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Mobilizing around a common goal

Leveraging communications to make progress

At the intersection of goal setting and forward-looking progress lies communications and public engagement. These tools, often underestimated, can make the difference between community enthusiasm and adversarial town halls. In today’s Ask the Expert, Kelly Connelly – a master media practitioner – sat down with us to talk about how communications tactics can be leveraged to make measurable progress.

B&D: Tell us about your professional background and what led you to B&D.

Kelly Connelly: I lead communications and public engagement efforts for a variety of clients. My professional experience prior to B&D includes a long history in nonprofit communications and marketing, as well as some development work. B&D really appealed to me because the work is purpose-driven and serves the greater good. That alignment has always been important to me.

B&D: How does your work with Baltimore City Public Schools shape your approach to communications and public engagement?

KC: Public engagement is crucial to the progress of any project, but it requires a much larger amount of effort than people often realize. With Baltimore City Public Schools specifically, especially during the 21^st Century School Buildings program, it was abundantly clear that strategic public engagement could directly influence the success and momentum of large-scale, complex public project.

From a tactical perspective—with a comprehensive communications plan  we did it all. A standalone website, newsletters, videos, social media content, media relations, and more. The purpose was not to “make documents pretty,” but to make these complex construction projects and community investments transparent to the public, which helped us align stakeholders, build trust, and enhance the program’s credibility. And then on the engagement side, with the City Schools team, we designed and did some really fun things with students, including a Lego activity that taught them about schematic design, a custom coloring book featuring their new building, and videos where students from combining schools could get to know one another.

B&D: From your perspective, what role does public engagement play in a project’s overall success?

KC: On that project, our goal was for the community to understand not just what was happening, but why it mattered and how it benefited the city writ large. This program is huge and historic—to date, 27 school buildings have been rebuilt or fully renovated, with the last two buildings set to open later this year. As is the case with many institutions, Baltimore City Public Schools was facing tight budgets and high expectations.  By consistently communicating project milestones and community impact for each school, the project maintained momentum, built broader public support, and elevated the 21st Century School Buildings Program as a visible, valued investment, strengthening the case for continued school construction funding in the future.

Thank you again to Kelly for her participation in Ask the Expert!