Connecting at CWDA 2025: A Look Back at a Great Conference!
The Highlands Consulting Group, Part of Accenture, participated in the 2025 CWDA Conference last month – an important annual gathering that brings together California county leaders and partners to delve into the most pressing human services topics across the state. With approximately 1,000 attendees over…
Read MoreInnovative Solutions for Our State’s Roads
As California works toward a more sustainable transportation future, new funding models are needed to maintain our roads. To address this challenge, the State of California launched the Road Charge Collection Pilot (RCCP) to exploring an approach where drivers pay based on miles driven rather…
Read MoreAn Exciting New Chapter
Today is a defining moment in our firm’s journey – we are officially joining Accenture’s Strategy & Consulting practice. Since founding Highlands Consulting in 2002, my goal has always been simple: bring together a team of people who care deeply about solving big problems for…
Read MoreFour Top Tips for Managing Large-Scale Webinars
I’m proud to be part of Highlands Consulting’s Strategic Communications Team helping California’s child welfare professionals as they transition to a new case management system. Last month, we facilitated a 3-hour live webinar that included project updates and two system demonstrations – with over 480…
Read MoreKey Insights from the Annual ACMP Change Conference
My colleague, Jim Turko and I recently attended the Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP) Conference in Chicago. This popular event drew 644 attendees, 66 presenters, and 19 exhibitors! The week was filled with exciting news and content, including 55 sessions and plenty of opportunities…
Read MoreHonoring Individual Change Journeys
Organizational change management (OCM) has been my primary focus for over 15 years. One thing I’ve learned is that everyone comes to it from a different place. Some have never heard of OCM, others have had mixed experiences with it, and some are experts in…
Read MoreRevisiting the Value of Recurring Meetings
How often do you attend a meeting purely out of habit without thinking about the reason why? Standing meetings sound like a good idea when scheduled but they don’t always age well. At the start of the new year, our project management office took time…
Read MoreShining 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 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…
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