In mid-July, while at a board meeting in Washington, I met with Dianne Miller, Cornell University's senior director of federal relations. One of the goals of the ITGA is to establish partnerships between ITGA and key federal agencies, including the Department of Education. We are working hard to raise the profile of ITGA and the importance of growing, collaborative college towns, while getting on the radar of more federal and state leaders. Dianne suggested that we get on the agenda of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) and Association of American Universities (AAU) to discuss the importance of ITGA, and I will follow-up on that. If you have ideas or suggestions on ways to connect with relevant state and federal governmental agencies and related organizations, please let me know soonest. ITGA is in a marked growth stage, and as you know, targeted outreach will be key to our shared success. Send ideas to Beth@itga.org.

ITGA members Larissa Ennis (University of Oregon) and Douglas Shontz (Borough of State College, PA) are creating an ad hoc committee for young and early career professionals to discuss shared interests, enhanced ITGA social media strategies, and potential presentations or break-outs at our international or regional conferences. This will be a fun and insightful way to engage with these specific members and help build initiatives to serve the greater ITGA membership. Are you interested in joining the fun and sharing your thoughts about this group's work? Larissa and Douglas will be coordinating a 30-minute call in September with colleagues who'd like to engage. If interested, e-mail Douglas Shontz at dshontz@statecollegepa.us by Labor Day, Sept. 2.

ITGA past-president and current executive board member Lisa Dvorak was interviewed on this week's " All Things Equal" radio show produced by Cornell University's Office of Community Relations. The latest ITGA-related guest, Lisa discussed her career and responsibilities in San Marcos, Texas, home of Texas State University, and the work of ITGA and its progressive leadership on the town-gown front. Lisa is the community liaison for the City of San Marcos and is currently working on updating the strategic plan for ITGA, among other interest. An interview with ITGA Board member and Athens (Ohio) Mayor Steve Patterson will air in August. Gary Stewart, Cornell University

A snapshot of committee work to date includes: radio/podcast interviews with several ITGA Board members and ITGA conference keynoter Leon Andrews; engagement on future webinars and blogs, including an upcoming webinar tied to Census 2020 (information forthcoming); the future rebranding of Dateline via a membership contest; developing a backgrounder on how to organize regional conferences, for delivery in mid to late August. If you want to get involved with ITGA's outreach committee, contact outreach@itga.org

If you are already part of our rapidly growing network, thank you! Our members are leading scores of diverse communities and campuses across the U.S. and abroad. Populations and missions vary, but our shared interest are similar, as college towns emerge as go-to places with good economies and a solid quality of life. Within that mix are related challenges and opportunities. If you're not a member, we invite you to join ITGA and gain access to resources on current issues in town and gown including our weekly newsletter, the ITGA ListServe, access to our expansive resource center focusing on best practices and strategies, opportunities to explore the Data Digest reports and receive professional development through our upcoming webinar series and discounted rates to the ITGA 2020 Conference in Boulder, CO. Send membership inquiries to  Susan@itga.org.