As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, more and more people recognize the need for innovation and communication to develop modern solutions to society’s most significant problems. Leading the charge in bringing together diverse people, sectors, and ideas are MaKara Rumley and her multidisciplinary team at Hummingbird Firm. Their commitment to helping large projects and communities establish bridges of communication is catalyzing transformational community engagement.
Characteristic of her role as a thought leader, MaKara Rumley combines technical skills, genuine passion, and dedicated service to deliver consistent results to her clients. Her positive impact is most evident in projects related to environmental justice, health equity, the environment, and economic development. She has served as the Senior Advisor on Community Engagement for the Regional Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency in Region 4 under the Obama Administration. She was an Environmental Justice attorney with GreenLaw, and a regular lecturer and presenter on cultural competency and community engagement.
Due to her experience as a practicing environmental justice attorney, MaKara Rumley discovered her knack for cultural translation. She soon found herself discussing complex projects both in kitchen table conversations and in high-profile meetings with elected officials, executives, or leading engineers. The demands of her responsibilities helped her recognize that the success of a high-impact project largely depends on how it engages and connects with the community.
MaKara Rumley founded Hummingbird Firm, a community engagement consulting firm, after her tenure in the Environmental Protection Agency. The firm provides her with a platform to apply and expand what she has learned about engaging with a variety of communities to solve problems. Today, Hummingbird Firm has established itself as the preeminent figure in creating strategies to communicate with those that are underrepresented and in communities that have been underinvested.
For Hummingbird Firm, MaKara Rumley brought together an expert team of professionals from diverse fields, including engineering, transportation, toxicology, interior design, and law. Together, they draw from a wide range of expertise and perspectives to rethink challenges and introduce innovations. Because they come from different backgrounds, they use unique approaches and develop custom techniques to ensure positive community influence for their clients..
Hummingbird Firm specializes in face-to-face and digital engagement for public involvement, cultural competency and equity training, communications, and strategy planning— that successfully connects with “hard to reach” members of the community. Their services are highly in demand among city planners, environmental and transportation engineers, A/E (architectural/engineering) firms, and NGOs. In addition to these specific audiences, the firm’s approach is specially designed to guide companies, organizations, or government units looking to effectively communicate with underserved communities.
Following in the footsteps of founder MaKara Rumley, Hummingbird Firm gains the trust of its clients by delivering results. “We measure our success by the number of communities that we positively impact,” said the company. Members of the Hummingbird firm carefully consolidate the viewpoints of the private and public sector, together with that of the community, to identify ways that each stakeholder can succeed. This way, projects reach their full benefit potential.
Through Hummingbird Firm’s combination of strategy development, research, facilitation, and training, industry is choosing the right experts to effectively connect with the people that their projects impact the most. For more information, you can visit the firm’s website.