The governing board of Arizona's Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) has developed a strategic conversations format to ensure interaction with the college community and continuous quality improvement in the governance process. The use of strategic conversations facilitates communication with the community to help understand issues facing the MCCCD and inform governing board decision-making. Strategic conversations are publicized as informal meetings of the college and external communities, in which everyone is encouraged to participate. Meeting topics are decided in advance by the governing board, generally after an electronic mail survey of the District. A brief presentation is made at the beginning of the strategic conversation and facilitators assist in guiding the discussion, which usually takes place in small, break-out groups. The use of strategic conversations has resulted in new institutional diversity policies; a new vision statement; a revised statement of mission, values, and goals; and a climate of open communication and inclusiveness at the MCCCD. Improvements in the strategic conversation process that have been made since its implementation include open seating during the meetings and flexibility in the format. A list of 10 positive results from and 6 barriers to implementing the strategic conversations format is appended. (TGI)