Sparking Transformation: Celebrating Insights from the Harwood Institute Public Innovator Lab

Editor's Note: As part of The Patterson Foundation's Aspirations to Actions initiative, community conversations with a disaster theme will begin taking place to identify community thoughts and ideas. Complete the brief form here if you'd like to participate.


In June, a dedicated cohort of seven completed the Harwood Institute of Public Innovation's Virtual Public Innovators Labs as part of The Patterson Foundation's Aspirations to Actions initiative.

Kellie Alexander, Alicia Exantus, Marla Smith, Melissa Hirstein, Rachel Ploss, and Avery Crews Prado de Lima came together at TPF's office in Sarasota for mock conversations, dinner, and sharing insights and aspirations from participating in the six-week lab experience. Andrew Spector, our seventh, could not attend as he has yet to arrive in Sarasota.

I last participated in the Harwood Institute Public Innovator Lab in 2016 and was looking forward to being refreshed in this initiative about community conversations. These six new Public Innovators interviewed 1:1 with Bill Wagy while I listened to their thoughts. Here are some words that I heard:

• Turn inward to turn outward.
• Create an ‘I stand for_______’ statement.
• Community life changes in nonlinear stages.
• Get out in your community.
• Live it, eat it, breathe it.
• Being an extrovert is not all about turning outward; rather, stop talking; listen intentionally.
• Be part of your community; it will make a difference.
• When you listen, there is a lot of information to hear.
• These program aspirations can work in every aspect of your professional and personal life.
• Getting out of my comfort zone.
• Facilitate conversations by not coming with the end in mind.

As our new Public Innovators had conversations with others in the virtual labs from different professions, they found much in common about community aspirations and hope for change. We are more alike than different.

With the seven who just completed this TPF-sponsored program, there are 323 Public Innovators Alumni in the four-county area. Last fall, TPF hosted an alum breakfast with Rich Harwood, reviving interest in the Harwood principles and TPF approach to community conversations. Fifty-eight Public Innovators in the four-county area are interested in participating in future aspirations and conversations.

From the walls of words at The Patterson Foundation – "When we are connected to others, we are better people."

If you have a renewed interest in brushing up your public innovator skills and haven’t participated in our alumni program or you now want to learn more about becoming a public innovator, contact me at: soehlertpf@gmail.com. I’d enjoy connecting with you and sharing a deeper conversation about how becoming a public innovator helped me turn outward in professional and personal situations.