It sounds as though exciting times are ahead for you. That's excellent! And of course, with your background as a behavior analyst, we’re sure you already have a great deal to offer.
As for the best approach to your particular situation, our initial response would be very basic, and would reflect what you almost certainly know. Still, it is fundamental, and worth restating:
That is, at the beginning you would want to meet your key contact people face to face, Covid conditions permitting. You want to get to know each other as people, and to form a relationship. Relationships are key. In your initial discussions, you’d want to learn how your target persons describe their situation, what their feelings are about it, and what they see as their basic personal and community needs, Then, if you both agree, together you can shape action strategies that meet those needs.
Those are the basics as we see them; they would apply in a great many community settings, transcending particular roles.. The resources in the Community Tool Box can then help provide needed details, and you can pick and choose and customize their use to the situation at hand.
In our own reading, we’ve also come across a contact that you might enjoy making. This is in Sitka, not all that far from you, which recently won a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health award. See https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/features/culture-of-health-prize/2019-winner-sitka-alaska.html. That link describes some of their activities, which perhaps you could adapt and build upon in your new role.
We hope this much may be helpful to you. All best wishes for success as you move into what will very likely be a rich and fulfilling part of your career.
