Many colleges use strategic planning as a tool to guide institutional, equity-centered change. However, all too often, thoughtfully crafted strategic plans end up sitting on a shelf. The purpose of this action research study was to explore how communication can support equity-centered strategic plan implementation and organizational culture change at a community college. Action research consists of two cycles of research. Data collection in Cycle 1 involved document review, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews with seven members of the college Strategic Planning Steering Committee and two presidents of Aspen Award recipient colleges. Cycle 1 research informed the action step designed, implemented, and evaluated in Cycle 2. The action step involved piloting talking circles as a small group communication approach to support equity-centered strategic plan implementation. The findings indicate four key elements of talking circles as a communication approach: 1) intentional design and facilitation to create an inclusive space; 2) deliberate cross-representational membership to gather diverse voices; 3) sharing-of-self activities to build authentic relationships; 4) creating a safe space that empowers critical conversations and self-reflection around equity, diversity, and inclusion that motivates collaborative action. The pilot talking circles identified limitations in terms of time, space, and culture which impacted the initial introduction of this approach in practice. The researcher therefore recommends that any organization aiming to get an equity-centered strategic plan off the shelf and put into action consider the following: 1) establish safe, inclusive collaboration spaces to support individual and collective efforts to advance equity; 2) explore a variety of communication formats and approaches, including talking circles, to co-create design of the spaces; 3) continuously evaluate the effectiveness of the spaces, adjusting design as needed; 4) use inclusive collaboration spaces to translate an equity-centered strategic plan into action. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]