The success of outreach hinges on whether programs are authentically rooted in the needs and strengths of a particular community. Here, we describe the process of conducting a needs assessment intended to provide this foundational information. This needs assessment, conducted by boundary spanners from a large public university, focuses on the needs of rural K-12 educational settings in West Texas. The article describes how the needs assessment shifted as we reflected on our initial attempts. It also highlights how the use of an assets-based framework enabled the team, as boundary spanners, to highlight community resources that can be leveraged for the design of future outreach and engagement efforts.