Brooks, who previously worked for the State of Minnesota, will lead efforts to understand who lives in Edina, who currently uses city programs and services, and where gaps exist. His work will inform an Equity Strategic Action Plan—a data-driven roadmap designed to guide future policy changes across city operations.

"It's a great way for me and for staff to make sure that we understand the community—who's actually in the community and who's actually accessing city programs and services," Brooks said at the retreat. City leadership expressed confidence in the appointment, with one official calling Brooks "a thoughtful problem solver" and committing to work closely with him.

The city identified several priorities for the new position. Beyond understanding community demographics and service access, the city wants to address hard-to-fill positions within city government and improve diversity in recruitment. City officials acknowledged that some roles have historically received limited applications from diverse candidates and want to identify and remove barriers to those positions.

Brooks emphasized the untapped potential of applying an equity lens to the city's work. "I look at a city like Edina and certainly something special has been built here, but there is so much potential and opportunity particularly when we start to leverage an inclusive and equity lens in the work that we're doing," he said.

The city plans to engage the community as it develops the Equity Strategic Action Plan, using data to inform decisions about how to better serve all residents. City leadership stressed that this work aligns with the broader goal of making city services accessible to everyone, regardless of need, and building a municipal workforce that reflects the diversity of the community.