Case Study

The Academy of Civic Engagement

Civic Innovation & Audience Development

The Challenge

When Mayor Randall Woodfin took office in 2017, we inherited a structural deficit that didn't show up on a balance sheet. While our historic campaign had just mobilized a massive, passionate base of residents who believed they could change things, the city’s formal democratic infrastructure—the neighborhood associations—were aging, and participation was steadily declining.

Simultaneously, a palpable disconnect had taken root: residents perceived City Hall as a fortress with thick alabaster walls and locked doors. The challenge was clear: how do we harness the raw, grassroots energy we nurtured on the campaign trail and bring it inside City Hall? We needed to institutionalize that momentum without making it overtly political. It had to be fiercely democratic, stripping away partisanship to focus entirely on civic progress.

Our Approach

My Role: Founding Organizer & Program Architect

To fix the system, we first had to map it. We conducted a comprehensive audit of every civic on-ramp in the city of Birmingham—from neighborhood associations to municipal boards. Our core finding was jarring but clear: there was zero connective tissue.

In response, we architected the Academy of Civic Engagement (ACE). The ethos of ACE was born directly from the 2017 campaign sentiment: capturing the belief that residents hold the power, and giving them the tactical tools to wield it. We designed ACE not as a traditional civics class, but as a mechanism to build new neural networks across the city. The goal was twofold: to increase robust civic education by demystifying how budgets, policies, and departments actually work, and to engineer high-trust relationship building. ACE was built to connect residents directly to City Hall decision-makers—turning plain conference rooms into spaces of shared vision—while also connecting residents across generations and ZIP codes to each other.

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(SquareSpace Layout Note: Use an image carousel or grid here to highlight the human element and the pipeline of power ACE created.)

  • [Visual Artifact: High-Resolution Event Photo] "The Inner Sanctum": Caption showing you (Ed Fields) leading a small group "citizen strategy session" in the Mayor's conference room, demystifying the work for a diverse, multi-generational cohort of residents.

  • [Visual Artifact: Portrait / Headshot] Alumni in Power: A grid featuring 3-4 specific ACE graduates who successfully ran for elected office or secured powerful board appointments (e.g., City Councilors, School Board Members, or Neighborhood Presidents).

  • [Visual Artifact: Graduation Day Action Shot] A photo of Mayor Woodfin and the administration welcoming the 150-person cohort to the graduation stage, showcasing the sheer scale of the community buy-in.

  • [Visual Artifact: High School Extension Flyer/Photo] Next Horizon Leaders: Highlight the expansion of ACE, showing Juniors and Seniors from Birmingham City Schools engaging in the Spring Intercession one-day civic boot camp.

Our Impact

The result was a total revitalization of Birmingham’s participatory democracy. ACE became the most visible, accessible, and successful point of entry for citizens.

Instead of apathy, we witnessed a surge of vigorous, informed participation. Neighborhood associations experienced an injection of new leadership and increased attendance. ACE graduates didn't just learn about government; they took ownership of it. Alumni stepped up to run for local elected offices, with graduates now serving on the school board, the city council, and holding influential roles on municipal boards. Furthermore, by giving residents the tactical knowledge of how the city operates, we saw a dramatic increase in viable, actionable ideas generated by neighborhoods that city departments could actually execute.

  • 1,400+ Graduates: Residents from all 99 neighborhoods who have completed the intensive 7-week cohort since its launch in 2019.

  • 100% Barrier-Free: Free registration designed to ensure access regardless of income, primary language, or social status.

  • 360-Degree Access: Program modules include unfiltered, direct engagement with the Mayor, City Council, police and fire chiefs, and critical department heads.

On A Personal Note

I’ve never seen residents so happy to be engaged and involved.

Honestly,

Ed.