I just finished three incredible days of learning in Nashville, Tennessee, as part of the 25th annual Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation Leadership Exchange (LEX) trip. You heard that right; we’ve been gathering the region’s top leaders for a quarter of a century and taking them on the road to exchange ideas, learn best practices and bring what they learn back to our community. And this year’s trip to Nashville didn’t disappoint.
During our time in “Music City” we heard from local elected officials, entrepreneurs and even a Grammy-nominated songwriter. From the infrastructure built around its powerhouse health care sector to how the business community leverages its local universities to its school district’s thoughtful take on workforce development, Nashville is doing some great things.
Similar to Denver, Nashville is a destination for highly educated workers and for millennials. And, having spent time there, I can’t blame folks for flocking to Nashville. Our two cities share a similar high energy and collaborative approach to solving problems and moving our communities forward.
One of the most impressive breakout sessions was a trip to Pearl Cohn, a local high school with a focus on preparing students to work in the entertainment industry. Nashville’s approach to public education, referred to as the Academies of Nashville, has a strong tie to workforce development. High school students have the opportunity to open enroll in one of 12 zoned high schools that offer 41 different career options. To see students excited about their future careers and a business community so deeply invested in education was inspiring to us all. In fact, more than 240 community partners are involved, and since this model was introduced graduation rates have increased by almost 21 percent.
There’s no doubt that some of what we learned will make its way to application here in the metro area. We’ve seen it happen year after year with LEX. The Miami trip planted the seed that would become the Biennial of the Americas, an international festival of ideas, arts and culture (Denver will host its third Biennial next summer). In San Diego, we were impressed by a charter school focused on STEM education, much like the Denver School of Science and Technology. And from Minneapolis we brought back lessons on the value of a strong brand and consistent messages that everyone in your community can recount.
It’s been incredibly valuable to have the opportunity to learn from other communities across the country, but there are also opportunities to learn more about the great work happening right here in Denver. Next month, the Leadership Foundation is hosting its fourth Civic Refresh, an afternoon focused on learning about a particular industry or issue in our community. November’s program on health care will highlight how we can improve health care access and quality.
Communities around the country often look to us because of our innovative spirit, and we keep coming up with great ideas because we never stop learning. Our Leadership Foundation gives everyone the opportunity to become a life-longer learner. I hope you won’t pass up the chance—it may be that special spark to a great new idea.
[Photo by John Paul Endicott]