Are We Required to Do It This Way? Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins on Faster Government and Challenging the Status Quo

What happens when a leader stops accepting “because we’ve always done it that way” as an answer?

Eileen Higgins didn’t take a conventional path to becoming mayor of Miami. She spent two decades in the private sector, served in the Peace Corps and as a U.S. diplomat, and represented Miami-Dade County before becoming Miami's first woman elected mayor.

In this episode of Carry As You Climb, Nan Whaley sits down with Eileen at the U.S. Conference of Mayors to talk about bringing an engineer’s instinct for problem-solving into City Hall, and why changing government sometimes starts with asking a surprisingly simple question: Are we actually required to do it this way?

From cutting through bureaucracy to building more housing and leading through criticism, this conversation is about challenging the systems you inherit while staying grounded in who you’re trying to serve.

And yes, Ohio gets a small claim on her: Eileen was born at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton.

Conversation Highlights:

• Question “the way we’ve always done it”: why Eileen asks whether a process is actually required, and what happened when her administration applied that thinking to permits that once took far too long.
• Fix the process before blaming the people: what Eileen looked for in a city manager and why she believes better systems can help good employees do better work.
• Lead through the loudest objections: how Eileen thinks about opposition to housing and other changes, and what a controversial road project taught her about sticking with a decision long enough to see whether it works.
• Know why you’re doing the work: from being the only woman at an oil refinery to public service in Miami, how Eileen developed the thick skin to hear criticism without letting it determine her values or priorities.

Resources Mentioned:

• Office of Mayor Eileen Higgins, City of Miami
• Elevate Small Business, City of Miami
• Miami Dade College
• Miami Tech Works
• The CLEO Institute
• Peace Corps
• U.S. Conference of Mayors

About Our Guest: Eileen Higgins is the Mayor of Miami and the first woman elected to lead the city. Before becoming mayor in 2025, she served seven years on the Miami-Dade County Commission. Trained as an engineer, Higgins also worked in the private sector and served as a Peace Corps Country Director and a U.S. diplomat before entering local government. As mayor, her work includes housing, infrastructure, neighborhood services, small businesses, and improving city government performance.

About the Host: Nan Whaley is a longtime community leader and public servant. She's currently the CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio. She served as Mayor of Dayton, Ohio, from 2014-2022. Nan has also presided over the United Conference of Mayors. She's a feminist, daughter, aunt, sister, and friend.

About the Show: Carry As You Climb elevates the voices of women in leadership from Ohio and across the United States. The podcast features guests who not only bust through doors to lead but also hold the door open for more women behind them. In other words, they carry as they climb. We focus on leadership development and lessons in leadership. We also share personal experiences to inspire more diverse leaders in business, government, and the nonprofit sector.

Connect with Carry As You Climb

Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Twitter | LinkedIn

Stay up to date with Nan's Substack: substack.com/@nanwhaley

Join the Climb: If this conversation moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it, subscribe to Carry As You Climb, and leave a rating or review wherever you listen.

Produced by: Collective Change Communications - Kelly Sakalas & Jeni Keeler

Note: The opinions expressed by host Nan Whaley on this podcast are hers alone and do not represent any organization with which she is affiliated.