Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Benjamin Dierker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Benjamin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Aii is a think tank. That is just a fancy name for an organization that studies issues and works to elevate good ideas that may improve things through public policy or industry action. Aii stands for the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure. While there are a lot of think tanks – mostly in Washingon, D.C. – as far as we could see, there were no national public policy think tanks dedicated solely to infrastructure. Aii was born to fill a gap where few people were looking at the state of infrastructure across the nation, thinking through the systemic issues from funding to maintenance to building new systems to meet future demand and population growth, and serving as an independent voice to promote solutions.

Aii was not just created to talk about infrastructure – a confusing and sometimes boring topic – but to envision a future where innovative technology helps support and improve our infrastructure and way of life. At Aii, we do not only think about potholes and how to fix them, but about how public policy can be adjusted to incentivize drones to conduct road inspections and funding mechanisms can be improved so drivers don’t have to worry about potholes in the future. We don’t just study roads and bridges, but railroads, pipelines, renewable energy technology and the electrical grid, and a dozen other interesting and interlocking issue areas.

In addition to being the only research and educational nonprofit – think tank – that studies exclusively infrastructure and public policy nationally, Aii has a few distinctives.

We are a bridge between policymakers and industry – or as some say, between regulators and the regulated. We facilitate communication between these parties so that we can get better, safer, cleaner, and more efficient transportation, energy, supply chains, and infrastructure. A story I like to tell is the time I was speaking to a regulator about a particular industry. While on the phone, I mentioned a practice that I know the industry uses and employed some industry vocabulary. To my shock, the regulator asked what I meant by it and how that practice worked. Here was one of the very people responsible for oversight of that industry and they didn’t know the details of what was happening ‘on the ground.’ This isn’t to ridicule them – how could they have known if they weren’t on the ground themselves. That is where Aii is so important. We want to ensure the right conversations are happening.

Likewise, I’ve had conversations with front line workers and managers who have no idea a certain regulation or public policy change may soon affect their work. When Aii studies an issue, we do so with an eye for how it will affect everyone and then seek to bring them all to the table to discuss the best way forward.

One of the primary work products of a think tank, and Aii is no different, is written reports and research papers. We write about an issue, the problem, relevant solutions, and sometimes offer recommendations to the industry and public policymakers. But we also host events and discussions, where public, private, and academic perspectives can be represented to understand every aspect of the issue.

Lastly, Aii knows how important it is to inform the public. We want to raise the average American’s infrastructure IQ because every American uses the roads, relies on electricity when they flip a switch, expects the internet to work well, and a thousand other things. Whether they know it or not, infrastructure connects them to everything and everyone they interact with daily. We do public education and awareness so that all people can be informed voters, learn from accessible resources that reduce complex boring subjects into fun and simple lessons, and begin to get civically involved.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My aim is to help people understand issues and to improve the world starting from the community level. I studied economics, public administration, and law so that I could understand and communicate the systems and structures that underpin society and to work towards reforming and improving them to promote human flourishing. I started working for the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) while I was in grad school, originally as an intern. Today, I lead the organization as the executive director to define the research goals, establish collaborations, and conduct the analysis that Aii undertakes.

Aii is a research and educational nonprofit – a think tank – that studies innovation and technology alongside physical infrastructure to help foster solutions to national infrastructure challenges. This is critically important, because even though “infrastructure” sounds like a boring or confusing topic, every person in America relies on infrastructure every single day. These are the systems and physical structures that enable the lights to come on when a switch is flipped, that enable waste water to be routed down toilets and drains, that brings safe water into homes, pumps natural gas into kitchens and furnaces, connects families to the grocery store, and facilitates the travel of trucks and freight rail in the supply chain. The Internet and information systems depend on physical infrastructure components, and we all rely upon and expect all of these things to work well and safely.

At Aii, my team studies these, talks to experts and policymakers, and seeks to ensure all people have affordable, safe, clean, efficient access to transportation, energy, and other necessities by ensuring the national infrastructure is up to the task. We create informational and educational content that students, parents, and the general public can learn from as well as technical reports and papers to help guide policymakers to needed reforms and solutions to affect law and policy.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

If I could only recommend one book for organizational leaders, it may be ‘Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership’ by Bolman and Deal. I read this book years ago while thinking about how teams work together, the importance of symbolism, and what effective missions look like. My first reading was from a theoretical mindset; I wasn’t leading an organization at the time. However, I did immediately recommend it to my boss, my parents, and at least one other person. I have found that some of the lessons stuck in my mind and I have subconsciously employed them over the years.

Around a year ago, during a leadership training program, this book (Reframing Organizations) was referenced. From my own memory and from the presentation during that program, I was flooded with insights the authors bring that are both theoretically and practically applicable to management, leadership, and teamwork. It is not a how-to guide for leadership. What it does do is help think through leadership, challenge preconceptions, and settle on effective strategies for moving forward.

Can you talk to us about how your business is funded?

The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure is made up of two nonprofits rather than being a profit-driven business. We rely on the generosity and support of individuals, institutions, and foundations that make donations or grants to support our work or sponsor new research.

To get Aii started, we had to make a value proposition to people with a stake in infrastructure and public policy. Fortunately, every person and business has a stake in infrastructure, so we are able to appeal to a broad and diverse set of individuals, industries, and entities. Because our work includes general education, rigorous research, and facilitating communication between industries and policymakers, there are many reasons that people and organizations support Aii. We take infrastructure seriously and work to foster innovative solutions to public policy to improve infrastructure so that all people can flourish. That means that organizations with a stake in supply chains may support our work, individuals and organizations with energy as a top priority may want to contribute to our mission, advocates and interested parties in transportation, technology, cybersecurity, and a host of other issues all have reason to help us grow.

When Aii grows, so does the national understanding and study of infrastructure. We can continue to identify challenges, propose solutions, provide education, and promote best practices when more people understand the importance of infrastructure and having an independent, third-party nonprofit working to communicate all of this to the public, industry leaders, and public policymakers.      

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aii.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiinonprofit/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AiiNonProfit/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alliance-for-innovation-and-infrastruture/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/aiinonprofit
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AiiNonProfit
• Other: https://linktr.ee/aiinonprofit

Image Credits
Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure