Shining Bright at the 2024 CWDA Conference
Highlands Consulting is providing strategic communication services on the CWS-CARES project. CWS-CARES stands for Child Welfare Services – California Automated Response and Engagement System. It replaces the existing statewide 30+ year old California Child Welfare Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS) with a Comprehensive Child Welfare Information…
Read MoreRecognized as a “Best Place to Work”!
Each January, the Highlands team meets to revisit our strategic plan and brainstorm new action items for the year. We are empowered to suggest ideas that we want to implement, such as best practice research, group trainings, and community events. One such action item was…
Read MoreOur Great American River Parkway, Year 2!
The American River Parkway is the Sacramento region’s most valued natural resource. The Parkway includes the Lower American River, which stretches 23 miles long and covers 4,800 acres, supporting hundreds of species of fish, wildlife, and natural vegetation. The Parkway is a critical asset to…
Read MoreTransforming Statewide Transit
The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) has embarked on an ambitious project to transform transit in California. The Transit Transformation Task Force (TTTF) will develop policy recommendations to grow transit ridership, improve the transit experience, and address long-term operational needs. This effort is guided by…
Read MoreHow to Succeed in Ambiguous Consulting Situations
Ambiguity is a common challenge in the consulting world, as our clients’ needs are ever-changing and often unpredictable. Ambiguity can arise from unclear goals, conflicting expectations, incomplete information, and/or vague outcomes. How do we cope with ambiguity? One way to succeed in ambiguous situations is…
Read MoreHighlands’ Summer Event – on a Train!
This month, our Highlands Consulting Team boarded the River Fox Train in West Sacramento to travel along a scenic 10-mile stretch of track through Yolo’s countryside. Despite the hot weather, we enjoyed our time in the open-air car (and the air conditioned one!), having dinner…
Read MoreBook Club Benefits
Reading is a decadent activity for me. There is always some “work” to be done which I prioritize over sitting still to read a book. So, when my colleagues started a book club, I saw an opportunity to help me slow down, change my priorities,…
Read MoreSpecial Olympics – The Power of Sports
On May 18, our Highlands team was thrilled to volunteer as timers and stagers for the swimming and track & field events at the 2024 Special Olympics Folsom Spring Games. The athletes were truly inspiring, exemplifying true sportsmanship, competition, and fun! It was an amazing…
Read MoreGenAI for Change Leaders
In the past year, I’ve been learning and talking a lot with other Change Leaders and Project Managers about Generative Artificial Intelligence, or GenAI. This is an exciting time for people who lead changes in their organizations, because GenAI can help them perform better in…
Read MoreConnecting with the OCM Community
I recently had the opportunity to participate in my first major organizational change management (OCM) conference since the pandemic started – the 2024 San Diego Change Conference. After four years of video conferences and online meetings, I had many questions about this large in-person event.…
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