At the heart of my research are two central ideas about how we can best respond to complex problems: first, that public rhetoric and technical communication research can make substantive contributions that respond to complex problems facing our local communities and institutions. And second, that attention to infrastructure (Star, 1999) which makes tacit practices visible can help us design more sustainable approaches to research, and address historical and systemic inequalities (Jones, Moore, & Walton, 2016, Longo, 2000). My research speaks to this focus on responding to the material needs of communities, by finding ways to do work better by creating space for inclusive, sustainable and constructive collaborative work.