Often, universities and the communities in which they are located are fraught with divergent and competing interests, a lack of trust, and power dynamics that impact their relationships and their desire to engage with each other. However, their connectedness by proximity, people, and purpose makes engagement a necessity. In this session, we will introduce seven partnership principles and two theories and discuss these principles and theories in practice in a community collaboration between Johns Hopkins University and more than two dozen community-based organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will also share key takeaways from a qualitative case study of the collaboration and discuss the practical application of the lessons learned and community feedback received for future collaborations.