Uncommon Bridges, a Seattle-based consulting firm specializing in community engagement and strategic planning, is pleased to announce that Noel Frame has been appointed as its new Managing Partner.
The firm’s mission is to create vibrant, just, and thriving communities, which it does by consulting for governments and organizations on issues like homelessness, affordable housing, workforce, and transportation.
Noel has been instrumental in the firm’s growth since she joined in 2015. Uncommon Bridges is a national leader in the place management industry, known for its leadership of processes that unite communities and businesses to create hyper-local solutions to problems like increasing retail traffic and creating places of belonging. The company has led over 75 strategic planning processes for place management organizations and others across 17 states.
Noel is also a part-time legislator, serving as Vice Chair of the Finance, Ways & Means Committee for the Washington State Senate, representing the 36th District in North Seattle.
“Throughout my career, I’ve focused on centering marginalized communities and building an inclusive economy,” said Noel Frame. “Becoming Managing Partner of Uncommon Bridges makes this mission even more personal. I’m excited to lead our talented team to work in partnership with communities to create place-based solutions to today’s complex challenges.”
Noel is one of four partners from diverse, multidisciplinary backgrounds along with Ishmael Nuñez and Andrés Mantilla. The firm was founded in 2009 by Brian Douglas Scott as BDS Planning & Urban Design. In 2024, it rebranded as Uncommon Bridges to better represent its expertise in consensus facilitation.
“We’ve built a reputation for helping organizations and communities come to consensus and create lasting institutional change,” said Noel.
“We have rigorous practices to ensure community perspectives are at the heart of the process, not just adjacent. We know what works, and we are also always trying new tools as they evolve, like how we do community compensation or translation. Because of this, we see high-quality outcomes for our clients.”
Noel looks forward to continuing to learn from both sides of her work life as a state senator and consultant. During the recent legislative session, she led the passage of legislation addressing the state’s $16 billion budget shortfall. She has spent years working with the business community to find a replacement for the business and occupation (B&O) tax, which can have adverse economic effects that discourage growth and increase inequity.
Noel is particularly proud of the firm’s work in influencing system change. For example, Uncommon Bridges is supporting the creation of a Unified Regional Approach to Homelessness in Pierce County, which is intended to create long-term cooperation among local governments and institutions addressing homelessness.
Uncommon Bridges is also facilitating a workgroup overseeing the rollout of wage boost payments to 887 child care workers in King County as part of the Best Starts for Kids program. The workgroup, which includes child care providers, plays a key role in strategizing how to leverage the pilot’s results to improve conditions for child care workers.
Noel looks forward to ensuring Uncommon Bridges continues to be a great place to work. The company currently has 16 staff members and works with multiple community partners. In 2024, the firm won the Small Business Award for Workforce Development from King County.
As a managing partner and legislator, she recognizes that she is leading through uncertain times. “In moments of uncertainty and change, communities and organizations are pivoting to seize the future,” Frame said. “We look forward to being a partner to those forging new coalitions.”