Taylor recently was a keynote speaker at the State Policy Network (SPN) Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA. Now in its 30th year, this SPN event is the premier gathering of organizations and people dedicated to promoting state policy solutions that strengthen communities and improve the lives of Americans. Attendees have diverse viewpoints, undergirded by the belief that free speech and civil discourse foster understanding and problem-solving. They all carry at least one same perspective in what they are achieving: State Solutions. National Impact.
Taylor is doing just that. She has been at the Beacon Center of Tennessee, in Nashville, for over four years. As Director of Outreach and Digital Media, she is the producer and co-host of their weekly podcast “Decaf,” and she manages all of their community engagement efforts, including marketing, coalition building, and advocacy. For information about what all Taylor does and more about the Beacon Center, click here: https://bit.ly/3ChtOS2
As a part of SPN’s working groups on outreach the last few years, Taylor’s goal is to equip other think tanks across the country to effectively engage with their communities so their reforms have a life-changing impact on the people in their states and cities. In her TedTalk-style keynote at the SPN Annual Meeting this year, she told the story of her friend Lij Shaw to explain the importance of working with people on the local level—listening, learning, and providing innovative solutions that will really impact our communities and states.
Taylor says, “Lij is a Grammy award-winning studio owner who, after receiving a letter from the city of Nashville to shut down his home-based studio, has spent the last few years fighting for his livelihood, his property rights, his family, and his community. As a result of his determination and a lawsuit against the city of Nashville brought by the Beacon Center and the Institute for Justice, the Metro Council passed a bill allowing home-based businesses! The fight still isn’t over, but Lij’s story should inspire all of us to find the people in our communities who are hurting, empower them, and win for them.”
