Last week, the San Diego North Economic Development Council led a delegation of twenty North County leaders—including city councilmembers, economic development directors, educators, business executives, and nonprofit leaders—to suburban Denver for our second annual North County Leadership Exchange.
At first glance, it might look like a “best-practice trip”—an opportunity to find ideas we can simply bring home and duplicate.
It isn’t.
Our guiding philosophy is simple: “We go there to learn about here.”
The purpose isn’t to copy another region’s programs or import a “best practice.” Every community has its own history, governance, culture, and opportunities. Every region has unique strengths. Our goal is to use those strengths as a lens through which to better understand our own. The Leadership Exchange is designed to give North County leaders a fresh perspective on our region and strengthen our stewardship of this place we all call home.
Over three days, our delegation explored topics ranging from supplier diversity and regional economic development to arts funding, mixed-use redevelopment, outdoor recreation, and career technical education.
At Denver International Airport, we learned how supplier outreach became more than procurement by combining contracting opportunities with cohort-based small business resiliency training. One entrepreneur described how the program not only helped her win an airport concession but also connected her with fellow business owners who became trusted partners in building out her business.
At Belmar in Lakewood, we examined the redevelopment of a struggling regional mall into a vibrant mixed-use district. More importantly, we heard candidly about the difficult decisions, tradeoffs, and lessons learned along the way, reminding us that successful placemaking is rarely simple. The successful creation of an 80-acre downtown, like life itself, was anything but linear.
And at the internationally recognized Cherry Creek Innovation Campus, we witnessed a school district that has elevated career technical education by embracing a simple but powerful idea: every student’s journey deserves dignity and celebration. Whether headed toward a university, apprenticeship, military service, community college, or direct employment, students were encouraged to pursue meaningful careers with pride.
As different as these sessions were, a common theme emerged.
Denver’s suburban communities repeatedly demonstrated what I would call intentional collaboration. Organizations weren’t simply meeting together—they were investing together, sharing responsibility, and building long-term relationships that strengthened the entire region. Arts organizations coordinated programming across communities. Public and private partners jointly developed major civic projects. Economic developers, educators, businesses, and local governments consistently viewed themselves as part of a larger regional system. It seemed every second sentence included a partner, a joint initiative, or a goal larger than any one organization. I’ve spent enough time in Colorado to know this isn’t accidental—it is part of the region’s civic culture. What was eye-opening was seeing that culture expressed so consistently across every organization we visited.
That lesson resonates deeply in North County because it’s how our residents already live. Someone may live in Vista, work in Carlsbad, shop in San Marcos, volunteer in Oceanside, and enjoy an evening in Escondido. Our daily lives naturally cross city boundaries. Building the relationships and trust that allow our institutions to reflect that same interconnected reality is one of the most important contributions regional stewardship can make.
The greatest outcome of the Leadership Exchange, however, wasn’t a single idea or project. It was a new way of seeing North County with twenty North County leaders spending three days asking better questions together, building stronger relationships, and returning home with a renewed commitment to shaping our future collaboratively.
Planning for 2027 has already begun, with Northern Virginia emerging as a leading destination. Potential themes include regional entrepreneurship, veteran workforce initiatives, healthcare workforce collaboration across competing health systems, and transit-oriented suburban redevelopment. Each offers another opportunity to explore how different communities approach shared challenges—and, ultimately, to better understand our own.
That’s why we’ll continue investing in the Leadership Exchange.
Because in the end, every Leadership Exchange is really a journey home.
We go there to learn about here.