Activating Place-Based Partnerships for Equitable Economic Development: A Playbook for Anchor Collaboratives was informed by the experiences of existing anchor collaboratives, the expertise of key informants and thought leaders, and the Healthcare Anchor Network (HAN) and The Democracy Collaborative’s efforts over the last decade to define the role of anchor institutions in addressing racial and economic inequities and building community wealth. To ensure that the playbook incorporated learnings from related fields of study, HAN staff conducted a targeted web-based review of publicly available documents to identify articles, reports, studies, and other resources that align with anchor collaborative efforts, such as best practices in collaborating with community, decision-making, governance, leadership, and place-based partnerships. At the end of each section in the playbook, we include several of these key resources for further reading.
From August 2, 2022, to February 1, 2023, HAN staff conducted interviews with leaders from 18 anchor collaboratives in 17 states across the country, representing different geographies, sizes, focus areas, and years in operation. Interviewers used a semi-structured guide that explored various topics such as the collaborative’s history, partnerships, governance structure, resourcing, approach to data, and strategies for collaborating with the community and communicating with stakeholders. The interviews were approximately 60 minutes in length and were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed to identify key themes using deductive and inductive analytic approaches. Representatives from these collaboratives were invited to join an informal learning cohort starting in January 2023 where additional insights were shared and documented as part of monthly meetings. Deductively, we used a predetermined interview format and standardized set of questions as a guide for the analysis of major themes (success factors). We then conducted an inductive thematic analysis to develop a set of codes for each major theme. Codes were organized based on the breadth and frequency of their occurrence and into sub-themes to provide context, nuance, and depth around core learnings relative to each success factor. Where information was lacking, HAN staff used their organizational expertise and guidance from community development practitioners to supplement themes. Key achievements and lessons learned from the interviews are included as field perspectives throughout the playbook.
Following the interviews, the HAN team corresponded with anchor collaborative representatives to ensure that the information presented in the playbook was accurate and up-to-date at the time of publication. Anchor collaborative representatives approved and verified all field perspectives and attributed quotes prior to the playbook's May 2024 release. The table below provides a list of individuals from each collaborative who were interviewed or corresponded with for key insights and identifies the sections of the playbook that highlight their specific experiences. Individuals who have an asterisk before their names participated in an interview. Each interview (except one) was conducted by David Zuckerman, President & Founder of the Healthcare Anchor Network, and at least one of the following HAN staff: Claire Brawdy, Project Manager, Initiatives & Advisory Services; Kate Gallagher, Project Manager, Place-based Investing & Policy Initiatives; Hue Phung, Senior Program Associate, Research; and Ndeye Boury Silla, Senior Research Associate (former).
[60] One interview was conducted in January 2024.
|
Anchor Collaborative Name |
Representative/Contacts |
Interview Date |
Follow-up Correspondence Period |
Sections Referenced in the Playbook |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
*Shari Suchoff, Senior Vice President, Population Health, Maimonides Medical Center and Executive Director, Brooklyn Communities Collaborative
Katherine Kahley, Communications Manager, Maimonides Medical Center |
09/13/2022 |
11/2023 - 01/2024 |
2.4 Complementary Anchor Strategies 3.4 Collaboration with Community |
|
|
*Michelle Sturm, Anchor Strategy Director, Center for Community Wealth Building |
08/26/2022 |
11/2023 - 12/2023 |
2.2 Impact Purchasing
|
|
|
*Courtney Rich, Executive Director
*Ryan Cangiolosi, Director of Economic and Community Development, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center |
08/30/2022 |
12/2023 - 01/2024 |
2.2 Impact Purchasing |
|
|
*Jared Hymowitz, Executive Director of Mayor’s Healthy City Initiative (former) |
09/20/2022 |
11/2023 - 12/2023 |
1.4 Getting Started: Forming the Collaborative and the Backbone |
|
|
*Rory Thomas, President
|
01/17/2024 |
01/2024 - 04/2024 |
2.1 Impact Workforce 2.4 Complementary Anchor Strategies 3.4 Collaboration with Community |
|
|
*Rodney Moutry, Director, Small Business Development, JobsWork MKE |
08/03/2022 |
11/2023 - 12/2023 |
3.6 Quality Data and Impact Measurement
|
|
|
*Sibusisiwe Malaba, Chief of Policy and Impact, Newark Alliance
Evan Weiss, CEO, Newark Alliance |
11/15/2022 |
12/2023 - 01/2024 |
3.5 Sustainable Resourcing |
|
|
*Chelsey Patriss, Executive Director, Health Equity Partnership of North Central Massachusetts
*Rosa Fernandez, Program Director, Health Equity Partnership of North Central Massachusetts |
09/13/2022 |
11/2023 - 02/2024 |
2.4 Complementary Anchor Strategies 3.5 Sustainable Resourcing |
|
|
*Bill Cook, Executive Director |
08/22/2022 |
11/2023 - 02/2024 |
1.4 Getting Started: Forming the Collaborative and the Backbone 2.4 Complementary Anchor Strategies 3.2 Activated Champions 3.3 Effective Governance |
|
|
*Kenyatta James, Program Director, Economy League of Greater Philadelphia
*J’nelle Lawrence, Deputy Director, Economy League of Greater Philadelphia |
09/29/2022 |
11/2023 - 01/2024 |
2.2 Impact Purchasing 3.5 Sustainable Resourcing |
|
|
*Eduardo Velasquez, Senior Director, Research & Economic Development, San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation |
11/15/2022 |
12/2023 - 01/2024 |
3.1 A Shared Imperative |
|
|
*Janisse Schoepp, Chief Strategy Officer, Health Foundation of South Florida
Megan Gamwell, Project Director, Health Foundation of South Florida |
10/26/2022
|
11/2023 - 12/2023 |
1.4 Getting Started: Forming the Collaborative and the Backbone 2.1 Impact Workforce 2.2 Impact Purchasing 3.1 A Shared Imperative 3.5 Sustainable Resourcing |
|
|
*Melvyn Colon, Executive Director
Logan Singerman, Director of Community Partnerships and Policy Analyst |
10/07/2022 |
11/2023 - 01/2024 |
1.3 The Emergence of Anchor Collaboratives 2.1 Impact Workforce 2.3 Place-based Investing 3.3 Effective Governance 3.4 Collaboration with Community |
|
|
*Karl Guenther, Assistant Vice Chancellor Community Development, University of Missouri–St. Louis (former)
*Stefani Weeden-Smith, Executive Director, St. Louis Anchor Action Network |
08/31/2022 |
11/2023 - 01/2024
|
1.4 Getting Started: Forming the Collaborative and the Backbone 2.1 Impact Workforce 2.3 Place-based Investing 3.1 A Shared Imperative 3.3 Effective Governance |
|
|
*Tony Scott, Executive Director (former)
Kurt Sommer, Executive Director, West Baltimore Renaissance Foundation at LifeBridge Health
Chuck Callahan, Vice President of Population Health, University of Maryland Medical Center
Elizabeth Weber, Program Director
Rebecca Altman, Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus |
08/23/2022 |
11/2023 - 01/2024 |
1.4 Getting Started: Forming the Collaborative and the Backbone 2.1 Impact Workforce 2.4 Complementary Anchor Strategies 3.4 Collaboration with Community 3.5 Sustainable Resourcing 3.7 Strategic Communications
|
|
|
*Frank Robinson, Vice President of Public Health at Baystate Health (retired)
*Larry Dixon, Consultant |
08/30/2022 |
11/2023 - 12/2023
|
2.1 Impact Workforce 3.5 Sustainable Resourcing 3.6 Quality Data and Impact Measurement
|
|
|
*Sanita Lewis, Director of Anchor Mission
*Mariah Van Ermen, Director of Anchor Mission
Eve Shapiro, Senior Director of Programs and Evaluation |
08/02/2022 |
11/2023 - 03/2024 |
2.1 Impact Workforce 2.2 Impact Purchasing 2.3 Place-based Investing 2.4 Complementary Anchor Strategies 3.5 Sustainable Resourcing 3.6 Quality Data and Impact Measurement 3.7 Strategic Communications |
|
|
*Danny Fisher-Bruns, Consultant |
02/01/2023 |
11/2023 - 12/2023 |
1.4 Getting Started: Forming the Collaborative and the Backbone 3.3 Effective Governance 3.4 Collaboration with Community 3.5 Sustainable Resourcing |