can strengthen trust, improve decision-making, and bring communities together during challenging times. From resident roundtables...

What happens when a leader holds someone accountable without diminishing them? In Part 2 of this conversation, Wayne Handley shares a formative experience from early in his law enforcement career that continues to shape how he leads today. What began as a professional mistake became a powerful lesson in mentorship, trust, and leadership. Drawing on his experiences in law enforcement, counseling, a...

What is a leader's first responsibility?  Drawing on lessons from the Marine Corps, law enforcement, counseling, and local government, Wayne Handley, PhD, shares one of the most important insights of his leadership journey: leaders are responsible for both mission accomplishment and the welfare of their people. And sometimes, the mission is the welfare of the people. In this first part of a two-pa...

What happens when someone trained in the demanding world of aerospace engineering and large-scale operations steps into local government, where decisions are shaped not only by data and systems, but by politics, competing priorities, community emotion, and public trust? In this conversation, Gilbert, Arizona Councilmember Monte Lyons reflects on the transition from decades in aerospace leadership...

After nearly three decades on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Penny Gross reflects on the changing realities of public leadership in one of America's largest local governments. This conversation explores civic trust, public dialogue, and the growing challenge of helping communities stay connected in divided times. Penny shares insights about community engagement, difficult conversations,...

In this special 100th episode of Community Catalysts, Matt Lehrman of Social Prosperity Partners reflects on the deeper lessons that have emerged from 100 conversations with civic leaders across the country. Drawing on a childhood memory of reaching for the brass ring on a carousel, he explores what leadership often feels like in practice: uncertain, emotional, imperfect—and still full of possibil...

Charlie Cauffman's leadership was shaped in a moment he didn't expect and couldn't avoid. Early in his career, just months into a new role, he uncovered a seven-figure budget deficit that required immediate action—and public decisions that would directly affect people's livelihoods. Serving in a close-knit rural community where relationships are personal and highly visible, Charlie faced not only...

For John Little, public service was never an abstract idea. It was a call—and it felt personal. As a boy, listening to John F. Kennedy's voice echo through his home, the message landed with clarity: step forward, serve, take responsibility. He did. Over a decades-long career in Scottsdale, John rose from budget analyst to city manager, carrying that sense of duty into decisions that shaped a growi...

Christian Dorsey's path to public service began with a realization: if no one else is willing to act, leadership becomes your responsibility. From a career in economic policy and nonprofit work to serving as chair of the Arlington County Board, his journey reflects a steady commitment to turning ideas into action. Leading in the Washington, D.C. region means working across boundaries, balancing co...

From his youth in Cameroon to building a career in the United States as a nurse practitioner, school board trustee, and entrepreneur, Marty Cho's journey reflects a powerful throughline: well-being is foundational to learning, leadership, and community. As CEO and Co-founder of Mechi and a former trustee of the Jefferson Union High School District Board, Marty connects his clinical experience with...

What does local responsibility look like in places where communities aren't connected by roads, where fuel arrives once a year, and where distance shapes every decision? In this episode, Nils Andreassen of the Alaska Municipal League shares how cities and towns across Alaska meet the demands of governing in some of the most remote conditions in the country. Supporting communities that are often is...

Jennifer Hall Lee's approach to public leadership is rooted in a story that began with her mother. As a social worker at Willowbrook State School—once one of the nation's largest institutions for people with disabilities—her mother helped expose conditions of overcrowding, neglect, and abuse that had been hidden from public view. That work, which Jennifer witnessed firsthand, contributed to a nati...

Derrick Wood didn't set out to become Mayor. He was selling barbecue in a parking lot when a cease-and-desist order pushed him into a council meeting he didn't even know existed. Years later, he was leading the town. What he discovered along the way is a lesson many leaders learn the hard way: being right isn't enough. If people don't see the impact on their lives, they won't support the outcome....