Backwards Down the Number Line

Nobody ever said appropriations were easy.  I was hired by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston in September 2009, in part to lead efforts to secure funds for the Jewish social service network throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. With the great recession wreaking havoc on state budgets across the country, I was told that this was the worst time to transition my career. I saw it as an opportunity to think big.

The FY 09 budget included one long-standing priority, a line-item with a terrible called “NORCs” designed to keep seniors living in their communities and out of nursing homes. However, two months into my new job, the Governor announced that dramatic cuts were needed to balance the state budget and the NORC funding was eliminated.  As of October 2009, the entire revenue flowing through the communal priorities was $0. 

With fierce competition for scarce resources, my goal was to create a powerhouse advocacy shop within a small non-profit. So, I got to work. Together with my colleagues and clients across our network, we surveyed the landscape and identified gaps in public services. But to be successful, I needed to go deep. To my clients, I was not just an outside consultant, I was an extension of the team. 

I partnered with the most innovative and forward-thinking legislators to create meaningful relationships with my clients. In my business sometimes the best ideas will never take root without the right champions. 

Year after year, we continued to push forward. We created programs to help people with disabilities gain meaningful employment; expanded a statewide job placement program which kept people in their homes and in steady jobs; we developed an innovative higher education initiative which helped students get into and stay in college; and we responded to rising threats of violence by creating a state fund to provide funding for security enhancements at vulnerable non-profit institutions. 

I am no longer at the JCRC. Today, I am sitting at my desk at 27 South Strategies HQ reading through the recently adopted FY 22 Massachusetts state budget, the final one that I shaped as Director of Government Relations. Contained within are 7 initiatives which my partners and I created, totaling over $12 million in appropriations. 

So what kind of legacy sits behind those 12 budgets and millions of dollars? Behind each dollar are people, staying in their homes, achieving their dreams, and living their best lives. We created a first-rate public policy organization that outperformed every metric and every expectation. We dreamed big and then fought for that reality. 

This is the essence of 27 South Strategies: A boutique firm with the vision, relationships, and track record to bring you success.