Priority Midland

In 2018, Midland Texas was projected to enjoy an economic expansion well above that of Texas and the nation in years to come. To address this explosion of rapid growth, Priority Midland was founded to foster collaboration among elected officials, community leaders, and other key stakeholders to drive united solutions. It has since disbanded. 

What factors are essential for effective cross-sector alignment?

Shared Purpose

  • The initiative was created for a call to action: the sustained and increased population growth that threatens to overwhelm the capacity of local governments to meet the needs of residents on multiple fronts.
  • The coalition had challenges in establishing priorities and a shared purpose.

Governance

  • Planning efforts were guided by a team of experts from McChrystal Group, TIP Strategies, and The Perryman Group.
  • The initiative relied on three primary elements: a steering committee, a stakeholder advisory group, and the five working groups organized around the identified priorities.
  • Governance was not completely developed due to ambiguity around roles and responsibilities.

Data

  • Initially, each stakeholder organization was asked to share data and analysis to guide their own institutional growth and development decision.
  • Throughout the initiative, the workgroups continued to build on and synthesize a range of socioeconomic, demographic, labor force, financial, education, and industry indicators and trends.
  • No data sharing systems have been established.

Finance and Sustainability

  • In 2018, the Board of Directors for the Midland Development Corporation (MDC) authorized aggregate funding of up to $4 million for the effort for the planning process.
  • Short-term funding was available but finding a willingness to fund an unclear mission proved a challenge.