Minnesota-based consulting
Meaningful engagement, facilitation, and equity analysis for public agencies across Minnesota. We support infrastructure projects by centering the needs, goals, and participation of underserved communities.
Trusted by public agencies across Minnesota
Our approach
Tight deadlines and budgets push engagement toward whatever is simplest to deliver. We work to build community agency and capacity that outlast the project itself.
That is hard, and how far it goes depends on the project. So we start by listening, then design an approach around what we hear.
We help organizations
Services
We design and deliver engagement for statewide plans and local projects so historically underserved communities have a real say, often working through partnerships with community-based organizations. Early support and buy-in save significant time and money, and lead to better projects.
We facilitate advisory groups, focus groups, and leadership cohorts, and lead learning sessions for public agency staff. Each session is built so participants leave with shared understanding and clear next steps.
We evaluate the benefits and burdens of public investments, showing who gains and who bears the costs, so agencies can see uneven impacts early and adjust before decisions are final.
We review plans, policies, and engagement findings to show whose voices shaped them, where gaps remain, and what practical steps would close them.
Our founding story
Abdullahi founded Humanize MN to transform how public agencies engage with and serve the communities most impacted by their decisions.
A bilingual (English and Somali) transportation planner, military veteran, and public servant, he has built his career on ensuring that those most impacted by public policies are heard, respected, and meaningfully included.
After immigrating to the United States as a young person, he navigated complex government systems while relying on public transit, long commutes, and rides from others. Those experiences revealed how deeply transportation access shapes opportunity, dignity, and quality of life, especially for immigrant, low-wealth, and historically overburdened communities.
Before Humanize MN, he led major statewide equity efforts at the Minnesota Department of Transportation, spearheading the Advancing Transportation Equity Initiative and helping define what transportation equity means in Minnesota.
Recognized with
“Government decisions should reflect the lived experiences of everyone impacted, especially those with the least power.”
The principle behind every engagement
Get in touch
Book a time directly on our calendar, or tell us about your project, timeline, and the communities it affects and we'll follow up.
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