Podcasts about alumni

Nicholas Clar is an Ohio native actor and content creator. Alumni of Kent State University School of Theatre and Dance, Neighborhood Playhouse and Atlantic Theatre Company Acting School. Nicholas has worked with Cleveland's Playwright's Local and Ceaser's Forum among other New York and North East Ohio theatre companies. Nicholas has been on staff at Little Known Facts Podcast since 2019. @iamnickclar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on AOTA Shorts: In what can only be described as silicon valley's educational wet dream, the Alpha School expands its footprint across the nation. The private school, which packs a $75K/year price tag, touts its ability to have kids learn twice as much in just 2 hours of AI based “instruction” per day. And contrary to what you might expect, the school claims its guides (the adults who work there rather than teachers) offer a more humane environment than traditional schools. And, as the Alpha School eyes expansion to Palo Alto, just down the road, computer science graduates of Stanford University are finding a dearth of jobs, as the industry shifts entry level jobs to AI. What are the implications of this AI mess we find ourselves in? Manuel and Jeff discuss! Woah, new format! AOTA Shorts give a brief, quick-hitting breakdown of a single story in this increasingly wild world of education that you can enjoy in the car, at work, or in those precious minutes of down time you (maybe) get during your busy day.  Let us know what you think in the comments!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!Listen on Apple Podcast and Spotify Website: https://AOTAshow.com

We are wrapping up our Belhaven Dance Alumni Series with the very first graduate of the Belhaven Dance Department, Jill Pelhan Day! It was such a joy to spend this time with Jill and hear more about the beginnings of the dance program. While so much has changed over the years, we both reflect on how the heart of Belhaven has remained the same.Jill shares her inspiring journey from a small town in South Carolina to becoming a pioneer in the Belhaven Dance Department. She reflects on her experiences at Belhaven, the evolution of dance education, and the importance of community and personal growth along the way. Jill also opens up about health challenges she's faced in recent years and the journey of healing. We chat about the significance of authenticity and pursuing what God calls you to in your life. Jill offers such valuable wisdom, encouraging each of us to embrace failure, enjoy the journey, and remain open to change.Several other Belhaven Dance Alumni have shared their stories on the podcast over the years, so we've gathered all the episodes together in a playlist for you! Check out the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠playlist on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!. . . . .Welcome to The Creative Impact Podcast, where you will find encouragement to live out your calling as an artist.. . . . .Watch this episode on YouTube! Check out our YouTube Channel and be sure to like and subscribe!⁠http://www.youtube.com/@creativeimpactpodcast⁠Join our Patreon community for behind-the-scenes and bonus content!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ patreon.com/creativeimpactpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Find the show notes and more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativeimpactpodcast.com/episode-139/⁠Some topics we chat about in today's episode include:Belhaven University, dance, dance education, personal growth, health, community, authenticity, life lessons.. . . . .Let's Connect!Instagram & Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@creativeimpactpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. . . . .The podcast music was produced by Michael Cash.

What a gift to spend time with Kim Holloway for part eleven of our Belhaven Dance Alumni series! Kim is a choreographer, performer, teaching artist, and Pilates instructor based in Seattle, Washington. I love Kim's heart for connection and community and her belief that movement has the power to bring healing and change.In our conversation, Kim shares her artistic journey from her early influences to her experiences at Belhaven University and beyond. She discusses the challenges of navigating the professional dance world, the importance of understanding the business side of art, and her personal health struggles that have shaped her perspective on creativity and healing. Kim emphasizes the significance of community, self-kindness, and redefining success in the arts. Whether you are an aspiring or seasoned artist, Kim's wisdom and insight offer encouragement for the journey.Several other Belhaven Dance Alumni have shared their stories on the podcast over the years, so we've gathered all the episodes together in a playlist for you! Check out the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠playlist on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!. . . . .Welcome to The Creative Impact Podcast, where you will find encouragement to live out your calling as an artist.. . . . .Watch this episode on YouTube! Check out our YouTube Channel and be sure to like and subscribe!⁠http://www.youtube.com/@creativeimpactpodcast⁠Join our Patreon community for behind-the-scenes and bonus content!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ patreon.com/creativeimpactpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Find the show notes and more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativeimpactpodcast.com/episode-138/Some topics we chat about in today's episode include:Belhaven University, dance, community, creativity, healing, artistic journey, health challenges, movement, professional growth, business as an artist, personal development.. . . . .Let's Connect!Instagram & Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@creativeimpactpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. . . . .The podcast music was produced by Michael Cash.

In part 2 with Missouri Sophomore Kaia Tanskanen, we talk all about her decision to compete for Finland, how it came to be, and what it was like joining the Finnish National Team. Kaia has some cool stories about her initial experiences and competing for Finland at the beginning. We talked about her freshman season in Part 1 and we continue with 2nd half of her year long gymnastics season with the fall elite competitions. The Risk and Reward of doing new routines and a brand new skill on floor which became the first Finnish women to ever compete. She gives more stories and facts about leading into this season and competing the double double along with competing with her boyfriend Robert Kermes, a fellow Finnish National Team member. All this and a bit more in this fun part 2 with Kaia. 

In this powerful JAMODI Podcast episode, Matt Sayman sits down with longtime high school and college coach Harold Baber for a deep, honest conversation about coaching, leadership, growth, and legacy.Coach Baber reflects on his journey from playing at The Colony High School and Oakland University to decades of coaching at the high school and collegiate levels. He shares stories about legendary mentors like Coach Thomas and Greg Campy, the evolution of his coaching style, and what experience has taught him about relationships, culture, and perspective.This episode dives into the realities of coaching beyond wins and losses — reaching the 9th–12th players, creating program continuity, building alumni connections, and balancing family life while fully committing to the profession. Coach Baber also discusses how insecurity can show up early in a coaching career, how growth changes leadership style, and why being authentic matters more than emulating others.Whether you're a young coach just starting out or a veteran reflecting on the journey, this conversation offers wisdom, humility, and practical insights you can apply immediately.Topics Covered

Lisa AltamiranoMS, School of Health Professions, 1998More InformationAgile Physical Therapy - homepageAgile Physical Therapy - Lisa Altamirano bioUAB News - Lisa Altamirano, PT, BBU (Class of 1998)Vestavia Voice - Women in Business: Lisa Altamirano - Agile Physical Therapy

The Gavel Podcast is the official podcast of Sigma Nu Fraternity, Inc., and is dedicated to keeping you updated on the operations of the Legion of Honor and connecting you to stories from our brotherhood. To find out more from the Fraternity, you can always check out our website at www.sigmanu.org. Also consider following us on: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | FlickrHave feedback or a question about this episode? Want to submit an idea for a future topic you'd like to see covered? Contact the Gavel Podcast team at news@sigmanu.org. Hosts for this EpisodeChristopher Brenton - Beta Tau Chapter (North Carolina State) Alumnus and Sigma Nu Fraternity's Director of CommunicationsGuest for this EpisodeDominic Frattura - Zeta Upsilon Chapter (Arizona State) Alumnus and Director of Advocacy for the North American Interfraternity ConferenceEpisode ReferencesNorth American Interfraternity Conference - The North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) is a trade association representing 58 inter/national men's fraternities.ENGAGE - ENGAGE is the go-to network for sorority and fraternity campus leaders and alumni who are passionate about advocating for the fraternal movement. Through various programs and initiatives, ENGAGE supports and promotes participation in government, public policy, and on-campus student government opportunities. Programs and initiatives include FGRC Capitol Hill Visits, ENGAGE Ambassadors, Student Government Grants, and the First Amendment Institute. General ResourcesRegistration for the Sigma Nu Institute - The Sigma Nu Institute is designed to assist with the officer transition process and the learning curve that accompanies taking on new positions of chapter leadership. Both newly elected and mid-term officers will benefit from the program through increased exposure to and education on the knowledge and skills required for their roles. Attendees will also learn about key Fraternity programs, policies, and procedures.Prospective Member Referral - Do you know a young man who would be an ideal candidate for Sigma Nu? Please submit a membership referral.Employment and Staff Hiring Resources - If you are interested in learning more about working for the Fraternity as a consultant. Please visit the employment webpage for resources and access to the position application. The application deadlines are October 15 and March 1. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Contact Scott Smith at scott.smith@sigmanu.org for more information.Become a Volunteer - Learn more and take the next steps to become a volunteer for the Fraternity.Establish or Serve an Alumni Chapter - Learn more about how to help establish and maintain an Alumni Chapter.Organize an Alumni Club - Learn more about how to become engaged with or set up an Alumni Club.Donate to the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation - Give a gift to help advance the Fraternity's honorable Mission.

When I started the poddy, I scribbled on scruff paper a list dream brands Top of list: Innocent Innocent are THE OG challenger brand. The Innocent Illuminate (or Alumni) all built WHOPPPA brands:Giles, Barney, Emma, Peter Oden, loads more All extol fruitful learnings from Fruit Towers. Many see Innocent as a Brand & Marketing machine (they are). In this episode Adam Balon revealed something much DEEPER Something surprising. Something you've not thought about. ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It'll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here

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On the latest episode of the Flames Alumni Krahnicles, we're continuing our chat with 1989 Stanley Cup champion Colin Patterson! Listen in as Colin chats with Flames Alumni member Brent Krahn as they get into the 1980's glory years for the team! Hosted by Pat Steinberg, Colin looks back on a trip the 1986 Stanley Cup Final, winning the Stanley Cup in 1989, and a whole lot more!The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.  https://www.sportsnet.ca/960/flames-talk/Get full Flames games and great shows like Quick 60: The Stamps Show, Wranglers Watch and more ON DEMAND.

Alumni relations isn't broken but it is changing.In this episode, I close out the 12 Days of Player Development by tackling alumni relations in a portal-happy world. With athletes transferring more than ever, programs are being forced to rethink alumni identity, engagement, and connection.You'll hear:Why alumni relations still matter deeplyHow to define alumni in today's landscapeThe importance of short-term but intentional engagementWhat current players must commit toHow to support graduates immediately after they leaveThis episode is for player development professionals, athlete engagement staff, coaches, and administrators navigating the new reality of college sports.BOOK - Get YOUR copy of the Beyond The Field Player Development Guide: https://amzn.to/3TtnaA8 2026 Player Development Summit - https://www.btfprogram.com/pdsummit2026 Player Development Summit Sponsorship - https://forms.gle/vPucKVKaZmTVcLDq9Player Development Newsletter → https://substack.com/@btfprogram

Merry Christmas, alumni! We have one last special episode for you as we round out 2025. We are joined once again by Ekemini and Christina from Get in The Word with Truth's Table and they are going to gift us with a reading of Luke 2:1-20. Enjoy, have a Merry Christmas, and we will see you in 2026, alumni!And don't forget to check out Manuscript.Bible! Use code AFTERIVPOD for a free month!RELATED EPISODEE194: The Truth About Listening (Apple, Spotify, YouTube)Follow Get in The Word with Truth's TableExploreApple, Spotify, YouTubeSTAY IN TOUCHSocials: @afterivpodVisit our Website ★ Support this podcast ★

On the ChangeMaker Leader Podcast, we are speaking live with the author of Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol, a book named one of the year's top 10 by the Washington Post. Part memoir, part journalistic exploration, the book exposes the “pinking” of the alcohol industry.Together, we will explore: How writing memoirs, personal essays, or even short reflections can help you process big life transitions, grief, burnout, or change your relationship with alcohol.Ann Dowsett Johnson is an award-winning journalist, bestselling author, and psychotherapist. For more than 25 years, she worked at Maclean's magazine, where she was perhaps best known as the chief architect of the Maclean's university rankings. She worked as Vice-Principal (Development, Alumni and University Relations), McGill University. Since writing Drink, Ann has worked hard to destigmatize mental health and addiction, earning an honorary Doctor of Laws from Queen's University for her efforts. She is also the recipient of a Transforming Lives award from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), the American Research Society on Addiction's Media Award, plus the T. A. Sweet Award from the Ontario Psychiatric Association for helping address stigma related to mental health and addiction. Ann followed a dream to get a Master's of Social Work program at Smith College and now has a psychotherapy practice specializing in working with women in life transitions.Writing Drink was one of the happiest experiences of my life, and when the book was finished, I knew I had broken the taboo. Drink: The Intimate Relationship with Women and AlcoholAnn is the bestselling author of Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol, named one of the 10 best books of 2013 by the Washington Post. PurchaseWriting Your Recovery: A Powerful Online Memoir CourseWe all have a story—or stories—to tell. Excavating those narratives, finding the courage to give voice to our secrets, takes time. I believe writing is a process of discovery. At the heart of good writing is finding a compelling, authentic voice. To locate that voice, each individual must get in touch with what is most integral in their experience.Learn MoreSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-changemaker-collective-podcast-for-future-ready-leaders/exclusive-content

The guys open with a quick recap of Thursday Night Football, where the Seahawks outlasted the Rams in an overtime thriller, before shifting to Dolphins alumni night. With plenty of former Dolphins legends in attendance, the overwhelming sentiment was clear: the franchise needs to move on from Tua Tagovailoa, with concerns ranging from his contract to the toll head injuries may have taken. Tua was the No. 1 topic of conversation at the event, with Mike McDaniel not far behind. The discussion expands to the idea that Miami may need a full organizational reset, because until the Dolphins find a true franchise quarterback, they'll continue to trail teams like the Bills and Patriots.

Hour 1 opens with a quick recap of Thursday Night Football, where the Seahawks edged the Rams in an overtime thriller, before the conversation shifts to Dolphins alumni night, which Joe hosted and featured several franchise legends. The overwhelming message from former players was clear: the Dolphins need to move on from Tua Tagovailoa, with concerns ranging from his contract to the long-term effects of head injuries. Tua dominated the conversation at the event, with Mike McDaniel not far behind, as the guys discuss whether Miami needs a complete organizational reset to truly move forward. The hour also previews Miami's matchup with Texas A&M, stressing that the Hurricanes' stars must rise to the occasion, before wrapping with college football playoff talk and whether Group of Five programs deserve a seat at the table.

Check out our latest Alumni Panel after the November 2025 Career Conference. Brock Dudley sits down with: Cody Williams (Army Air Defense, Major | Caterpillar, Senior Production Manager) Ian Burgess (Air Force Intelligence, Captain | Twist Bioscience, Account Manager) You cannot control the market, but you can control how prepared you are. Cody and Ian started early, stayed open to learning, and trusted the process. In turn, their preparation led to fantastic, well-aligned career launches. This is not just about landing a job. It is about building a long-term leadership career. For more than 50 years, Cameron-Brooks has helped JMOs do exactly that. If you are considering your next move, now is the time to prepare. https://youtu.be/oSYdpYoVfPQ If you'd like to learn more from other recent alums about their experience, listen to the alumni roundtable from after the August 2025 Career Conference.  If you'd like to speak with a career coach, we're happy to talk. Follow Cameron-Brooks on LinkedIn.

#225. This year brought some of the most incredible conversations with founders, creators, and women building lives on their own terms - and I'm breaking down the biggest lessons that stuck with me. From building sustainable routines to redefining success, these are the notes from my Note to Self alumni that changed how I think about intentional living. FOLLOW PAYTON:https://instagram.com/paytonsartain https://www.tiktok.com/@paytonsartain https://youtube.com/c/paytonsartainhhSUBMIT TO NOTE TO SELF:→ Ask P: Advice Column: https://forms.gle/avvSu4ibYygZP5rq8 Sponsors:Visit 47brand.com to shop best sellers and new arrivalsCanopy: Go to getcanopy.co to save $25 on your Canopy Humidifier purchase today with Canopy's filter subscription. Even better, use code NOTETOSELF at checkout to save an additional 10% off your Canopy purchase.Woo: Listeners can get 20% off sitewide at woomoreplay.com with code NOTETOSELFJoyrise: Go to Joyrise.com and use code NOTETOSELF for15% off plus free shipping nationwideQuince: Go to quince.com/payton for free shipping on your order and 365 day returnsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this special alumni edition, three Penn Staters (Jill Ferguson '98, Jaden Crudup '25, and Alysha Foo '25) reflect on their unexpected career paths and the lessons they learned along the way. From operational leadership to legal strategy and organizational transformation, they offer candid stories about growth, purpose, and navigating an industry where people, food, and values intersect.Music credit: "West in Africa" by John Bartmann is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License.

We had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Missouri sophomore Kaia Tanskanen after long season and balancing both college gymnastics and elite gymnastics representing Finland. In this part 1 of our two part podcast with Kaia, we talk all about Mizzou and the moments that stood out from her freshman year and how she balanced competing in college while still maintaining her elite routines. She gives some BTS insights to the teams and her thoughts during the crazy NCAA Regionals and Nationals experience and of course we take her back to memories of being part of Region 5. That and more in this Part 1 with Kaia. Part 2 - Finland: Competing in elite while in college, Europeans, the first for a Finnish Women on floor and 3 time is a charge at Worlds. 

Week Two of our holiday break AKA we're re-releasing another goodie from 2025! Be sure to listen to this episode (or listen again) with David DeWitt to hear him talk about the importance of state and local news. Original Air Date: August 12th, 2025David is the Ohio Capital Journal Editor-in-Chief and a Opinion Columnist. He has been covering government, politics, and policy in Ohio since 2007, including education, health care, crime and the courts, poverty, state and local government, business, labor, energy, the environment, and social issues. He has worked for the National Journal, The New York Observer, and The Athens NEWS. He holds a bachelor's degree from Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and is a board member of the E.W. Scripps Society of Alumni and Friends.Resources:* Sign up for The Eye-Opener Newsletter* Ohio Gerrymandering: A brief and Awful History of the Very Recent Past by David DeWitt* Find a Nonprofit Newsroom (Powered by Institute for Nonprofit News)* Social Media Accounts:* Ohio Capital Journal on Bluesky* Ohio Capital Journal on Facebook* David DeWitt on X/Twitter* David DeWitt on BlueskyConnect with USS:* Substack* Instagram* TikTok* ThreadsThis episode was edited by Kevin Tanner. Learn more about him and his services here:* Website* Instagram This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unitedshestands.com/subscribe

This episode is a recording from the 2025 Alumni Forum of a panel entitled “Making Sense of AI, and the Revolution Reshaping How We Think, Work, Learn, and Relate.” The panel was moderated by Marina Chase Carreker '03, founder of Galleon Strategies. Joining her were Lane Dilg '99, former head of infrastructure policy and partnerships at OpenAI, and Thompson Paine '05, head of product strategy and operations at Anthropic.Music creditsThe episode's intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ‘22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul. How to listenOn your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcastsor Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at communications@moreheadcain.org.  

We loved studying the Bible on campus with our chapter. How do we keep that up in life after graduation?In this episode, we take a look at our final method for engaging with scripture: Bible study. More specifically, the communal discovery method that so many of us learned and grew to love during our time on campus with InterVarsity. Veteran Campus Staff Minister, Meghan Fisher joins us to refresh our inductive methodology of Bible study and to help us contextualize the practice to life after graduation.And don't forget to check out Manuscript.Bible! Use code AFTERIVPOD for a free month! (Enjoy Meghan's study of Luke 8:40-56 HERE!)RELATED EPISODESE197: The Provocation Toward Praying (Apple, Spotify, YouTube)BONUS: A Guided Prayer (Apple, Spotify, YouTube)MEGHAN'S RECOMMENDED RESOURCESIVP Bible Background Commentaries (Old Testament & New Testament) IVP's Bible DictionaryInterVarsity's "How To" resourceThe Bible for Everyone - N.T. Wright & John GoldingayThe Bible ProjectSTAY IN TOUCHSocials: @afterivpodVisit our Website ★ Support this podcast ★

Charles ScribnerMPA, College of Arts and Sciences, 2015Executive Director, Black Warrior RiverkeeperMore InformationUAB School of Public Health - Black Warrior Riverkeeper receives 2025 Lou Wooster Public Health Hero AwardBlack Warrior Riverkeeper - websiteBlack Warrior Riverkeeper - Charles Scribner bioCollege of Arts and Sciences News - I am Arts and Sciences: Charles ScribnerBham Now - Charles Scribner celebrates 20 years with Black Warrior Riverkeeper

Brandon Sammut (Chief People and AI Transformation Officer at Zapier), Jenny Molyneaux (VP of People, Vercel), and Valerie Gobeil (Head of Talent Management, Workleap) joined us for a live session on how HR teams are actually using AI today. We talked about how to get organizations AI-ready, avoid “AI debt,” make smarter build vs buy decisions, and we walked through live demos of AI-powered performance reviews, hiring workflows, interview coaching, engagement insights, and more.----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode272Sponsor Links:

Phil Simms, Ottis Anderson, Mark Collins, and Carl Banks swap stories from their Super Bowl championship seasons, presented by Tommy’s TavernSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're pleased to feature Steve Brown in this episode of Wolf Greenfield's Alumni Spotlight series. He was previously a technology specialist in Wolf Greenfield's Biotechnology Practice.  Today, Steve serves as Associate General Counsel at Orna Therapeutics. Orna is reshaping RNA therapeutics to open an entirely new world of possibilities in the treatment of disease.Here are some highlights from Steve's turn in the Alumni Spotlight on IP Talk with Wolf Greenfield.00:47 - Steve's current responsibilities at Orna02:19 - Making the transition from a law firm into corporate roles03:26 - An overview of Orna Therapeutics05:18 - Steve's favorite memory of Wolf Greenfield07:25 - When Steve thinks of his time at Wolf Greenfield, what comes to mind?09:10 - Steve's dream travel destination10:09 - His favorite movie###

In this episode of One Vision the Fintech Fuse, we chat with Kristen Castell, Managing Director, Fintech CAFE (Center for Accelerating Financial Equity) and Ryan Venderlic, Program Manager at CAFE. The trio discuss the accelerator program's evolution, its focus on financial equity for low to moderate-income communities, and the transformative power of collaboration among founders. Kristen and Ryan also share insights on the impact of AI in fintech and future disruptions in financial services. Tune in to learn how CAFE is fostering mission-driven fintech innovations and supporting their founders post-program.00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome01:17 Insights from the CAFE Accelerator Program03:32 Evolution of the FinTech Ecosystem05:32 Post-Program Support for Alumni and the Founders Circles09:52 Mission-Driven FinTech and Challenges13:21 The Role of AI in FinTech17:24 Future Disruptions in Financial Services#AI #Fintech #FinancialServices #FinancialInclusion #BankingIndustry 

Liam Morris '23 manages one of the most complex corners of United Airlines — airport operations quality control across more than 80 stations spanning Latin America, Central America and the Southwest U.S. In this conversation, he shares how early travel experiences opened the door to a career in aviation, the path that led him from loading bags in El Paso to overseeing global safety audits, and what it takes to lead with precision, clarity and calm under pressure.Liam also reflects on United's customer-centric transformation, the moments that shaped his commitment to the industry, and how the Rice Online MBA gave him the flexibility and confidence to grow as a leader while navigating an ever-moving, always-on operational world.Episode Guide:00:00 Introduction to Aviation and Role at United Airlines00:29 Ensuring Safety and Compliance in Airport Operations02:56 Passion for Aviation and Early Influences06:08 Managing Multiple Stations and Time Zones08:00 Why United Airlines Stands Out12:16 Best Flight Experience and Customer Insights13:54 Decision to Pursue an MBA at Rice19:58 Mutual Learning and Decision Making22:27 Leadership Growth and Student Association26:47 Career Journey and Future Goals30:02 Travel Tips and Flying Etiquette37:19 Conclusion and FarewellThe Owl Have You Know Podcast is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.Episode QuotesFrom cleaning planes to leading global operations25:34: I never, ever envisioned that I would be where I'm at now, and I can honestly say from when I was a business partner with United — cleaning aircraft and loading bags for another company, right — but working the United product, I never had a plan to get to where I was. My internship with United came up out of nowhere, and I moved to Jersey. Then, midsummer, I got a full-time offer to stay, and I transferred schools. You know, at the very last minute, I went up to Rutgers from UT El Paso. And then, you know, an opportunity came to transfer to Dallas, and there I ended up. You know, our CEO lives there. Ended up meeting him and a lot of executives all the time, and my name got out there really great. And then I came down to Houston to go to Rice as an assistant manager here in the airport. Then I finished my B.A. and went into the current role that I'm at, which is safety and regulatory. I can honestly say I never really had a plan to get where I was, but I'm thankful that I was always willing to walk through the door, because every single opportunity that I've had — both promotion and a lateral — was a great move, and it was such an instrumental, pivotal move.On being part of something bigger than yourself04:06: I wanted the ability to be in an industry where I am a part of something bigger, right? And being a part of an airline is really cool because even though, you know, my work now may not directly affect a flight leaving on time out of here, it does affect the customer experience some way. So I just wanted to be a part of a really, really big machine that gets people where they need to go.Show Links: TranscriptGuest Profile:Liam Morris | LinkedIn

00:00 INTRO01:00 First reaction to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 2026 schedule!04:38 Grey Cup Week One rematch?08:10 Bomber receivers going into 2026.11:12 Of the remaining unsigned QBs, should the Bombers be kicking the tires on any of them?15:17 Line One breaking up, do you like Iaffalo on the first line?19:58 Heritage Classic Starting 5 for the Alumni game!Fahrenheit Airbrushing - https://www.facebook.com/fahrenheitairbrushing?mibextid=LQQJ4dFOLLOW US ON...Website: https://www.raybennysports.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/raybennysportsBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/raybennysports.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/raybennysports/Twitter: https://twitter.com/raybennysportsTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@raybennysportsApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3rPuut8Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3rO0AFFLinktree: https://linktr.ee/raybennysportsReddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/raybennytalksports/Discord: https://discord.gg/VcHXqu7mSupport: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1864423/supportSupport the show

What if your alumni network could help fuel the next generation of biotech startups? In this episode, host Elaine Hamm, PhD, sits down with Evan Nicoll, MBA, and Patrick Hernandez of 1834 Ventures, a new investment fund created by Tulane alumni, for founders with Tulane DNA. They share how their alumni-powered model is helping to close regional funding gaps, strengthen emerging biotech ecosystems, and support founders through trust-driven, relationship-first investing. From navigating today's tough fundraising climate to understanding what really catches an investor's eye, this conversation offers practical lessons for founders, universities, and anyone building innovation communities. In this episode, you'll learn: How alumni networks can become powerful engines for venture funding, mentorship, and deal flow. What investors are really looking for in early biotech pitches, and why trust, clarity, and curiosity matter more than perfection. Why founders should embrace relationship-building over rapid-fire pitching, and how regional markets like Louisiana can attract coastal investors. Tune in to discover how connection-driven investing is helping shape the next chapter of biotech growth across the Gulf South — and how you can be part of it. Links: Connect with Evan Nicoll, MBA, and Patrick Hernandez, and check out 1834 Ventures. Connect with Elaine Hamm, PhD, and learn about Tulane Medicine Business Development and the School of Medicine. Check out Cadenza Bio and the book The Speed of Trust. Connect with Ian McLachlan, BIO from the BAYOU producer. Check out BIO on the BAYOU. Learn more about BIO from the BAYOU - the podcast. Bio from the Bayou is a podcast that explores biotech innovation, business development, and healthcare outcomes in New Orleans & The Gulf South, connecting biotech companies, investors, and key opinion leaders to advance medicine, technology, and startup opportunities in the region.

Former Cane Robert Hall joined the show last night! Please support alumniapparelcompany.com Great Quality apparel!

CEO & FOUNDER of Alumni Apparel Company Robert Hall will be joining the show! He is giving 20% off EVERYTHNG until January 1st 2026 for those who tune in on Tuesday @ 8:00 p.m. Discount Code will be provided doing the show! #utalk #alumniapparelcomany #utalkwinningatthegameoflife #roberthall

Piper hosts Plaidcast in Person in front of a live audience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, Wisconsin with Andi Bill, Mara Bunderson, Kayla Kintzele and Emily Elek. Listen in and share with friends!Host: Piper Klemm, publisher of The Plaid HorseGuest: Andi Bill is the head coach for the University of Wisconsin - Madison Equestrian Team and owns Sugar Creek Stables LLC teaching both hunt seat and dressage lessons. She started her equestrian career showing ponies then moving up to the 3'6” equitation. She attended Mount Holyoke College and competed on their IHSA team, serving as captain her junior and senior years. She won Nationals in the Alumni division. When she's not at the barn, she is a civil engineer focusing on traffic safety. She is the Director of the Wisconsin Local Technical Assistance Program and Associate Director of the Traffic Operations and Safety Laboratory and Eastern Tribal Technical Assistance Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  She is a passionate advocate for making research tangible to practitioners and to foster implementation and widespread adoption.  Guest: Mara Bunderson is a 2025 graduate of UW Madison and competed on the Wisconsin Equestrian Team for four years. She earned titles of IHSA Reserve National Champion in 2023 and National Champion in 2024 under her trainer and coach, Andi Bill. She's remained active in the equestrian world, working for Emily Elek as a groom at Pony Finals and riding/taking lessons at both Stonewall Farm and Sugar Creek Stables. Outside of horses, Mara is attending grad school at UW Madison as well as working full time at Wisconsin Athletics as an accountant. Guest: Kayla Kintzele competed on the University of Wisconsin - Madison Equestrian Team for four years and graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering. She remains active in IHSA, having competed as an alumni and also helping organize the IHSA Zone 7 Championships the past two years. Outside of her day job as a project engineer, she trains with Andi Bill, competes as an adult amateur in the hunters with her horse, Levi, and also grooms for Emily Elek. Guest: Emily Elek is the owner of Stonewall Farm in Ixonia, Wisconsin where she operates one of the largest pony leasing, sales, breeding and training operations. Emily takes a holistic view in developing ponies and riders for lifelong success.Subscribe To: The Plaid Horse MagazineRead the Latest Issue of The Plaid Horse MagazineSponsors: Taylor, Harris Insurance Services, Windstar Cruises, and Great American Insurance Group  Join us at an upcoming Plaidcast in Person event!

Enjoy engaging with Andrea's example of using scripture as a guide for prayer using Nehemiah 1:5-11.And don't forget to check out Manuscript.Bible! Use code AFTERIVPOD for a free month!RELATED EPISODEE197: The Provocation Toward Praying (Apple, Spotify, YouTube)STAY IN TOUCHSocials: @afterivpodVisit our Website ★ Support this podcast ★

Have you ever felt provoked to pray? Do you ever feel so touched by time spent in the Bible that you just have to tell God what you're experiencing? OR have you ever felt like you wanted to pray but just didn't know what to say? Both of these instances indicate the usefulness of scripture in prayer. Sometimes God's word moves us to respond to him. And sometimes it gives us the right words to say when we just don't have them ourselves.Today, InterVarsity prayer specialist Andrea Anderson walks us through the process of incorporating the Bible as a tool for prayer and helps us continue exploring the best practices for engaging with scripture after graduation.And don't forget to check out Manuscript.Bible! Use code AFTERIVPOD for a free month!OTHER RESOURCESBe sure to check out the Guided Prayer that accompanies this episode! (Apple, Spotify, YouTube)RELATED EPISODE(S)E196: The Tenderness of Memorizing (Apple, Spotify, YouTube)STAY IN TOUCHSocials: @afterivpodVisit our Website ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of One Vision the Fintech Fuse, we chat with Kristen Castell, Managing Director, Fintech CAFE (Center for Accelerating Financial Equity) and Ryan Venderlic, Program Manager at CAFE. The trio discuss the accelerator program's evolution, its focus on financial equity for low to moderate-income communities, and the transformative power of collaboration among founders. Kristen and Ryan also share insights on the impact of AI in fintech and future disruptions in financial services. Tune in to learn how CAFE is fostering mission-driven fintech innovations and supporting their founders post-program.00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome01:17 Insights from the CAFE Accelerator Program03:32 Evolution of the FinTech Ecosystem05:32 Post-Program Support for Alumni and the Founders Circles09:52 Mission-Driven FinTech and Challenges13:21 The Role of AI in FinTech17:24 Future Disruptions in Financial Services#AI #Fintech #FinancialServices #FinancialInclusion #BankingIndustry

In this newscast: Juneau's Eaglecrest Ski Area will not open to skiers this weekend after all; Downtown Juneau's annual Gallery Walk event is tomorrow from 4 to 8 p.m.; Alumni and former staff members at Mt. Edgecumbe High School are raising serious concerns about safety and student support at the state-run boarding school in Sitka; The Chilkat Valley is home to one of the world's largest gathering of bald eagles, and this year, the highest number of raptors were recorded in more than two decades

It's YOUR time to #EdUp In this episode, sponsored by the 2026 InsightsEDU Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 17-19,YOUR guest is Darren Cooke, Interim Chief Innovation & Entrepreneurship Officer, UC BerkeleyYOUR co-host is Brent Ramdin, CEO, EducationDynamicsYOUR host is Dr. Joe SallustioHow does a university with over 100 innovation & entrepreneurship organizations on campus coordinate them all to become #1 in the world for venture backed startups founded by undergraduate alumni, beating Stanford 3 years in a row?What happens when a university wins 4 Nobel prizes in 1 week & makes innovation & entrepreneurship activity count as a positive in faculty tenure evaluations?How does a public university leverage 600,000 living alumni & scale to 1,000X alumni engagement while maintaining its mission of providing long term societal benefits?Listen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at The EdUp ExperienceWe make education YOUR business!P.S. Want to get early, ad-free access & exclusive leadership content to help support the show? Then ⁠​subscribe today​⁠ to lock in YOUR $5.99/m lifetime supporters rate! This offer ends December 31, 2025!

We're back for more stories about the impact the David Eccles School of Business has on the lives and careers of our alums. In this episode, host Frances Johnson is joined by Justin Spangler and Diego Alvarez for a conversation about the power of making connections through the David Eccles Alumni Network. Frances talks to Justin and Diego about the start of their mentor/mentee relationship, as well as discussing some of the benefits of staying involved with the Eccles Alumni Network. Justin, an Information Systems graduate and current executive MBA student, serves as the chair of the David Eccles Alumni Network Board and is actively involved in mentoring students like Diego. Diego, a senior studying marketing and information systems, shares how his connection with Justin helped him secure a Google internship and offers insights on the value of building strong alumni ties. Both of them emphasize the importance of relationships, mentorship, and staying engaged with the alumni network to enhance career success and personal growth.Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. Episode Quotes:Diego reveals the mistake he made when connecting with alumni and what he's learned since[06:58] Diego Alvarez: Going back to my early college career, and especially when I met Justin my sophomore year, the idea of meeting alumni at the beginning was pretty intimidating, especially when you think about networking too, and reaching out to people and like, oh, what does that look like? What does that mean? But as I've gotten to meet so many great alumni, I've realized just how great of a resource they are and how many people are out there willing to speak to you, willing to help you out. And what I really appreciate about it is it connects the theory or skills that you learn in classes to your actual career work. [08:03] And in my experience, I admit this is a mistake I've done in the past too. I think people jump all the way to the end where it's like, "Hey, can I have a referral?" or "Hey, I'm applying for this position; can you help me out?" But starting to build those relationships now during your undergrad experience and not at the end of your undergrad experience is super valuable because, like both of you mentioned, it is a relationship, and if you just look at it as, "Oh, I just want that referral," or "I just want that extra push in a position that I'm applying for," I feel like you're missing out on the entire experience that you can have.How having Justin as a mentor helped Diego find direction as a first-generation college student[19:36] Diego Alvarez: Just the feedback and practice that I received with Justin was monumental [and] was huge for me. Being able to have that person to bounce ideas back and forth to practice. We did a few interview prep sessions. He really helped me learn how to kind of sell myself as an individual when it comes to, not just interviews, but the moment you meet someone, the moment you talk to someone. And that was huge. Just in making myself more personal, making myself a friendlier person just in general, but also with my career as well. So having that feedback was massive, and not having someone to bounce those ideas back with, honestly, it would've been like wandering around in the dark, not knowing, okay, is it working or not? And when I find out if it is working or if it's not working, I'm probably finding out once they're sending me an email saying, "Hey, we're going to move on with someone else," or, "Hey, we'd like to continue on." So having that feedback, having that input, was awesome. And then going back to that support, just having those people who are champion for you, who push for you, is awesome. Those people who remove barriers for you has been huge. So those things, like knowing the barriers that could have been in my way if I didn't have someone like Justin or have the other mentors that I've had in my life, knowing the feedback and the conversation I've had. If I didn't have that, I don't know if I would've been able to go as far as I have. Justin shares how mentoring a first-gen student reignited his own motivation[23:40] Justin Spangler: I learned a lot from Diego. As I mentioned, Diego's a self-starter. He's overcome a lot. First generation in college, as we've talked about on this podcast, that inspires me as a mentor to be better and think of ways that I can help. And you know, when you're in that rut that I spoke about just a couple of minutes ago, you know, I'll get you out of it, and Diego's a shining great example of that. So definitely from a motivation perspective, relationships are a gem. I think we spoke about that earlier in the podcast, and there's value in having relationships and not just thinking those so short-term, as you mentioned, Frances, but long-term. I think there's a huge benefit to having friends and friends that you care about for a long period of time. It's been fun to watch Diego learn and grow over these last couple of years, and in my life, that helps me be more motivated to continue to learn and grow. When you get to where I am, about almost 10 years into the working field, you can kind of hit a low, you can kind of hit a plateau, and sometimes you need that motivation to help you keep coming up.Show Links:Justin Spangler | LinkedInDiego Alvarez | LinkedInMy Eccles Experience: Diego Alvarez | ArticleDavid Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | InstagramUndergraduate Scholars ProgramsRising Business LeadersEccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram Eccles Experience Magazine

In this episode of The P.A.S. Report Podcast, Professor Giordano sits down with Steve McGuire of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni to expose the catastrophic collapse in academic preparedness across America's education system. Using UC San Diego's alarming new data showing freshmen unable to add single digit numbers, round to the nearest hundred, or subtract fractions, this episode examines how decades of lowered standards, ideological distractions, and exploding education spending have produced a generation unprepared for college or citizenship. Nick and Steve break down why taxpayers spend more than $1.5 trillion a year on education with worse results than ever, why there is no public outrage, and what reforms are urgently needed to restore competence, knowledge, and real accountability.   Episode Highlights UC San Diego's data reveal a nationwide academic collapse and the dangers of lowering standards How more than $1.5 trillion in annual education spending produces catastrophic results with no accountability What ACTA sees behind the scenes and the reforms needed to rescue American education  

TigerTalk turns its attention to adult education in Mississippi as Marketing and Public Relations Specialist Liz Calvery meets with Northeast president Dr. Ricky G. Ford for an in-depth look at one of the state's strongest programs. Calvery leads the conversation as Ford highlights how Northeast's award-winning approach serves as a model for colleges across the Magnolia State. Their discussion explains how adult education supports individuals who did not complete high school and often faced setbacks that kept them from earning a credential. Ford outlines why adult education plays a key role in strengthening Mississippi's workforce. Programs focus on literacy and practical work skills that can help drive economic growth, though he notes the need for sustainable funding to meet the scale of demand. Current estimates show 301,301 Mississippians lack a high school diploma, and statewide programs helped 8,465 people reach that milestone last year. Challenges remain significant. Many students enter reading at a third-grade level or below, and 97 percent fall under an eighth-grade learning level. Ford details how programs like Northeast's work to close those gaps and offer a pathway toward long-term success for learners and communities across the state. Plus, get the latest updates on athletics, academics, workforce development, and all the incredible things happening at one of the nation's premier community colleges.

In today's episode, we sit down with two Trinity alumni, Grace (Whitaker) Fox ‘21 and Jenna Phillips ‘21. Listen in as the girls discuss life after Trinity, their experiences as Trinity students, and the value of lifelong Christian friendships.  

Which verses do you know by heart? In the beginning God created... For God so loved the world... Jesus wept... The invitation to hide God's Word in our heart is scattered throughout Scripture. But how much time and attention do we give to memorizing Scripture? And why is it such an important practice?This week, we continue our series Six Ways to Engage Scripture After Graduation with a conversation about memorizing. We're joined by Jacob Thies, an InterVarsity alum from UW-Whitewater who's had a very unique experience with Scripture memorization. While in school, Jacob had the opportunity to play the role of Jesus in The Mark Drama*, which required a significant amount of memorizing. On this episode, Jacob is going to share about his tender encounter with Jesus while memorizing, and a few of his best tips for memorizing Scripture for ourselves.And don't forget to check out Manuscript.Bible! Use code AFTERIVPOD for a free month!(*If you're unfamiliar, The Mark Drama is exactly what it sounds like: a dramatization of the entire book of Mark. See below for more info.)RELATED EPISODEE195: The Path for Exploring (Apple, Spotify, Youtube)RESOURCESThe Mark DramaSTAY IN TOUCHSocials: @afterivpodVisit our Website ★ Support this podcast ★

When Rebecca Gray '94 arrived at her first duty station, she thought she was ready to lead — until a senior master sergeant told her to get a coffee cup and led her away from the safety of her desk. “You've got to know who people are, so that you know how to relate to them,” he told her. That simple moment became the foundation of her entire leadership journey.    SHARE THIS PODCAST LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK    REBECCA'S TOP 5 LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS 1. Lead With Authentic Connection Genuinely care about your team members as people, not just colleagues—know their stories, show real interest in their lives, and let authenticity drive your leadership style. This builds trust and drives engagement. 2.Adapt and Balance Across Life's Seasons Recognize that leadership and career paths aren't always linear. It's important to intentionally adapt your role and focus to meet the current stage of your life, whether that means prioritizing family, professional growth, or personal health. 3. Translate Core Values Across Environments Military leadership lessons—like accountability, communication, and team cohesion—are just as powerful in civilian life. Carry these values into new environments and roles, and tailor them to fit each unique context. 4. Empower Others Through Example Be a “working leader” by setting the pace and modeling the behaviors you want to see. Encourage your team's growth by giving responsibility, asking for input, and trusting them to rise to new challenges—even if it means letting them make mistakes. 5. Continuous Self-Development Fuels Leadership Commit to lifelong learning and personal development through regular habits—like reading, exercise, and reflection. Maintaining intellectual curiosity and a growth mindset not only strengthens your leadership but also inspires others to do the same.   CHAPTERS 0:00:04 – Introduction to the Podcast and Guest Rebecca Gray 0:00:29 – The Coffee Cup Lesson: Early Leadership and the Influence of Senior Master Sergeant Kennedy 0:01:48 – Authentic Connection: Lessons Carried From the Military to Corporate Leadership 0:03:32 – The Power of Authenticity and Understanding Team Members' Lives 0:04:49 – Translating Military Leadership Lessons to the Corporate World 0:07:58 – Creating Team Connection in Remote and Fast-Paced Environments 0:11:47 – Memorable Military Leadership Influences 0:13:24 – Balancing Military Service, Family, and Career Transitions 0:16:53 – Career as Seasons: Crafting Balance and Intentionality 0:19:19 – Navigating Critical Career Junctures and Embracing Change 0:22:18 – Building Confidence and Trusting Yourself 0:23:46 – Fostering Confidence and a ‘Go Mentality' on the Team 0:25:39 – Leading and Aligning Family and Professional Goals 0:27:28 – Practicing Continuous Learning and Personal Development 0:28:32 – Advice to Emerging Leaders: Value Well-Roundedness and Humility 0:29:43 – Reflections on Alumni, Family Connection, and Leadership Beyond the Academy 0:30:15 – Closing Thoughts on Leadership, Service, and Authentic Paths ABOUT REBECCA BIO Rebecca Gray ‘94, Boingo Wireless senior vice president and general manager, leads a division providing soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines connectivity wherever they go. Alongside her military service, she's held leadership roles at Fortune 200 companies in energy, media and telecommunications — including Southern Company and Comcast NBCUniversal — and has volunteered with multiple nonprofits. Her focus is on innovation that strengthens communities and keeps people connected. A three-time All-American springboard diver, Gray started her Air Force journey as a recruited athlete at the U.S. Air Force Academy. After graduation, she trained as a World Class Athlete and competed for Team USA at the 1995 World Games in Rome. She's served in key leadership roles across the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, including deputy wing commander at the 111th Attack Wing in the Pennsylvania ANG, as well as director of staff for the Georgia ANG. She's also a graduate of the Secretary of Defense Fortune 500 Corporate Fellowship Program and earned her doctorate after studying around the globe in Israel, England, India and China. She and her husband — an Air Force Academy '93 grad — married at the Cadet Chapel in 1994. They have three daughters: Jasmine, a junior at Bates College; Grace, a sophomore at Centenary University; and Kennedy, a freshman at NJIT. Their Yorkie, Cookie, has become a seasoned traveler, having visited all but two states in the continental U.S.   CONNECT WITH REBECCA LINKEDIN BONIGO WIRELESS   CONNECT WITH THE LONG BLUE LINE PODCAST NETWORK TEAM Ted Robertson | Producer and Editor:  Ted.Robertson@USAFA.org Send your feedback or nominate a guest: socialmedia@usafa.org   Ryan Hall | Director:  Ryan.Hall@USAFA.org  Bryan Grossman | Copy Editor:  Bryan.Grossman@USAFA.org Wyatt Hornsby | Executive Producer:  Wyatt.Hornsby@USAFA.org      ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS     FULL TRANSCRIPT OUR SPEAKERS Guest, Rebecca Gray '94  |  Host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99   Naviere Walkewicz  00:04 Welcome to Long Blue Leadership, where we explore the lessons of leadership through the lives and stories of Air Force Academy graduates. I'm your host, Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99. When Rebecca Gray walked into her first duty station after graduating from the Academy, she thought she was ready to lead. But it wasn't a general, a colonel or a policy manual that changed her view of leadership. It was a senior master sergeant named Patrick J. Kennedy and a coffee cup.   Rebecca Gray  00:29 He said, “You're doing this all wrong. You need to be out, out, out.” He told me, “Go grab a coffee cup.” I didn't drink coffee at the time, so he goes, “Go get some water. Stop being difficult.” And he walked me around and said, “This is this is what matters. You've got to know who people are, so that you know how to relate to them.” That really shaped me.   Naviere Walkewicz  00:50 That simple moment became the foundation for how Rebecca has led her teams ever since. From the Air Force to corporate boardrooms, from public service to private equity, Rebecca Gray, USAFA, Class of '94, has led across nearly every domain — active duty, Reserve and Guard — and built a remarkable second career spanning nonprofit work, education and now executive leadership. Her path has been shaped by transformational moments, moments that taught her how to connect, to trust herself and to lead with conviction. Rebecca, welcome to Long Blue Leadership.   Rebecca Gray  01:23 Thank you so much for having me. It's just a privilege to be here. Thank you for what you're doing for the grads, for the parents, for alumni, all of that. It's really impressive.   Naviere Walkewicz  01:31 Oh gosh. Really appreciate that. And I think, you know, that clip was so wonderful to hear. And I think we should just jump right in to that moment in time, kind of winding back the clock when you were just really transformed in your leadership style by your senior enlisted leader. Can we talk about that?   Rebecca Gray  01:48 I was just, had just graduated, and, as you said, my first duty assignment, and the only officer in the shop. And so senior master sergeant, which is one rank below chief — so the top, one of the top senior enlisted advisers in my shop, and we went for a walk and he really just taught me how to connect with the troops, to connect with people, walk around, get to really know them. And I'll have to tell you the first time I did it, I did a pass through, I went through the motions, if you will. And, you know, I came back, I was like, “Oh, OK, I did it. I did it. I'm all… I'm good, and have done my leadership duty for the day.” And he asked me, he said, “Who got a new car?” And I mentioned the airman's name of who got a new car. He goes, “What color was the car and what was the type of car?” And I was like, “Oh, OK.” And he goes, “So you didn't really care.” And I thought that's true, that's actually accurate. I needed to really care about what his first car was, and was it a truck? Was it a sedan? What was it? And so that really shaped me into really caring in a way that's already in your heart. But how do you express that in a leadership capacity? And so that changed the course of my 30-plus years in the military and then in corporate.   Naviere Walkewicz  03:07 What a powerful story. I mean, we can actually visualize you walking around. And as you know, graduates, we are kind of like, you know, task-minded. We're going to get this done. And you did it. You check the box. But to go down that next level, how do you see that actually becoming actionable across, you know, all leadership levels, you know, where you're actually walking the walk with your troops, so to speak. Can you talk about that a little bit more?   Rebecca Gray  03:32 Well, I think you have to be authentic, and be your authentic, you know, be authentic in your heart and what you're really doing. And if you don't have that, then people can feel it. People can tell if they don't feel your connection or your care concern for them. I think that really just mirrored an opportunity for me to put the two together. To your point, we're very task-minded, results-driven. When you graduate, very results-driven. It still impacts me every day, to be results, but you were doing it alongside of other people who have lives and who have things going on in their personal and professional lives, and we bring that to the table too, and really connecting with that and how to motivate people, how to encourage, how to walk with people and help them get to the results that they need to do, you know, as part of your team.   Naviere Walkewicz  04:29 Maybe, can you share an example of how you're using this? You said this has impacted you over the past 30 years. You know, it seems very clear — we're in an in middle military setting, and you're, you know, amongst your troops, you're leading beside them, you're understanding. How does that translate now and where you're at in the corporate world, at your level of leadership. What does this look like?   Rebecca Gray  04:49 I think that's a really good question, because when you look at it, you can see it very easily in the military. It plugs and plays very easily. Once you understand and you put it all together and you can develop it. You get a opportunities to develop that every day, if you will, every day you get that opportunity. But I think when you translate it into civilian life — and we all end up having a civilian life after the military — whether it's, you know a first-term enlistment, whether it's your first duty assignment, you fulfill your active-duty commitment from the Academy, whatever those years are. Whether you, you know, finish your 20 or what have you, you do transition out of military life at some point in time.   Naviere Walkewicz  05:37 Let's talk about what you're doing right now. I think it's important for our listeners to understand what that looks like and, you know, how you're leading in that space.      Rebecca Gray  05:44 Oh my gosh. I am so excited about what I do. It's the best job I've ever had. It's a great company that I work for. I work for Boingo Wireless. And what I do — my job at the company is to do anything that relates to the military. So we provide connectivity to over 100 bases around the world. I've got an incredible team that many of them have served, either as a veteran retiree or still serving. You have to understand what they know. What is their background? Where have they been? Where have they served, so to speak? What companies have they worked in? What role, leadership roles? What technology have they been around? What schools have they been to? All those things, and then also some of their things that are going on in their personal life so that you understand what's bringing them to work every day to support their personal and professional goals. And so you have to translate that, take that military experience and put that into the civilian workforce. And I think it's very powerful. It's so natural. I really actually don't think about it as much because you've developed it so such a tried and true part of who your character becomes, that coming back into civilian life and transitioning back into it, it's a great opportunity to bring all of those skill sets and move right into that — in leading teams, in learning that new chain of command, if you will, in corporate. And so that's a really powerful thing, and it feels like it's an enjoyable part of my day is the people I get to work with, the quality of people I get to work with. If I don't have that connection, I feel like I'm missing something at the end of the day.   Naviere Walkewicz  07:36 Can you share an example in which to that level that, you know, that the senior master sergeant said, “Did you know what type of car it was?” Where you've actually got to that level with someone, maybe in your civilian career, and how that has… Have you seen that actually make an impact on either performance or the results, or really just their own worth?   Rebecca Gray  07:58 Well, I think that's an interesting question. I think that can be played in two different areas. If you're in the office, there's an ability to be connected just by having lunch together, by having coffee, you know, you're in and you're around and about, and physically, there's just a different kind of energy when you're around people. So my team, we get together at some regular intervals that we set as a team for the year. We do one big, we call it an all-hands, an annual meeting, we're going to Vegas this year, and we're going in February. And so we're bringing the entire team; everybody's coming out of the field, everybody's coming from around the world, and they're all coming. We're meeting in Vegas, and we're going to spend a couple days together talking about what we accomplished last year, what we're going to do in the future, and then we also do some learnings, and, you know, things like that, some technology growth opportunities and things like that. So that's one thing that shows that you use… You're going to spend some budget dollars to really ensure that people know how you feel and how you value them as being part of this team, and making sure… I spend every other week planning this for a year and we do that every other week, and we talk about the hotel, we talk about the food, we, you know — our team-building exercises, the agenda, the T-shirts, the design of those, every detail, because I want my team to walk away at the end of that — we'll probably have over 100 people in the room — and I want everyone to walk out of that knowing that they are a valuable member of the team. So that's one thing we do, you know, on my team. And then on Monday mornings, we have a staff meeting every Monday morning, a team meeting, and the first question of the day is, “What did you do for the weekend?” And that's where we learn about all kinds of, you know, really fun things about people and what they're doing, what they're doing with their family, or who they're, you know, trying to date, or, you know, buying a new house, or, you know, all kinds of things that you learn. And then also you develop that within the team, because other people hear that question, and otherwise it's very transactional. This is what you do. This is what you can do for me. And in this fast-paced technology world, taking that time at the beginning of the meeting to say, “Let's take a pause, and I want to hear about you.” And so to me, that's another small thing, but a very powerful thing. In a fast-paced technology space, I think it's even more critical to take a pause, to take a stop and take a breath and realize the people that we're working with are… It's a gift to have this opportunity to work with one another, and I want them to feel a part of the team, even though we're in a remote setting, because most of my team is in the field. And so in that remote setting, that is even more critical, I think. So I think there's both, you know… When you're in the office, there's one way to do things, and then when you're in this more remote setting that we are — and then we're in a fast-paced technology setting. It's moving all the time, and sometimes you get into more activity and results and results and activity, and you accomplish one thing, and you're on to the next and, and that's… I don't know if that wheel spinning so fast is always, you know, healthy.   Naviere Walkewicz  11:15 Well, I really appreciate how you actually gave very specific examples of this leadership in action, because you're right: In this pace and in this remote kind of setting that many of us operate in, being able to still find that human touch and that connection to what you were speaking about that went all the way back to, you know, the senior master sergeant. But I'm sure you also had leaders throughout your military career that also exemplified some of this. Can you share any other moments while you're in uniform, where you saw some of these leadership traits that you really wanted to embody and that you've carried through your career to date?   Rebecca Gray  11:47 Gen. Hosmer was the, I think he was the calm when I was at the Academy, and he would walk around with his A-jacket. So you didn't really know if he was a cadet or not, because once you put your hat on, you can't tell. But, and you know, “Oh my gosh, it was a general just walked past me.” But he knew people's names. He remembered my name, and he remembered it for four years, and it was just a powerful moment that I remembered on my graduation, when we walked through the line with your parents, and you're doing that reception, and he said, “Rebecca, congratulations. Well done, and you did great.” And all those kinds of you know things. And I'll never forget that walk, whether he was walking on the Terrazzo and called my name, whether he remembered it going through a line of 1,000 people with all their parents, and you know, all of that. And I think that's always stuck with me, that level of remembering somebody's name, remembering who they are, that really was powerful to me early on in my military career.   Naviere Walkewicz  12:48 Oh, thank you for sharing that, because those are the moments that so many people can connect with that really do imprint on them and how they are as leaders, you know, and I'm curious, because…   Rebecca Gray  12:57 That's a good word, “imprint.” That's a really good word, “imprint.”   Naviere Walkewicz  13:03 Yeah, it feels that way. Thank you. Thank you. You know, I would love to dive into your Air Force career and the decision to transition out, because I just imagine in the way that you have done so many incredible things that your time in the military was very successful. Can you talk about what that was and then the decision to transition, why that came about and why you made it?   Rebecca Gray  13:24 That's a very powerful decision. It's a big decision to come into the military, and it's a big decision when it's time to leave. And those are hard decisions. And sometimes you leave too early, sometimes you stay in too long. You know, different things like that. But for me, it was my husband was a '93 grad. So I'm '94 he was '93 we got married at the Cadet Chapel right after I graduated in September. I share that because my husband and I were dual spouse, joint spouse. We were just talking about it the other day, because we just celebrated — it was our 31st wedding anniversary — and we looked at it and we said, “Gosh, you know, what a ride we've had.” And we got to know each other. We were in the same cadet squadron. We were both in 29 for three years and sophomore through senior year. And we both looked at each other. We were going to get separated. I was going to do a remote to Korea. He was going to Malstrom in Montana, and my follow on was Vegas, at Nellis. And so we realized we were going to be as separated for a few years, and that was a really big decision for us, because we loved the military, we loved our lifestyle, we loved our friends, we loved the camaraderie and all the things that you love, and we realized, where does that fit with our marriage and how do we pull this off? And so I think along the way, we've really tried to drive a commitment to service. We both went off active duty. We decided to go into the Reserve together, and then I eventually went into the Guard. So I ended up serving active duty, Guard and Reserve, which was really wasn't done back in the day.   Naviere Walkewicz  15:04 No, I was going to say…   Rebecca Gray  15:07 No, that was not done. I mean, you stay active duty for 20 years. You stay Reserve. You might do active duty and then Reserve, but to finish up and get to your 20… But I had three little children, and so I was able to do the Reserve. And so I think what's great about the military is, if you are open to looking at your career and seeing it as a different stages and phases of your life and letting it shape and form around that too, there are ways to serve. That was the way I felt called to serve. I think other people, active duty is the way to go, or Reserve or Guard is the way to go, you know, straight through. But for me, it gave me the flexibility, and I found that it was a lot of fun to do it that way. I got to learn different things in each of the different statuses, if you will. And I was able to put a whole career together with three little kids, and, you know, 31 years of marriage.   Naviere Walkewicz  16:04 Well, I think as a leader, those decision points — and it sounds like you were really well grounded in, you know, what do we want to commit to. Commitment to service, a commitment to each other. But I think what is so special about your career, when you look at it in seasons or in stages, is you've had some incredible opportunities to still continue to thrive professionally, even as those stages change. And if you wouldn't mind sharing some of that, because I think there's times when listeners feel like, “If my trajectory is not vertical, like in one path that you know, that everyone kind of recognizes as the path, then it's not successful.” But to your point, if you look at it in stages, and what is this stage, how do I evolve in this stage? In this stage? And maybe it's not always directly vertical, but we're still moving in it at an angle. I think it's powerful for our listeners to hear, if you don't mind sharing what that's been like.   Rebecca Gray  16:53 I made a very intentional decision to serve as a squadron commander in a certain season. So I wanted to build a life that had different components to it, and to do that, that meant you have to be intentional about that if you want to stay on one path. And I think as this world gets more complex, the technology is moving very fast. You want to stay balanced. I think the only way you can stay balanced in life is to really have different components of your life. There's a time to be a squadron commander, there's a time to be a senior leader. There's a time to be an individual contributor and there's a time to say this is, you know, for whatever myriad of reasons, health or family dynamics, or you're going through a degree program. And so you have to kind of make those things to ebb and flow appropriately. And I wanted to put those building blocks and pieces together to make something really interesting and a reason to wake up in the morning and something that got me out of bed. I do Squadron Officer School. I do, you know, ACSC, and then War College. And so you can end up checking these boxes and checking, you know, different assignments and different levels. Just like you graduate from college, you got to meet certain, you know, credit requirements and different kinds of classes and things like that. So I'm not saying it's a negative, but it shouldn't be a mindset. It should be just the way you need to get certain things done.   Naviere Walkewicz  18:17 And by the way, Sgt. Kennedy would come back and be like, “This is not enough, ma'am.” So, but you know what I really loved about what you just described? This might be the first time I've heard the description of balance, because you did it in a way that — you talked about balance being almost having holistic, a holistic view of various pillars. And there's times when you know you're bringing one of the forefront, so you're not ever saying they're in balance, where they're all, you know, equitable or like, everything is just, you know, the scale is exactly the same on both sides. But what you're saying is, there's time when you're bringing stuff to the forefront, but I'm really aware of the all of those pieces, and I think that is such a wonderful way to look at balance. Which brings me to this question of, you know, you have approached your career and, you know, being a mother and a wife was such, you know, a unique view. When did you know it was time to add onto your plate in this nonprofit space? And then you go, you know, going… So it just seems like you've made these decisions at critical points. How do you measure when that next point is supposed to come around and you take that leap?   Rebecca Gray  19:19 Sometimes, life gives you that opportunity to take a step back and say, “OK, I'm now at a critical juncture. What do I want to do?” That can be your, you know, your health, or a family dynamic, or you get accepted into a program and you want to do this. When I got accepted into that secretary of defense corporate fellowship program that's basically Air War College in residence. You can imagine doing Air War College in residence as a Guard member was very prestigious, an incredible opportunity, and then they sucked me into this fellowship opportunity. But that really changed my trajectory, because at the time, I was in nonprofit, and it pulled me out, put me back in uniform for one year. That was a one-year commitment to do War College in that capacity. And then it was after that I decided to move into corporate. And so I think there's certain times when you get those moments, and what I think is, people race through those — I think they race through that moment. And instead to take a stop and a pause and say, “Do I want to make a change at this moment? Do I want to do this?” I really didn't want to make that change. I didn't want to come out of nonprofit at the time. I didn't want to do War College in residence. I didn't want to do some of those things. And instead, I took it and I said, “I don't know where this is heading, but I'm OK with where this is gonna go.” And I don't think sometimes you need to know all those pieces before you make those decisions. And I think — because then if you need that, you're never going to have it. I mean, you just don't. And so for me, it's always a moment where you stop and you say, “This is an opportunity for me to change where I live, to change my career, to change a family dynamic.” Do you add another kid? Do you, you know, stop at three? You know, what do you do? I think what I have tried to really do is stop and really have it like, really, I really take it… Really take that moment and have that moment and say, this is a moment for me to say, is, “What do I need to change? What do I want to change?” Or nothing? Do I want — I keep going, but I have made that decision.   Naviere Walkewicz  21:30 Well, what I'm hearing from that is a level of confidence in yourself that you've probably developed over time. From, you know, the different interactions you've had from… I mean, wearing so many hats has probably actually given you a stronger confidence in what you're able to accomplish, what your capacity is when you don't really know what's all around you, so to speak, you don't have all the answers. Can we talk a little bit about when you knew that, or when you recognize that in yourself? Because when you made those decisions and you said you walked through those doors with your eyes wide open, you're essentially betting on yourself, right? You have built this trust and confidence in your ability. Can you talk about what that looks like? How you came to that? Because I think there's times where our listeners have this doubt, this self-doubt, so let's talk about that.   Rebecca Gray  22:18 If you have good, good people around you, you ask for good advice. You have a, I think, a faith that can ground you. And you know that you've been given these gifts and this skill set, and you've made certain mile markers in life. I think it just builds over time.   Naviere Walkewicz  22:39 Would you say that you recognized, I guess, betting on yourself and confidence in yourself early in the years when you started diving and recognized, “Wow, this is scary, but OK,” right? Or was it more developed later?   Rebecca Gray  22:52 I started diving when I was 10, and you know, I would be up there on the diving board. I was a little 10-year-old, and sometimes you couldn't get walked down the board. You were terrified. My coach would sit there and she would say, “OK, we're gonna go — 1, 2, 3,” and you go, you learn how to walk down that diving board, and you learn how to do things that you you're not really confident on, and you're not really… But once you master it, it's really fun. It's probably from, I think, diving, athletics, I think does that to you. You know, whether you're chasing that soccer ball and you got to go up against somebody bigger, whether you're in football, and you got to go off up against… My husband was a fullback at the Air Force Academy, and so he went up against lineman at Notre Dame and Ohio State and things like that. And he goes, “It was terrifying.” And so… But when the whistle blows and the play calls called you. You go and so you develop that strength some somehow along the way to push through.   Naviere Walkewicz  23:46 How have you developed those that have come under your care as a leader that maybe didn't have that athletic background? How do you teach them that? How do you instill in them that “go” mentality, that, you know, fear is just your body's response, gets your blood, you know, your blood flowing. How do you do that as a leader?   Rebecca Gray  24:03 I think, I think you do it by going out ahead and standing out there, and maybe you're the only one out there, so to speak, ahead of it, ahead of the team, in believing whatever direction you need to go, whatever new business direction you need to go in, or what new product line you need to develop, or what new revenue goals do you need to accomplish? And you have to go out there, and you've got to do it yourself. I'm probably more of a working leader than a leader that manages. I'm not the best manager, if you will, but I can get out in front. But I think, for me, it's just been leading out in the head, going out there and saying, this is the direction, building that conversation across the team leaders to make sure we're aligned, to make sure we're thinking the same thing. Are you reading the market the way I'm reading the market? Are you reading some of these leadership decisions within the industry that we're reading? And are we seeing this the same way — bouncing those ideas off and then developing that and that groundswell to really go for it.   Naviere Walkewicz  25:06 I want to ask you this question that's tied to this idea of understanding your capacity, your capabilities, your talents, your strengths, betting on yourself, and how you've been able to do that while you still successfully have a 31-year marri… right? Like a marriage and a family that has to also buy into those decisions. What does that look like as a leader when you're making those decisions, when you have children and a family or a spouse, you know? How do you navigate that when they also have their goals?   Rebecca Gray  25:39 Oh, it's so deep. It's so deep because…   Naviere Walkewicz  25:43 It's real because this is what they're facing. You know, all of our leaders are facing these questions.   Rebecca Gray  25:47 It is, it is. You're facing these decisions back at home, and what you've got to manage at home. You know, my husband, I really lead, and we lead by example — that we take care of our business and we do our things. And as soon as the girls were able to do a lot of things for themselves, we gave them that responsibility. That really helped. I think your kids are pretty capable, and they're really strong and they're very smart and they're wise, and they can feel the energy in the room. They can feel your commitment to them.   Naviere Walkewicz  26:19 Well, I mean, I think what I heard through all that as well, is having those values aligned like you do, and then really communicating and then just championing the responsibility and the capabilities of your family members. It seems like, you know, you don't only just do that at work, but what I'm hearing is you've done this and the home life as well, and it's continued to just really evolve your family in such a beautiful way. So thank you for sharing that with us. Because I think that's really powerful and sometimes when our listeners feel like, “Gosh, I don't know how to make this decision,” I think if you start from that place of, “Are we aligned? Do we know what our core, you know, piece is,” go from there, it seems like you've been able to navigate that really well. Thank you for sharing that. Well, I want to ask you something that you're doing every day, because as leaders… And I'm not sure what your thoughts are on this, maybe you can share, but a lot of people will talk about how “I'm always learning. I'm continuing to learn, even as a leader, I'm still learning every day.” Can you share if that's how you feel, and if so, what are you doing on a daily basis to just be a better version of yourself as a leader, professional, etc.?   Rebecca Gray  27:28 I think when you work out and you get a really good workout, and whatever that is, walking or, you know, at the gym or lifting, or whatever that is, biking or swimming — I think for me, that exercise and reading — those are probably the two things that I really work a lot on, and making sure that's just part of the day. You know, a lot of times we don't have to think too much about eating because we get hungry. But, you know, once you start exercising a lot, and you read a lot, and you have that quiet time — when you don't have it, you miss it, and so you almost get hungry for it. And so to create that consistency, so you can create that hunger. If you do skip it, or you want to skip it. Even when I travel for work, I do it. The girls know that if we're in a hotel, I'm going to go run down to the gym for a little bit. They'll come with me or not, but that's something I'm going to do regardless. And then the reading is really, really critical.   Naviere Walkewicz  28:20 You know, one of the things we also love to ask, and maybe this is a better way to ask it, is, if you were to give advice to your daughters on what they could do today to be better leaders for tomorrow, what would that be?   Rebecca Gray  28:32 I don't know if it's a goal to be a leader, but I think it's a goal to develop and be really well rounded, really solid, because you will default to being the leader. If you have that strength, you have that intellectual capacity, you have the humility. But I think having that humility is really, really critical, the well-roundedness, having different aspects to your life. You know, it can't all be just school and homework, and it needs to be whatever that is music or athletics or, you know, what have you in your faith community or something, you've got to have a well-rounded… because things come and go in your life.   Naviere Walkewicz  29:12 Well, I love how you really put that together. Because I think the key thing was, you know, I don't know that they're necessarily aspiring to be a leader, but if they aspire to be well rounded and that kind of a wholesome approach, they will be the leader in the room. And I just, I just love that, because it just makes it so clear, right? I thought that was incredible. Well, we're coming up at our time, and I just have loved this conversation. Is there anything we didn't cover that you just like, this is a time, like, we want to make sure we didn't miss anything that you would like to share.   Rebecca Gray  29:43 What you're really focused on is really powerful. And connecting the alumni, connecting the families, so that they understand what their child is going through at the Academy is really important. Realizing there's life out of the Academy, and you still need to serve, and you still need to contribute, and there's a way, there's a lot of lessons that we had at those four critical years of our life that can carry us. And I think you're really highlighting that and giving us the space to share some of that. So really appreciate that.   Naviere Walkewicz  30:15 Well, I appreciate you saying that, and I just have to share with our listeners: You know, what I've really taken away from today's conversation is that leadership begins in small moments, a cup of coffee, a conversation, you know, choosing to listen, but it grows through courage, you know, the courage to step into uncertainty, which you've done, to serve where others maybe wouldn't, and to believe in your path, even if it looks unconventional.   Rebecca Gray  30:38 It has, yeah, even if it looks unconventional, that's OK. It's OK too.   Naviere Walkewicz  30:43 And I love that you talked about how it wasn't about the titles, but it was really about the experiences and kind of having that full picture of you and the confidence to bet on yourself. So this has just been a privilege to be with you on Long Blue Leadership I want to thank everyone for listening to this Long Blue Leadership episode. If you know others that are really growing in their leadership journeys and could benefit from this, please share it with them. We love having all of you listen to these wonderful lessons on leadership from our Air Force Academy graduates. So Rebecca, again, thank you so much. We will see you another time, but for now, I'm Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99. Thanks for joining us.   KEYWORDS Rebecca Gray, leadership lessons, authentic leadership, Air Force Academy, military to corporate transition, women leaders, team connection, career development, executive leadership, Boingo Wireless, building confidence, personal growth, leadership podcast, work-life balance, empowering teams, transformational leadership, continuous learning, squadron commander, leadership journey, remote team management, military experience, family and career balance, purpose-driven leadership, leading by example, leadership advice, mentoring, professional development, inspirational stories, alumni connections, values-driven leadership.       The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation    

Dustin NolenBS, School of Engineering, 2008President, Vista EngineeringMore InformationVista Engineering - websiteDustin Nolen, P.E. - LinkedIn

Hour 3 of The Big Show with Matty Rose & Patrick Dumas is on demand! Matty and Patty are joined by Flames Alumni Joel Otto and Martin Gelinas to kick off the Alumni toy drive the 7th Annual Alumni Toy Drive, proudly supported by Great Clips, to bring holiday cheer to local families in need.(12:42) Later on, the president of the Prostate Cancer Centre to continue to raise awareness for Men's prostate cancer. Plus, the guys hear the best texts of the day and give away a pair of tickets to Guns N' Roses.The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate. Get full Flames games and great shows like Quick 60: The Stamps Show, Wranglers Watch and more ON DEMAND.

From losing his $25,000 life savings on his first startup investment to democratizing venture capital for everyday investors, Gerry Hays shares proven strategies for making early-stage investing accessible through VentureStaking while teaching founders outside traditional tech hubs how to raise capital and build sustainable businesses. In this episode of the DealQuest Podcast, host Corey Kupfer sits down with Gerry Hays, founder and CEO of Doriot and Senior Lecturer at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. Gerry has made 75+ startup investments, taught venture capital for 20 years, and built multiple companies from zero to exit, including HomeYeah.com and Charlie Biggs Food Company. His current mission focuses on expanding venture capital access beyond coastal hubs through innovative funding models. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: In this episode, you'll discover how to participate in early-stage startup investing with as little as $10 through the VentureStaking model, why the right to invest later in winning companies proves more valuable than over-investing today, and how collapsing startup costs are fundamentally changing capital requirements for founders. Gerry shares strategies for avoiding what he calls "the fool's tax" when making your first investments, the critical importance of backing founders over ideas, and why venture investing resembles poker more than roulette. You'll also learn about building venture ecosystems within universities where students and alumni can collaborate on funding and growth, navigating the decision between raising capital versus bootstrapping your business, and the difference between venture-appropriate businesses versus lifestyle companies. The conversation explores tokenization's potential to create an ownership economy, why cultivation mindset beats consumption thinking for long-term wealth building, and what freedom from scarcity truly means in both dealmaking and life. GERRY'S JOURNEY: Gerry's path into venture capital came through painful education. After leaving law practice after just six months, he made his first investment at age 27, putting his entire life savings of $25,000 into a hazardous waste processing technology. He knew the space intimately from running lobbying for Indiana's Department of Environmental Management. The technology made sense. The market opportunity was clear. But the founder couldn't execute, and Gerry lost everything. That lesson kept him away from startup investing for a decade. Instead, he became a founder himself, launching HomeYeah.com during the dot-com boom. He acquired a small Indianapolis company with 25 lawn signs and built it into the 11th largest real estate company in Indianapolis by transactions, growing from zero to $1.8 million in revenue in just 20 to 24 months. The company sold to Help-U-Sell Real Estate in 2003, but not before Gerry experienced the challenge of raising capital outside traditional tech hubs. After the HomeYeah.com exit, Indiana University invited him to teach a new venture capital course. He's been there since 2004, creating what he calls a bridge between academic theory and real-world startup practice. Meanwhile, he co-founded Charlie Biggs Food Company, scaling it from zero to $10 million in revenue with distribution in over 1,000 retail locations before exiting through a private equity deal. FIRST INVESTMENT LESSONS: That initial $25,000 loss taught Gerry what he calls "avoiding the fool's tax." The fundamental insight was simple but profound. When you invest, you're really investing in founders more than ideas. He was simply a bad picker of founders at that point. The technology expertise didn't matter. Market knowledge didn't matter. What mattered was identifying founders who could execute through inevitable obstacles and pivots. This lesson shaped everything that followed. Gerry wouldn't touch startup investing again for ten years after that loss. When he did return, his approach centered on cultivating relationships with founders over time, watching how they respond to challenges, and building diversified portfolios that acknowledge most investments will fail. VENTURESTAKING MODEL: The VentureStaking approach emerged from Gerry's years of teaching and investing. The model allows investors to participate with as little as $10 in early-stage founders. Instead of writing large checks for immediate equity, venture stakers provide small grants to founders just getting started. If those founders break out and raise a real equity round, the stakers get invited to invest at 10 times their initial stake. The math works elegantly. Out of 25 investments of $10 each totaling $250, you might only see three worth backing in a real round. But when winners emerge, you've earned the right to participate in meaningful equity rounds without the traditional barriers to entry. This democratizes access while maintaining sophisticated portfolio construction principles. Gerry likens venture investing to poker rather than roulette. You play many hands with small amounts. You fold most of them. But when you spot real winners, you bet heavy. This is cultivation versus consumption, a long-term wealth-building game that Warren Buffett exemplifies, having created 99% of his wealth after age 65. THE COLLAPSING COST OF STARTING: One of the most profound shifts Gerry identifies is how startup costs have collapsed. What required $5 million to build ten years ago can now be created in a day for $50 thanks to AI agents, no-code platforms, and cloud services. This changes everything about capital requirements and who can be a founder. This trend combines with tokenization to create what Gerry calls an ownership economy. Instead of owning a few stocks generating passive income, people could hold tokens in 150 companies, each generating small amounts of passive income without traditional barriers to entry. The infrastructure for this future is being built now through blockchain technology and regulatory evolution. UNIVERSITY VENTURE ECOSYSTEMS: Gerry's work brings the VentureStaking model to universities, creating ecosystems where students, alumni, and faculty can participate in funding and building the next generation of startups. Indiana University has 70,000 students and 800,000 alumni. Imagine creating an arena where students pitch ideas, alumni back them with small stakes, and the community participates in the upside when founders succeed. Shared information, shared risk, shared prosperity. This approach captures innovation traditional VCs miss entirely. Founders outside coastal hubs gain access to capital. Alumni gain access to investment opportunities typically reserved for accredited investors with six-figure minimums. Students learn by doing rather than just studying theory. The model scales to any university willing to build the infrastructure. KEY INSIGHTS: Geographic location shouldn't determine access to capital. Gerry experienced this firsthand with HomeYeah.com in Indianapolis. He wasn't in California. He didn't have the right connections. That challenge drives his current work at Doriot, focused on democratizing venture capital for founders and investors outside traditional hubs. The Sam Altman example illustrates how network effects compound. Altman invested $15,000 in Stripe in 2009, now worth $650 million. That wealth creates access to more deals. Those deals create more wealth. The rich get richer not because they're smarter but because they have access. VentureStaking aims to expand that access. Contracts matter, but people matter just as much. Gerry's experience shows that when something seems too easy, like tenants responding unusually quickly to lease documents without redlines for 10-15 year commitments, it raises red flags. You can have perfect legal documents but still face challenges if you're working with the wrong people. THE SHARK TANK STORY: Gerry shares his Shark Tank experience where his former student pitched a business and received a $250,000 offer from Mark Cuban for 35% equity. Gerry advised him that existing SAFEs would push him below 50% ownership. The founder turned down Cuban's offer. That "no" to Mark Cuban kicked off Season 4 of Shark Tank and generated publicity that proved more valuable than the deal itself. The company continued growing without the investment. CULTIVATION VERSUS CONSUMPTION: One of Gerry's most powerful insights addresses how society trains people for consumption rather than cultivation. We've made sports betting legal. Prediction markets are booming. We're training young people about fast-moving money and dopamine hits. But venture investing is a cultivation game. You're dropping seeds into the ground and watching what the universe brings back. He gave a student $5,000 who wanted to build something in the travel industry. The founder pivoted to AI and Shopify and just raised $8 million at a $55 million valuation. That $5,000 investment is now worth over $200,000. The bet wasn't on the idea. It was on a founder who wouldn't quit. That's something you discover by playing the game, getting yourself into wealth-building activities where you're patient, watching, and learning. FREEDOM FROM SCARCITY: When asked about freedom, Gerry's answer cut to something fundamental. Being free from a scarcity mindset is profoundly important. Everything around us reinforces scarcity. But when you let go of that and realize how abundant things really are, it changes how you see opportunities. You can afford to be patient. You can take calculated risks. You can help others succeed knowing there's enough to go around. This mindset applies to venture capital, to dealmaking, to entrepreneurship, and to life. When you operate from abundance rather than scarcity, you see opportunities differently. Capital formation is evolving. The question is whether that evolution will democratize opportunity or concentrate it further. Gerry's betting on democratization. Perfect for investors curious about venture capital but feeling locked out of traditional opportunities, founders outside coastal tech hubs seeking capital, university administrators exploring venture ecosystem development, and anyone interested in how capital formation is evolving to become more accessible while maintaining sophisticated portfolio construction principles. FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE: https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/gerryhays FOR MORE ON GERRY HAYS:https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerryhays/ https://doriot.com FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFERhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/https://www.coreykupfer.com/ Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today! Episode Highlights with Timestamps [00:00] - Introduction to Gerry Hays and the VentureStaking model [02:15] - Growing up around real estate and finding it boring initially [04:30] - The $25,000 first investment loss and avoiding the fool's tax [07:45] - Launching HomeYeah.com during the dot-com boom and growing to $1.8 million [10:20] - Capital raising challenges outside traditional tech hubs [12:30] - Selling HomeYeah.com to Help-U-Sell Real Estate in 2003 [14:15] - Teaching venture capital at Indiana University since 2004 [16:45] - Building Charlie Biggs Food Company from zero to $10 million in revenue [19:30] - The VentureStaking model explained with $10 minimum investments [22:15] - Why venture investing is poker, not roulette [25:00] - The collapsing cost of starting companies from millions to dollars [27:30] - Tokenization and the ownership economy vision [30:45] - The $5,000 investment now worth $200,000 after founder pivoted to AI [33:20] - Sam Altman's $15,000 Stripe investment now worth $650 million [36:00] - Building venture ecosystems within universities [39:15] - The Shark Tank story where student turned down Mark Cuban [42:00] - Cultivation versus consumption mindset for wealth building [44:30] - Warren Buffett creating 99% of wealth after age 65 [46:45] - Freedom from scarcity mindset in dealmaking and life Guest Bio Gerry Hays is the founder and CEO of Doriot, a platform focused on democratizing venture capital by expanding access for entrepreneurs outside traditional coastal hubs. He is also a Senior Lecturer at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, where he has taught Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Finance since 2004. Gerry began his career in politics and law before founding HomeYeah.com, an online real estate platform that grew from zero to $1.8 million in revenue in 20-24 months and became the 11th largest real estate company in Indianapolis by transactions. The company was acquired by the private equity firm behind Help-U-Sell Real Estate in 2003. He co-founded Charlie Biggs Food Company, growing it to over $10 million in annual revenue with distribution in over 1,000 retail locations before exiting through a private equity deal. He also co-founded Apparel Media Group, later acquired by Custom Ink. An active investor, Gerry has backed 75+ early-stage companies, several of which have raised over $20 million or achieved profitability. He has been investing in Bitcoin and Bitcoin Layer 2 infrastructure since 2013. Gerry is the author of The First-Time Founders Equity Bible and has led student venture immersion trips to Asia for over a decade. Host Bio Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker with more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Show Description Do you want your business to grow faster? The DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer reveals how successful entrepreneurs and business leaders use strategic deals to accelerate growth. From large mergers and acquisitions to capital raising, joint ventures, strategic alliances, real estate deals, and more, this show discusses the full spectrum of deal-driven growth strategies. Get the confidence to pursue deals that will help your company scale faster. Related Episodes Episode 350 - Tom Dillon on Fractional CFOs and Alternative Funding Sources: Learn how fractional CFO services help companies explore diverse funding options beyond traditional venture capital. Episode 351 - Solocast on Deal Structures Beyond M&A and Capital Raising: Explore joint ventures, strategic alliances, licensing agreements, and other creative partnership models that expand growth options. Episode 89 - Sherisse Hawkins on the Capital Raising Journey: Discover the practical realities of securing investment as a founder and navigating the funding landscape. Episode 85 - Nick Adams on Seed Stage Venture Capital Funds: Understand how traditional VCs evaluate early-stage deals and what metrics matter most to institutional investors. Episode 175 - Natasha Miller on Developing Strategic Partnerships: Master the concepts of shared risk, shared resources, and creative collaboration structures that bring communities together. Episode 185 - Maximilian Rast on How to Raise Capital for Your Company: Build the fundamentals of capital raising that apply across venture, real estate, and business growth strategies. Social Media Follow DealQuest Podcast:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/Website: https://www.coreykupfer.com/ Follow Gerry Hays: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerryhays/ Company: https://doriot.com Twitter: @gerryhays Keywords/Tags venture capital democratization, VentureStaking model, early stage investing, startup funding alternatives, university venture ecosystems, tokenization investing, accredited investor alternatives, cultivation mindset wealth building, venture capital accessibility, startup investment diversification, capital raising strategies, founder backing strategies, angel investing, entrepreneurship education, blockchain tokenization, ownership economy, portfolio diversification, founder selection strategies, dealmaking strategies

As the youngest founder in her Rice MBA cohort, Allison Knight '10 knows a thing or two about blazing a trail. At just 24 years old, she co-founded Rebellion Photonics, which used cutting-edge technology to identify and quantify gas leaks on oil rigs, preventing catastrophic explosions. Knight went on to sell Rebellion Photonics to Honeywell in 2019, and is now codifying blue collar genius through Alaris AI. In this episode, Knight joins host Brian Jackson '21 to discuss how Rebellion Photonics used early AI technology to improve hyperspectral imaging and revolutionize gas leak detection. She also opens up about her experience as a young woman founder in a predominantly male industry, her role as an adjunct professor at Rice Business and why she believes blue collar work is the next frontier for AI exploration. Episode Guide:00:00 Introduction to Allison Knight01:09 Founding Rebellion Photonics02:25 Challenges and Innovations in Gas Leak Detection03:48 The Role of AI in Rebellion Photonics04:26 Reflections on Being a Young Founder12:44 Lessons From Startup Life16:25 Introducing Alaris AI: AI for Blue Collar Workers23:35 Teaching AI at Rice Business27:52 The Future of AI in the Workforce32:44 Final Thoughts and ReflectionsThe Owl Have You Know Podcast is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.Episode Quotes:On being a young entrepreneur12:17: I was 24. I was the youngest student in the Rice MBA program, and I had gotten a prestigious, semi-prestigious investment banking job that I had accepted. And then I did the thing you're not supposed to do under any circumstances, which is renege on a job. They do not like that. But I am a physicist more than I am an MBA. Science and tech still make me the happiest. So, I ended up, even at Rice, just hanging out with Rice techies, like other applied physicists. Yeah. And it was just too tempting. I knew I should do the investment banking job, but I just could not do it. I had to go for this crazy methane emissions monitoring company. And I loved it.Allison's first AI moment08:31: I think everyone will experience this, and I just happen to experience this 15, 16 years ago. It is your, like, AI moment—that first time where you run some code with AI. We had been trying to do real-time video detecting and imaging gas leaks in real time and kind of making do with it, and they were ugly. But then we brought in AI and started doing very, very, very, very basic machine learning, and it was just like magic, Brian. It was magic.On AI's next frontier17:20: Pretty much across the board, AI really sucks for blue-collar work. With white-collar work, we can just boop, boop, boop—take the generic ChatGPT, and it works beautifully. And that's because we, white-collar workers, have been typing for a long time. We've got all their documents in different folders, new ones, and so it's all been trained on that for the most part. So it's really trained on white-collar documentation and meant for it. Blue-collar documentation—basically, manuals and SOPs—has inherently always been stinky. But more importantly, none of the documentation has been done on what's in their head, what's in the foreman's head, the supervisor's head, or the individual's head. And so, when you don't have that data documented, structured, codified, the AI will be useless.Show Links: Alaris AITranscriptGuest Profile:Allison Knight | Rice BusinessLinkedIn Profile

TigerTalk offers a look at Northeast Mississippi Community College's legislative focus for Fiscal Year 2027 as Marketing and Public Relations Specialist Liz Calvery joins Northeast president Dr. Ricky G. Ford for a detailed conversation on statewide community college needs. Calvery guides the discussion as Ford outlines priorities shared by all 15 colleges in Mississippi, including a proposed six percent raise for faculty, staff and all employees, support for rising operational costs and continued funding for the Career Tech Advantage Program that supplies updated equipment and new programs for workforce training. Ford also explains the system's request for $150 million in capital improvements and repairs, with Northeast seeking between $6 million and $8 million. In total, Mississippi's community colleges are asking lawmakers for $211.5 million in state support for the upcoming fiscal year. Plus, get the latest updates on athletics, academics, workforce development, and all the incredible things happening at one of the nation's premier community colleges.