Inspiring Conversations with Emily Parris and Camille Driver of 3015 Policy Center

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Parris and Camille Driver. They and their team shared their story with us below:

Camille and Emily met as graduate students at the University of Denver while pursuing their Master’s degrees in Public Policy. Throughout their shared courses, the like-minded approach to complex policy problems and the ability to work well together in such a seamless way shined through time and time again. having grown up in similar familial dynamics, they shared an understanding of how they came to a career in policy.

During the winter of 2022, Camille and Emily took a class taught by Ian Silverii, former Executive Director of ProgressNow and current Founder of Bighorn Consulting Firm. The class focused on Colorado’s dynamic and often challenging fiscal landscape. With the two having shared a background in reproductive healthcare, the economic and tax policy lessons were an exciting new challenge.

Camille – “For me, understanding fiscal policy seemed like an impossible feat; a subject littered with jargon, generally stuffy, and impossibly complex. With the guidance of mentors, authors, and educators, I’ve been able to grow in my understanding of fiscal policy here and federally. I still don’t know everything (no one does!), but I am grateful to be in a field where I learn more every day and am so inspired by the advocacy and community-first perspectives.”

Emily – “Fiscal policy was always a topic I avoided discussing and taking on professionally. The system is designed to be difficult to understand and it certainly deterred me from learning more. Having professors and colleagues willing to teach, ask questions, and learn alongside you definitely built my confidence in the subject as well as a passion to learn more. Fiscal policy touches every part of the legislation.”

At the end of that class, where Emily and Camille had created a policy to tackle one of Colorado’s most pressing issues. Silverii encouraged the two to continue conversations outside of the classroom. They did. 3015 Policy Center was born shortly thereafter. What’s 3015 mean? It’s the room number at DU where this passion was born.

Emily – “We could not have taken the leap had it not been for the mentorship of Ian. His confidence in us translated to confidence in ourselves. I never doubted our intelligence or our work ethic; I think we just needed someone to tell us we were more than capable.”

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. Navigating any new policy space is challenging.

There are egos at play, a certain territorial nature among those who have been doing this work for a very long time, as well as self-doubt that creeps in when you have to act on gut instincts. Working in policy is challenging for many of those reasons, but also a true emotional tie to the work you’re doing. Camille and Emily work with grassroots organizations where the advocates are heavily involved and have a lot of skin in the game. That comes with a certain level of pressure to please.

Emily – “It’s easy to work hard when you truly care for the causes you’re supporting, but that can come at a price and that price is emotional labor.”

Camille – “We have been incredibly blessed and forever grateful to have mentors in our corner to be a guiding light; to ensure that we’re staying on track and keeping the ethos of our policies and our company at the forefront of all the work we do.”

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about 3015 Policy Center?
3015 Policy Center’s motto is Do Good. Have Fun. – and we take that to heart. At the center of our work is the idea that politics can be fun. Changing lives can be fun work. While it is challenging and often endless; it is exciting to be given the opportunity to make an impact. There is a barrier to becoming civically engaged, designed that way by centuries-old bureaucracy to push people down and out. We want to change that. We want to engage with policy in a meaningful way, by also bringing to light how truly dope it is to make a change.

3015 was born out of a desire for change. A desire to impact folks where it matters most; through policy. Today’s policies require innovation, strategy, and a bold approach. We believe the moment calls for unique ideas for solving Colorado’s most urgent problems. 3015 is a women-owned progressive policy center out of Denver, Colorado. We focus on creating transformational policies that improve the lives of everyday Coloradans. We offer clients a unique approach to policy – we want to teach you the process not just do it all for you.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Work with us – we are looking for new clients! We offer political consulting, communications strategies, lobbying, and policy writing. As data experts, the ways in which we attack these services are through a data-driven approach.

Collaborate – policy is best when it is collaborative. If there’s a project your company, nonprofit, or small organization is working on and you just need another set of eyes on it; we’re your girls!

Support us – We truly are forever learners. We want to hear about the work you’re doing and how we can be helpful. We often say, “we are forever humbled to realize we still have so much to learn.”

Contact Info:

• Website: 3015policy.com

Image Credits
Carly Boycec Photography