Podcasts about illinois institute

Ultima and World-Building in the Computer Role-Playing Game (Amherst College Press, 2024) is the first scholarly book to focus exclusively on the long-running Ultima series of computer role-playing games (RPG) and to assess its lasting impact on the RPG genre and video game industry. Through archival and popular media sources, examinations of fan communities, and the game itself, this book historicizes the games and their authors. By attending to the salient moments and sites of game creation throughout the series' storied past, authors Carly A. Kocurek and Matthew Thomas Payne detail the creative choices and structural forces that brought Ultima's celebrated brand of role-playing to fruition. This book first considers the contributions of series founder and lead designer, Richard Garriott, examining how his fame and notoriety as a pioneering computer game auteur shaped Ultima's reception and paved the way for the evolution of the series. Next, the authors retrace the steps that Garriott took in fusing analog, tabletop role-playing with his self-taught lessons in computer programming. Close textual analyses of Ultima I outline how its gameplay elements offered a foundational framework for subsequent innovations in design and storytelling. Moving beyond the game itself, the authors assess how marketing materials and physical collectibles amplified its immersive hold and how the series' legions of fans have preserved the series. Game designers, long-time gamers, and fans will enjoy digging into the games' production history and mechanics while media studies and game scholars will find Ultima and World-Building in the Computer Role-Playing Game a useful extension of inquiry into authorship, media history, and the role of fantasy in computer game design. Carly A. Kocurek is professor of digital humanities and media studies at the Illinois Institute of Technology. She is the author of Coin-Operated Americans: Rebooting Boyhood at the Video Game Arcade (Minnesota, 2015) and Brenda Laurel: Pioneering Games for Girls (Bloomsbury, 2017).Matthew Thomas Payne is associate professor of ?lm, television, and theatre at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of Playing War: Military Video Games after 9/11 (NYU Press, 2016), and is a co-editor of How to Play Video Games (NYU Press, 2019) and Joystick Soldiers: The Politics of Play in Military Video Games (Routledge, 2009). Rudolf Thomas Inderst (*1978) enjoys video games since 1985. He received a master's degree in political science, American cultural studies as well as contemporary and recent history from Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich and holds two PhDs in game studies (LMU & University of Passau). Currently, he's teaching as a professor for game design and game studies at the University of Applied Sciences Neu-Ulm, has submitted his third dissertation at the University of Vechta, holds the position as lead editor at the online journal Titel kulturmagazin for the game section, hosts the German local radio show Replay Value and is editor of the weekly game research newsletter DiGRA D-A-CH Game Studies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Episode Summary: Angela Wang – 30 Years in Hong Kong LawThis episode features Angela Wang, a Singapore-trained lawyer who made the bold decision to establish her own boutique law firm in Hong Kong back in 1995. Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, her firm stands as a testament to her vision for independence and her sharp understanding of Hong Kong's dynamic legal landscape.Angela shares how she skillfully navigated through multiple global financial crises while building a thriving cross-border practice, particularly benefiting from China's market opening. She offers unique insights by contrasting Hong Kong's entrepreneurial spirit with Singapore's more structured environment, shedding light on what truly sets Hong Kong's legal market apart.The episode delves into how her firm focused on mid-sized transactions, her strategies for adapting to Hong Kong's challenging business culture, and her resilience in surviving various economic downturns since 1995. She also touches on leveraging opportunities within China's evolving market and her thoughtful approach to balancing AI integration with traditional legal practice. It's an inspiring story of determination, adaptability, and a genuine passion for law, leading to three decades of remarkable success in one of Asia's most vibrant legal hubs.Our GuestAngela WangAngela is a graduate from the National University of Singapore and has practised with major international law firms in Singapore, Australia and Hong Kong. Angela regularly advises major international clients including Fortune 500 companies on a wide range of corporate matters including the takeover of listed companies, IPOs, substantial asset restructuring, capital fund raising, cross border private equity transactions and structured financing in Hong Kong China and South East Asia. She also acts for China state owned enterprises and Chinese domestic companies and entrepreneurs in their various investments overseas.Angela is a regular speaker at legal conferences for corporate counsel and business chambers in Hong Kong, Singapore and China.Our HostAjay ShamdasaniAjay Shamdasani is a veteran writer, editor and researcher based in Hong Kong. He holds an AB in history and government from Ripon College, JD and MIPCT degrees from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce Law School, and an LLM in financial regulation from the Illinois Institute of Technology's Chicago-Kent College of Law.His 15-year long career as a financial and legal journalist began as deputy editor of A Plus magazine – the journal of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. From there, he assumed the helm of Macau Business magazine as its editor-in-chief, and later, joined Asialaw magazine as its deputy editor.More recently, he spent close to seven years as a senior correspondent with Thomson Reuters' subscription-based trade-wire service Regulatory Intelligence/Compliance Complete (previously called Complinet) in Hong Kong. While there, he covered regulatory developments in that city, as well as Singapore, India and South Korea.

Most businesses are built on a linear model: take, make, and discard. But that norm is reaching its limits, and leaders are under pressure to find smarter, more sustainable ways to operate. Weslynne Ashton is a systems scientist and professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology. In her masterclass at HBR's 2024 Leaders Who Make a Difference conference, she explains how companies can shift to a circular economic strategy. One that reduces waste, reinvests in communities, and creates long-term value. She shares how businesses around the world are rethinking products, partnerships, and growth itself to build more resilient, regenerative business models. Key episode topics include: environmental sustainability, corporate social responsibility, ESG, climate change, business models, strategy, competitive strategy HBR On Strategy curates the best conversations and case studies with the world's top business and management experts, to help you unlock new ways of doing business. New episodes every week. Learn more about HBR's 2024 Leaders Who Make a Difference Conference Find more Harvard Business Review live events Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org ]]>

Are legal costs a burden or a strategic investment for your venture capital-backed company? In this episode of "Heart of the Matter," we chat with David Cameron of David Cameron Law Office about fundamentally transforming your view of legal representation. David explains why lawyers are now essential for VC-backed firms scaling rapidly and navigating complex capital tables. We discuss why innovative boutique law firms with fixed-fee models are often the perfect fit for their unique needs. You'll also learn how legal compliance can be a powerful strategic advantage that builds trust, especially in fast-moving sectors like fintech and AI. This conversation will challenge you to see legal spending as a genuine strategic investment that boosts growth and relationships. Ultimately, it's about seeing your legal counsel as true strategic partners in your VC-backed business's future.Our GuestDavid CameronDavid is a dual-qualified Hong Kong solicitor and New York attorney who has been advising on corporate matters and financial transactions across Asia, based out of Hong Kong, for over 16 years. David has worked for Linklaters and Allen & Overy in addition to, most recently, being a Partner at Dorsey & Whitney. ​​​David has a proven track-record of helping clients with enthusiasm and an entrepreneurial approach. This has resulted in multiple first-ever transactions and initiatives that have led to first-ever national rankings and various international awards. David is consistently ranked globally by institutions such as IFLR1000 and also ranked regionally by institutions such as IBLJ's Top 100 International A-List. ​David holds three graduate degrees, a JD, an MBA and an MA, from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA from Georgetown University.​Our HostAjay ShamdasaniAjay Shamdasani is a veteran writer, editor and researcher based in Hong Kong. He holds an AB in history and government from Ripon College, JD and MIPCT degrees from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce Law School, and an LLM in financial regulation from the Illinois Institute of Technology's Chicago-Kent College of Law.His 15-year long career as a financial and legal journalist began as deputy editor of A Plus magazine – the journal of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. From there, he assumed the helm of Macau Business magazine as its editor-in-chief, and later, joined Asialaw magazine as its deputy editor.More recently, he spent close to seven years as a senior correspondent with Thomson Reuters' subscription-based trade-wire service Regulatory Intelligence/Compliance Complete (previously called Complinet) in Hong Kong. While there, he covered regulatory developments in that city, as well as Singapore, India and South Korea.

Pop! Yourself has become the ultimate gift for special moments and celebrations such as Father's Day and Graduation. Seasonal Father's Day-themed accessories add more value to the millions of combinations offered through personal stylization. Plus, graduation gowns and accessories offer a truly great opportunity to tailor the Pop!pleganger to your grad.Jenn Reeves serves as Funko's Senior Vice President of Brand. She is a brand builder with more than 20 years of experience reinventing and revitalizing global lifestyle brands across diverse industries, including fashion, footwear, home furnishings, and food and beverage. Ms. Reeves is a consumer-centric leader known for her disruptive and creative approach to brand building. She has a proven track record of developing high-performing teams, mentoring talent, and fostering cultures of innovation and collaboration. Ms. Reeves earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, an MBA from Webster University in St. Louis, MO, and a master's degree in human-centered design from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.

  The Green Impact Report Quick take: Andre Baros shares how technology can transform the overwhelming process of material selection, making sustainability data more accessible and helping architects make responsible choices without disrupting their workflow. Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion Andre Baros is an architect whose career has been anchored in sustainability, curiosity, and rigor. After graduating from Illinois Institute of Technology, he worked with award-winning firms including Harry Weese Associates, Wheeler Kearns Architects, and HOK.  With over two decades of experience ranging from small-scale projects to 12-million-square-foot developments, Andre has recently joined ACE Labs to revolutionize how architects access material information.  His personal commitment to sustainability includes 17 years of plant-based eating and 25 years of primarily using bicycles and public transit for transportation.

Pop! Yourself has become the ultimate gift for special moments and celebrations such as Father's Day and Graduation. Seasonal Father's Day-themed accessories add more value to the millions of combinations offered through personal stylization. Plus, graduation gowns and accessories offer a truly great opportunity to tailor the Pop!pleganger to your grad.Jenn Reeves serves as Funko's Senior Vice President of Brand. She is a brand builder with more than 20 years of experience reinventing and revitalizing global lifestyle brands across diverse industries, including fashion, footwear, home furnishings, and food and beverage. Ms. Reeves is a consumer-centric leader known for her disruptive and creative approach to brand building. She has a proven track record of developing high-performing teams, mentoring talent, and fostering cultures of innovation and collaboration. Ms. Reeves earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, an MBA from Webster University in St. Louis, MO, and a master's degree in human-centered design from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-like-it-s-live--4113802/support.

Sean Park, Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, on the impact of dollar stores in rural communities.  CHS Agronomist Kurt Lahr discusses two products. Kevin Raber, Wabash County, on the heavy rains experienced in southern Illinois last week.

A sustainable systems scientist, Weslynne Ashton is professor of environmental management and sustainability at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where she also co-directs ID's Food Systems Action Lab.Here she discusses her work in industrial ecology and the circular economy, drawing from her experiences growing up in Trinidad. Weslynne argues that businesses need to adopt a more holistic view of value creation and regeneration, moving beyond purely financial metrics. Weslynne Ashton's research, teaching, and practice are oriented around transitioning socio-ecological systems to create more sustainable and regenerative business practices and emphasizes the importance of expanding beyond traditional views of capital to include eight different types: natural, human, financial, manufactured, social, political, cultural, and digital. But how do we get these multiple capitals onto the balance sheet of business? Find out more in this conversation with hosts Geoff Tuff and Des Dearlove.This podcast is part of an ongoing series of interviews with executives. The executives' participation in this podcast are solely for educational purposes based on their knowledge of the subject and the views expressed by them are solely their own. This podcast should not be deemed or construed to be for the purpose of soliciting business for any of the companies mentioned, nor does Deloitte advocate or endorse the services or products provided by these companies.

Discover why the U.S. securities laws, despite being considered the global "gold standard," have significant flaws in their insider trading framework. Professor Marc Steinberg reveals how the current system, based on vague fiduciary duty concepts, creates unfair outcomes and legal uncertainties.Drawing from his book "Rethinking Securities Law," Steinberg highlights the stark contrast between U.S. regulations and other developed markets. While other jurisdictions clearly prohibit trading on material non-public information, the U.S. approach leaves concerning loopholes, particularly in M&A situations.Key insights include:The need for a comprehensive "access" approach to insider trading rulesProblems with SEC's extraterritorial enforcementTensions between SEC regulations and Supreme Court decisionsComparison with more effective EU and Singapore modelsReady to dive deep into the complexities of securities law and understand why reform is crucial? Listen to this eye-opening episode that challenges everything you thought you knew about U.S. insider trading regulations.Our GuestMarc I. SteinbergMarc I. Steinberg is the Radford Professor of Law at the SMU School of Law. He has served as a Professor, Fellow, or has lectured at several other prominent universities, including the University of Cambridge, Oxford University, King's College London, University of Hong Kong, and University of Pennsylvania.  Professor Steinberg was an attorney for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He also has been retained as an expert witness in several high profile cases.  Professor Steinberg is the most prolific author of securities law scholarship in the United States, having authored more than 150 law review articles as well as approximately 50 books. He is editor-in-chief of The International Lawyer and The Securities Regulation Law Journal.  Our HostAjay ShamdasaniAjay Shamdasani is a veteran writer, editor and researcher based in Hong Kong. He holds an AB in history and government from Ripon College, JD and MIPCT degrees from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce Law School, and an LLM in financial regulation from the Illinois Institute of Technology's Chicago-Kent College of Law.His 15-year long career as a financial and legal journalist began as deputy editor of A Plus magazine – the journal of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. From there, he assumed the helm of Macau Business magazine as its editor-in-chief, and later, joined Asialaw magazine as its deputy editor.More recently, he spent close to seven years as a senior correspondent with Thomson Reuters' subscription-based trade-wire service Regulatory Intelligence/Compliance Complete (previously called Complinet) in Hong Kong. While there, he covered regulatory developments in that city, as well as Singapore, India and South Korea.

The episode covers key aspects of competition law in India, focusing on the Competition Commission of India's (CCI) approach to mergers and anti-competitive practices. The CCI scrutinizes deals where combined market shares exceed 30-40%, particularly among competitors, but has never blocked a transaction since the merger control regime began in 2011. Indian law generally treats companies and their subsidiaries as a single economic entity, except in bidding markets where group companies must avoid sharing sensitive information. The conversation highlights India's evolving competition law, drawing from mature jurisdictions while tailoring rules for the local market. Foreign investors are typically well-informed about Indian competition laws, aligning with approval processes and rules. The evolving legal landscape is seen as an exciting time for competition law practitioners in India.Our GuestVaibhav ChoukseVaibhav is a Partner in the Firm's Competition Law Practice with over 16 years of experience. He has been practicing competition law since its inception in India, specializing in complex litigation, and merger control, advising clients across diverse industries. His expertise spans complex competition matters before the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and appellate courts.In litigation, Vaibhav routinely advises multinational corporations and industry associations on cartel investigations and leniency, dawn raids, vertical agreements, abuse of dominance, and competition compliance. He has successfully defended global auto-component manufacturers, a multiplex operator, and a leading paper manufacturer in cartel cases. He currently advises major players in the seed, pharmaceutical, cement, and financial sectors in ongoing cartel and vertical restraint investigations. In abuse of dominance matters, he represents Hyundai and Ford in India's first auto-parts aftermarket abuse case and FabHotels in India's first MFN case against MakeMyTrip and OYO. He also represented Nuziveedu Seeds in its abuse of dominance case against Monsanto before the CCI and Delhi High Court. He is also involved in constitutional and procedural challenges to CCI investigations before various High Courts. Recently, he secured a stay on the CCI's investigation against sellers on a leading e-commerce platform from various High Courts.In merger control, he has secured approvals for complex transactions, including ONGC/ NTPC/ Ayana Renewable, Del Monte/ Agro Tech Foods, Coforge/Cigniti, BPEA EQT/Indira/ HDFC Credila, Temasek/Manipal Hospitals, KKR/Hero Future Energies, IBM/Kyndryl, TVS Group restructuring, Ford/Mahindra, Goldman Sachs/ReNew Power (SPAC), and Trafigura/Essar Oil.A prolific author and speaker, Vaibhav contributes to leading competition law journals and newspapers and frequently speaks at industry forums. He is recognized among India's top competition lawyers by Chambers & Partners, Who's Who Legal, Legal500, Forbes Powelist, AsiaLaw, and Global Competition Review.  Vaibhav was recently recognized in Asian Legal Business (ALB) Asia 40 Under 40, 2024 as one of Asia's top 40 legal talents under 40, distinguished as the only competition lawyer on the list.He holds a master's degree in Competition Law from King's College London, where he had the privilege of studying under Prof. Richard Whish KC (Hon) in EU Competition Law. Our HostAjay ShamdasaniAjay Shamdasani is a veteran writer, editor and researcher based in Hong Kong. He holds an AB in history and government from Ripon College, JD and MIPCT degrees from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce Law School, and an LLM in financial regulation from the Illinois Institute of Technology's Chicago-Kent College of Law.His 15-year long career as a financial and legal journalist began as deputy editor of A Plus magazine – the journal of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. From there, he assumed the helm of Macau Business magazine as its editor-in-chief, and later, joined Asialaw magazine as its deputy editor.More recently, he spent close to seven years as a senior correspondent with Thomson Reuters' subscription-based trade-wire service Regulatory Intelligence/Compliance Complete (previously called Complinet) in Hong Kong. While there, he covered regulatory developments in that city, as well as Singapore, India and South Korea.

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks sits down with Dr. Kevin Maki to dive into his systematic review on the impact of beef consumption on heart disease risk factors. Dr. Maki breaks down the complexities of defining red meat in research, highlighting the challenges and inconsistencies in dietary studies. He explains the key differences between processed and unprocessed meats, and the comparison groups used in these studies, offering a deep dive into the heart health risk factors that matter most. Tune in as Dr. Maki shares the interesting findings from his research, how they should shape our diets and dietary recommendations, and the innovative dietary interventions he believes could optimize heart health in the future. (Since they are currently dominating the news...,he also discusses interesting research about seed oils!)  If you're curious about the science behind beef, heart disease, and what dietary changes might make the biggest impact, this episode is for you. Dr. Maki is the President and Chief Science Officer of MB Clinical Research and Consulting, LLC, specializing in clinical studies on nutrition, metabolism, and chronic disease risk management. He holds adjunct faculty positions at DePaul University and Illinois Institute of Technology and is a Fellow of the National Lipid Association, The Obesity Society, and the American College of Nutrition. Dr. Maki has contributed to over 250 clinical trials and published more than 200 scientific works. With a Ph.D. in Epidemiology and an M.S. in Preventive Cardiovascular Health, he is an expert in cardiometabolic disease prevention and the science of genetics, lifestyle, and chronic disease risk. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or X.On Youtube.Or TikTok.SUBSCRIBE to her monthly newsletter here.Support the show

  The Green Impact Report Quick take: From architect to researcher, Stuart Shell reveals how evidence and nature-inspired thinking are transforming sustainable design beyond conventional metrics to create holistic building solutions that benefit both people and the planet. Meet Your Fellow Sustainability Champion Stuart Shell works with an interdisciplinary team at BranchPattern to create building solutions that place people first. As an architect-turned-researcher, he focuses on what occupants need to be healthy and engaged.  At BranchPattern, their beliefs are rooted in nature which has taught them that true sustainability sits at the intersection of human experience and environmental stewardship. Stuart Shell received a Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a Master of Science in Architectural Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  Stuart is also certified by the Center for Active Design as a Fitwel Ambassador, Autodesk in Building Performance Analysis, the League of American Bicyclists as a League Certified Instructor, and the State of Nebraska as a Registered Architect.  In addition, he is credentialed by the U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED AP and by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) as a WELL AP. Finally, he has been certified by The Center for Health Design in EDAC.

In this episode, we interview Tony Colon, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Product Customer Excellence at ServiceNow. Tony holds a Computer Science degree from Illinois Institute of Technology and a Master’s Degree from MIT Sloan and with over 20 years of experience, he has driven customer success and innovation, building four $100 million businesses at industry giants like Salesforce and Cisco. Tony champions diversity, inclusivity, and lifelong learning, embodying his motto: "Always be learning, always be coachable." He’s actively involved in social and professional initiatives, serving on advisory boards such as Covenant House and the Hispanic IT Executive Council, and was named to the High Tech 100 in 2019. He also earned the title of Gender Equality Superhero by Fairygodboss. The Customer Connection Podcast helps you learn about the implementation and adoption of the ServiceNow platform. This show is led by Jerry Campbell, Customer Experience Expert and Director of Customer Creator & Workflows-Leading Practices, along with Shanna Grier, Portfolio Manager.Key highlights of the episode: 10:00 - Tony shares his vision for the Customer Excellence group at ServiceNow, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a strong, value-driven culture as the company scales from $10 to $30 billion. 14:10 - Tony emphasized evolving ServiceNow’s impact strategy to become an extension of the customer’s team, fostering deeper partnerships and trust through in-person interactions and genuine support. 18:20 - Tony emphasized the importance of customer feedback from all perspectives in refining ServiceNow’s impact strategy. 23:50 - Tony envisions leveraging 21 years of platform data and generative AI to provide proactive insights that guide customers in optimizing their usage and anticipating challenges. To learn more about the implementation and adoption of the ServiceNow Platform, subscribe to the Customer Connection Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. For feedback, please send an email to customerconnection@servicenow.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we interview Tony Colon, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Product Customer Excellence at ServiceNow. Tony holds a Computer Science degree from Illinois Institute of Technology and a Master’s Degree from MIT Sloan and with over 20 years of experience, he has driven customer success and innovation, building four $100 million businesses at industry giants like Salesforce and Cisco. Tony champions diversity, inclusivity, and lifelong learning, embodying his motto: "Always be learning, always be coachable." He’s actively involved in social and professional initiatives, serving on advisory boards such as Covenant House and the Hispanic IT Executive Council, and was named to the High Tech 100 in 2019. He also earned the title of Gender Equality Superhero by Fairygodboss. The Customer Connection Podcast helps you learn about the implementation and adoption of the ServiceNow platform. This show is led by Jerry Campbell, Customer Experience Expert and Director of Customer Creator & Workflows-Leading Practices, along with Shanna Grier, Portfolio Manager.Key highlights of the episode: 10:00 - Tony shares his vision for the Customer Excellence group at ServiceNow, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a strong, value-driven culture as the company scales from $10 to $30 billion. 14:10 - Tony emphasized evolving ServiceNow’s impact strategy to become an extension of the customer’s team, fostering deeper partnerships and trust through in-person interactions and genuine support. 18:20 - Tony emphasized the importance of customer feedback from all perspectives in refining ServiceNow’s impact strategy. 23:50 - Tony envisions leveraging 21 years of platform data and generative AI to provide proactive insights that guide customers in optimizing their usage and anticipating challenges. To learn more about the implementation and adoption of the ServiceNow Platform, subscribe to the Customer Connection Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. For feedback, please send an email to customerconnection@servicenow.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This $135M Money Manager Shares Timeless Lessons And Has Over 30 Years Of Experience On Wall StreetFull Name: Jon KnottsTitle: Chief Investment Officer, Expressive WealthAUM: $130MWebsite: https://expressivewealth.com/Bio: With over three decades of experience in investment, Jon's career is marked by roles as a stockbroker, financial product creator, and stock research developer. His expertise in quantitative, fundamental, and technical analysis was honed at esteemed firms like Benzinga, Zacks Investment Research, and Prophet.net (now part of Schwab).At Benzinga, Jon contributed to launching a successful stock analysis product, providing over 2600 recommendations to individual investors. During his 20 years at Zacks, he played a key role in establishing it as a leading figure in fundamental research and quantitative analysis. As Senior Vice President of Operations & Product Management, he led the creation of innovative financial websites and subscription-based products, collaborating with industry giants like Fidelity and TD Ameritrade.Outside the corporate world, Jon serves as a Professor of Finance at North Central College, emphasizing the importance of personal finance and investing. He founded Fiscal Investor, a platform offering personalized investment strategies, bridging the gap between individuals and complex financial markets.Jon holds a Master of Science in Financial Markets & Trading from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Arts in Finance from Ball State University. His academic background complements his pragmatic investment approach, blending theoretical knowledge with real-world application.Throughout his career, Jon has remained dedicated to helping investors reach their potential, aligning with the ethos of Expressive Wealth. His contributions to finance and education reflect his commitment to excellence and empowerment in investment.

New Federal ADA Regulation Deadlines Are Approaching – Is Your Institution Ready? Colleges and universities must now meet stricter ADA compliance requirements for websites and digital content or risk legal consequences, fines,  and loss of federal funding. With the Department of Justice's latest update to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), institutions must ensure all web content, mobile apps, and digital resources meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards. For many schools, the deadline is approaching fast. In this episode of Changing Higher Ed®, host Dr. Drumm McNaughton has a conversation with Eugene Woo, CEO and founder of Venngage, to discuss what these new ADA regulations mean for higher education institutions and what they must do to comply. Understanding the New ADA Requirements for Higher Ed The Department of Justice's update to Title II clarifies long-standing accessibility expectations, removing ambiguity about digital compliance. Now, all institutions receiving federal funds—including financial aid, research grants, or disaster relief—must ensure their online content adheres to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. AA The key changes include: Explicit standards for websites and mobile apps – Digital accessibility is no longer optional. Clearer rules on compliance deadlines – Larger institutions (50,000+ students) must comply by April 2026, while smaller institutions have until April 2027. Greater enforcement risks – ADA lawsuits have historically driven accessibility improvements, and these new regulations are meant to make institutions proactive rather than reactive. Woo explains that many universities operate hundreds, if not thousands, of websites across different departments and programs, making compliance a daunting task. Why ADA Compliance Matters for Colleges and Universities Accessibility Isn't Just a Legal Obligation—It's a Universal Design Best Practice Woo highlights that designing for accessibility benefits everyone, not just individuals with disabilities. Features like captions for videos were initially created for the hearing impaired but are now widely used by all viewers. The Biggest Accessibility Challenges for Higher Ed Websites According to WebAIM's annual survey of the top one million websites, these are the most common accessibility issues: Missing alt text for images – Over 50% of homepage images lack descriptions, making content inaccessible to screen readers. Poor form accessibility – Online forms frequently lack proper labels, creating barriers for those using assistive technology. Non-descriptive links and buttons – Generic link text (e.g., “Click here”) makes navigation difficult for screen reader users. Inaccessible PDFs – Many course materials, syllabi, and administrative documents are in PDF format but lack proper tagging and readability. Color contrast issues – Up to 20% of men have some form of color blindness, yet many websites fail to meet the contrast requirements. 3. What Institutions Should Prioritize First Given the scale of most universities' digital footprints, Woo recommends: Conducting an ADA compliance audit to identify accessibility gaps. Prioritizing high-traffic pages and critical student services for remediation. Implementing universal design principles in new content to prevent future accessibility issues. How Universities Can Ensure ADA Compliance Designating Leadership Responsibility Presidents and institutional leaders must appoint a compliance officer or team responsible for ensuring accessibility across all digital platforms. Without clear ownership, accessibility efforts can fall through the cracks. Leverage AI and Automated Accessibility Tools for ADA Compliance Woo notes that institutions can use AI-powered tools to scan websites for accessibility violations and assist in remediation. Some platforms can even auto-correct PDFs and web pages to bring them closer to WCAG 2.1 standards. Budgeting for Digital Accessibility Compliance Compliance isn't just a policy issue—it requires financial investment. Schools must allocate resources for accessibility audits, technology upgrades, and training to ensure long-term compliance. Three Key Takeaways for Higher Education Leaders Determine whether your institution must comply—and by when Institutions receiving any federal funding must meet the new standards, with large universities facing an April 2026 deadline. Appoint a leader or team to oversee accessibility compliance Without clear accountability, compliance efforts will stall. Universities must assign responsibility to IT, compliance, or academic leadership teams. Invest in accessibility tools and training ADA compliance isn't just a one-time fix. Schools should budget for ongoing accessibility improvements, staff training, and technological upgrades. Higher education institutions can no longer afford to overlook digital accessibility. With the DOJ's new enforcement push, now is the time to act. Listen to the full episode for more insights from Eugene Woo and practical strategies for making your institution's digital content fully accessible. Read the podcast transcript on our website: https://changinghighered.com/ada-compliance-in-higher-education/ #HigherEducation #ADACompliance #HigherEdPodcast About Our Podcast Guest Eugene Woo is the CEO and founder of Venngage, an infographic design platform that enables users to create compelling and accessible visual content. With over two decades of experience in software engineering and product development, Eugene has a strong background in engineering and a passion for visual storytelling. Prior to Venngage, he founded Vizualize.Me, a platform for creating visual résumés, which was acquired by Parchment in 2013. Eugene holds a Master of Science in Planning from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology Connect with Eugene Woo on LinkedIn → About the Podcast Host Dr. Drumm McNaughton is the founder, CEO, and Principal Consultant at The Change Leader, Inc. A highly sought-after higher education consultant with 20+ years of experience, Dr. McNaughton works with leadership, management, and boards of U.S. and international institutions. His expertise spans key areas, including accreditation, governance, strategic planning, presidential onboarding, mergers, acquisitions, and strategic alliances. Dr. McNaughton's approach combines a holistic methodology with a deep understanding of the contemporary and evolving challenges facing higher education institutions worldwide to ensure his clients succeed in their mission. Connect with Drumm McNaughton on LinkedIn→

Send us a textDr. Georges Benjamin, MD is Executive Director of the American Public Health Association ( APHA - https://apha.org/about-apha/executive-board-and-staff/apha-staff/georges-c-benjamin-md ), the professional membership and advocacy organization for public health professionals in the United States. APHA is the largest professional organization of public health professionals in the United States.Dr. Benjamin is known as one of the nation's most influential physician leaders because he speaks passionately and eloquently about the health issues having the most impact on our nation today. From his firsthand experience as a physician, he knows what happens when preventive care is not available and when the healthy choice is not the easy choice. As executive director of APHA since 2002, he is leading the Association's push to make America the healthiest nation.Dr. Benjamin came to APHA from his position as secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Dr. Benjamin became secretary of health in Maryland in April 1999, following four years as its deputy secretary for public health services. As secretary, Benjamin oversaw the expansion and improvement of the state's Medicaid program. Dr. Benjamin is a graduate of the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois College of Medicine, is board-certified in internal medicine, a master of the American College of Physicians, a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, a fellow emeritus of the American College of Emergency Physicians, an honorary fellow of the Faculty of Public Health and an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health.An established administrator, author and orator, Dr. Benjamin started his medical career as a military physician in 1978 when he trained in internal medicine at the Brooke Army Medical Center. In 1981, he was assigned to the Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington, where he managed a 72,000-patient visit ambulatory care service as chief of the Acute Illness Clinic and was faculty and an attending physician within the Department of Emergency Medicine. A few years later, Dr. Benjamin was reassigned to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he served as chief of emergency medicine. After leaving the Army, Dr. Benjamin chaired the Department of Community Health and Ambulatory Care at the District of Columbia General Hospital. He was promoted to acting commissioner for public health for the District of Columbia and later directed one of the busiest ambulance services in the nation as interim director of the Emergency Ambulance Bureau of the District of Columbia Fire Department.At APHA, Dr. Benjamin also serves as publisher of the nonprofit's monthly publication, The Nation's Health, the association's official newspaper, and the American Journal of Public Health, the profession's premier scientific publication. He is the author of more than 200 scientific articles and book chapters. His recent book Public Health Under Siege: Improving Policy in Turbulent Times explores the impact of policy on our nation's health and offers specific actions to improve health and extend life expectancy. He is also the author of The Quest for Health Reform: A Satirical History, an exposé of the 100-year quest to ensure quality affordable health coverage for all using political cartoons.#GeorgesBenjamin #PublicHealth #AmericanPublicHealthAssociation #APHA #DisasterMedicine #EnvironmentalHealth #SocialDeterminantsOfHealth #Aging #Healthspan #Injury #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #Podcasting #ViralPodcast #STEM #Innovation #Science #Technology #ResearchSupport the show

Coverage from the Everything Local Conference in Springfield, including conversations with Jenna Spychal, chair of the Illinois Specialty Growers Association, Scott Trimble from Famous Scott's Premium Popcorn, Jackie Sambursky from the Illinois Department of Agriculture, and Kristin Terry from the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs. 

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Russell Knight discuss:Challenges and strategies in scaling a legal practiceBalancing professional and personal commitments effectivelyBuilding and retaining talent within a growing law firmThe role of firm culture and external development in professional success Key Takeaways:Hiring experienced professionals, even at a higher cost, provides stability and reduces the training needs of fresh graduates who require more supervision.Ongoing recruitment through social media and outreach ensures a steady talent pipeline, allowing potential hires to learn about the firm's culture before joining.Investing in external development programs, like trial advocacy courses, enhances lawyers' skills, strengthens loyalty, and shows the firm's commitment to their growth.Hosting team-building events, such as farm-to-table dinners or concert outings, fosters culture, encourages cohesion, and attracts top talent. "Stop being cheap. That dollar isn't your dollar; it's the firm's dollar, and it needs to get spent on people that aren't you." —  Russell Knight Got a challenge growing your law practice? Email me at steve@fretzin.com with your toughest question, and I'll answer it live on the show—anonymously, just using your first name! Thank you to our Sponsors!Rankings.io: https://rankings.io/Rainmakers Roundtable: https://www.fretzin.com/lawyer-coaching-and-training/peer-advisory-groups/ Episode References: Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara: https://www.amazon.com/Unreasonable-Hospitality-Remarkable-Giving-People/dp/0593418573About Russell Knight: Russell Knight is an experienced divorce and family law attorney with offices in Chicago and Naples. He has authored over 700 articles and contributed to legal publications, including the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. Frequently quoted by NBC News and Newsweek, Russell offers expert guidance on divorce, contracts, litigation, and equity issues. Fluent in English, French, and Spanish, he provides strategic support to clients navigating complex family law matters. Connect with Russell Knight:  Website: https://rdklegal.com/Email: russelldknight@gmail.comPersonal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-d-knight/Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/law-office-of-russell-d-knight/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LawOfficeofRussellDKnightInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/divorceattorneyknight/ Connect with Steve Fretzin:LinkedIn: Steve FretzinTwitter: @stevefretzinInstagram: @fretzinsteveFacebook: Fretzin, Inc.Website: Fretzin.comEmail: Steve@Fretzin.comBook: Legal Business Development Isn't Rocket Science and more!YouTube: Steve FretzinCall Steve directly at 847-602-6911  Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

In 2021, American University and 15 partner institutions across the U. S. launched the Multiscale RECIPES Research Network with the goal of transforming our wasted food system into a sustainable and resilient one. Food loss and waste is a complex problem spanning societal issues such as food insecurity and food recovery, sustainable farming, food packaging and transportation, food marketing, sales and consumer preferences, family dynamics, and corporate profits, among others. A fascinating part of the RECIPES Network vision is a purposeful focus on convergence, making the research process more effective and creative in designing solutions to big problems such as these. In a recent article in the journal Ecology and Society, team members evaluated how well the network's intentional convergence efforts have worked thus far. Interview Summary Norbert Wilson - It is my great pleasure to welcome my colleague, Amanda Wood, who is a research scientist at the World Food Policy Center. Amanda Wood - Thank you, Norbert. I'm looking forward to this discussion today. Our guests come from the University of Illinois Institute of Technology Food Systems Action Lab. Weslynne Ashton is a professor of environmental management and sustainability at Illinois Tech and co directs the Food Systems Action Lab. Azra Sungu is a design researcher and strategist at the Food Systems Action Lab, who just defended her doctoral dissertation. So, our biggest congratulations to Dr. Sungu. Thank you so much for being here today. So first, I want to start by saying the RECIPES Network has gone about their work a little bit differently than most traditional academic projects by taking a convergence approach. Weslynne, would you talk about what convergence is in research, and why is this approach useful for tackling complex societal challenges like food waste? Weslynne Ashton - Convergence is an approach that really tries to integrate the best of many different disciplines. The way that they see, approach, and tackle problems. And tries to integrate them in a really holistic way, right? Like, we often operate in silos and universities and this is a way of trying to get out of that. But more than working side by side on the same topics, it really tries to pull ways of working and ways of knowing across these different disciplines. For the topic of food waste, which as Norbert described is incredibly complex, right? There are so many different dimensions. They're scientific, natural science, social science, anthropological, political science. So, there are these technical aspects, economic aspects, social aspects, as well as cultural and spiritual aspects that we really don't talk about that often. And so, a convergence approach tries to say, how can we bring together the way all of these different disciplines approach understanding and developing solutions so that the solutions we develop can be more holistic. And more likely to take hold because they are considering these different perspectives. Amanda - A lot of individuals might not see food waste as this complex challenge. They throw their leftovers in the bin and that's food waste to them. But as you say, challenges of food waste and food loss extend all the way across the food system. So, we definitely need that more holistic approach. Thanks for that bigger picture. Norbert, over to you. Norbert - Azra, I'd like to turn it over to you and ask you a question about design. And I've got to say, this is the first project that I've ever worked on where I've worked with design scholars. And so, I'm excited for you to share with our audience what actually is design. And how do you see design fitting in the context of the work that we've been doing? Azra Sungu - Thank you. Yes, it's been very exciting for me to part of such a transdisciplinary group as well. And probably in over 12 years of design education that I got, that was the most frequent question. Like my family and everyone that's asking, like, what is it that you do actually? So, I think it's really important that we clarify that because design in this context is a little bit different than the design of products and services. In a way, we could say that it carries similar principles, but in recent years, design has been gaining visibility as a creative and collaborative problem-solving approach. So, some of the key mindsets, methods, and processes of design have been distilled into more accessible toolkits that allow more people from various backgrounds and expertise to get together and collaboratively explore problems of different kinds and approach them in more creative ways. So, we can say that, yeah, this adaptation of design found applications in different fields, such as entrepreneurship. We see that picking up in education or even apply to issues related to social justice. And I would say that what makes it different from other problem-solving approaches is that it centers a deep understanding of humans, their needs, their interactions, their behaviors in every step of the process. So, from framing the problem to testing out the solutions. And in design, we combine this human centered approach with a hands-on process where we iteratively explore a solution by making things and experimenting in a more open-ended way, rather than like planning everything and applying the solution at the end. So, in the context of convergence, I think of convergence as a collaborative search for ways for reshaping the systems that we live in. And if I pick back on what Weslynne just said, yeah, the design can help ground this search in the real lives of people so that the solutions we envision can be adopted and also actualized by people who are driving this change on the ground. So, it can support a more action oriented approach to knowledge production. But another role of design, which we speak more of in the paper, is designing the conditions for this form of collaborative research and knowledge production. Designing the spaces where people can build relations to build really confidence to think outside of the box. And I see it as giving people the tools and processes to tap into their collective creativity. And that you can't really get out of a toolkit. That's a deeper and relational process. Norbert - Thank you for sharing that. And I am really pleased that we've had the opportunity to not only work with you all, but folks at MIKA to think about design in this network. And can you give us an example of how you all were able to use design to help us work better together, to move us closer to convergence? Azra – Yes. I guess in the first two year of the RECIPES where we explored design's role in the context of convergence, it's applied more to the second part of design's role that I mentioned earlier. So, creating the conditions for convergence to happen. And I think we're in the process of shifting to applying design to the solutions and like this iterative process itself. I would say that there are five components that we identified in our investigation. And I always like to joke that like, we can't just throw people in a room and expect them to collaborate and come up with results. And let's remember RECIPES as a network started during the pandemic. We didn't even get a room to be together in until two years later. So, in this context, a key role of design was really convening people and connecting them to build that capacity and trust in each other to collaborate. And like trust one another to jump into a very open ended and ambiguous form of inquiry. Because this is what happens when we tackle such complex challenges as wasted food. And the other role is perhaps, yeah, in this exploration giving a shared vision to people to move towards. And enticing possibilities in this vision that may not be in our immediate horizon. So again, like how we think outside of the box and envision possibilities that may not seem evident. But that might be the root of more transformative change. And the third role is probably one that relates to storytelling and visualizing. So, as we gather a group of people with such mixed disciplinary expertise and mixed personal backgrounds, we don't necessarily talk the same language. Even if you're approaching the same problem. So even when we talk about wasted food, it might seem so evident, but we might focus on completely different sides of it. And yeah, we have like mathematicians, chemists, engineers, social scientists in the same room. And when we're collaborating with such mixed group of expertise, design can create the interfaces, the visual language for us to be able to speak of the same thing and communicate ideas. But also, like foster flow and dissemination of ideas between these different conversations by telling the stories and capturing the ideas and really distilling them in a more relatable and accessible way. Because God knows we have a lot of meetings, and somebody needs like shepherd those conversations. And the last ones are probably like making and prototyping. Which I think is very, very core to design practice, right? We just materialize things, whether it's in a visual format or whether it's like really getting hands on and making something that we got a taste of in our first network meeting that was in person. I think one process where this manifested really beautifully was the creation of guiding principles and community norms that was a very collaborative and co-creative process where Network members really shaped how they would like to work together and create together and set the conditions for that. So, in this process, designers collaborated with other researchers in the network to set these workshops to gather different perspectives and ideas of network members on what it means to be in a good collaborative research environment. And this was a very iterative process. We created multiple drafts, materialized this, and brought that back to the network and gathered input and feedback. So, it was I think along a process of over a year, it was taking shape. And at the end we had this artifact that was co-created with people from various areas of expertise and had everyone's input that helped lay the groundwork for a more authentic and genuine collaboration. Norbert - I want to pick up on one thing you said, Azra. Yes, there were a lot of meetings. So many meetings. But they were really important for us to figure out how to work. But one of the things I found really challenging being a part of the network and as I interacted with the design process is I wasn't comfortable with the storytelling. I wasn't comfortable with this sort of new way of being because it wasn't the way I was trained, right? But over time, I found it sort of expansive. And I love there was a conversation we had before we started our recording, this idea of being my whole self in the process. Of being my whole self in the project. And I, I really have enjoyed, and I will use the word 'enjoyed' working with this network because I'm fully myself in many of these settings. So, I want to thank you all for helping us do that and opening up new ways to work with other people beyond the network. Azra - Thank you. Yes. And a question I think that they ask very often when hiring designers is like, are you comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity? And I always like to say, no. Like nobody's really comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity. But I think it's really about building the confidence to jump into that together. And that happens by building trust. It's not just about producing knowledge and transferring that between one another, but how do we approach this in a more relational way? And I think that's the transformative shift that's happening with a more convergent approach to research. Great. Thank you. Amanda - Sounds like it was a transformative experience for many involved. Good to hear. Weslynne, let me shift back to you so we can dig into some of the results of the paper. In your view, how did the integration of design really enable the network's convergent approach? And is there anything that didn't quite work? Weslynne - Yes, so Azra's pointed out to several things that the design team did. I would add that we had a dedicated design team, right? That was really important because there was this group who that one would help to facilitate these meetings, right? And get people to come in, structure exercises to get people to talk to each other. Create whiteboards where people could, you know, say what they're thinking, whether that's in a larger group or in a smaller group. And then behind the scenes, they would distill and synthesize all these whiteboards from all the breakout groups into something that was actionable, right? And I think like, that's really one of the powers of design. It's not just talk, right? It's how do we take this talk, take people's ideas, and synthesize them into something that we can create actions around, right? So, the example that Azra gave of the guiding principles and community norms, you know, looked like several brainstorming sessions and breakout groups where people had a document, a kernel to react to. And weigh in on what are the values and the principles that they thought were important for us to have in this network to guide how we worked, not only with each other, but also with external partners. And to iterate, right, iterate on those prototypes and bring something back to the group that, that we can hold up and say, yeah, this is something that, you know, like we all agree to at least for now, right? In a year we might learn something else and want to come back to this and change it. But having that dedicated team was really important. I'd say another thing that convergence puts forward is the importance of integrating the next generation of scientists, of researchers, into practice. And so, I think one of the things that we did well in the structure of the network. So, we were structured in different thematic clusters. But there was a student cluster where all the students from all of the disciplines came together, including the design students. And it turned out that the design students gave some training to the other students in design methods in facilitation. And that actually I think is perhaps one of the most beautiful examples of convergence in the network. So that the students were able to understand each other's work in a much deeper way. And think about how they might use design in this work. So, what design did well, and reiterating on what Azra said, it's really creating these enabling conditions, right? For people to feel comfortable, to show up as their whole selves. To make it okay to take a risk and say something crazy, something out of the box. Because someone would be able to synthesize that into a hole later on. I think there were perhaps like a couple instances, like within some of these thematic clusters where we had initially thought, okay, we're going to put a designer in each of these clusters and use that as a way to integrate some design thinking into each of these groups. But there were some of the groups that were like really so highly technical and so highly focused that it was hard for the designer, who does not have that technical background, to get a toehold in that group. And so, where we kind of merged is that we had our co-design cluster as the primary place where people who we're designers or we're curious about design could come to learn. And then can take that back to the groups that they were working in. Rather than trying to plug design into every single one of the clusters. Amanda - I really appreciate these insights, especially underscoring the importance of having specific roles to help facilitate. I think, often as researchers when you're applying for grants, either the funder doesn't allow you to apply for a facilitator role, or you think, oh, we have too many important other researchers that we need to fund. And I think this project was a great example that, I think Azra said it before, collaboration doesn't just happen when you throw people in a room. And this project really highlighted the value of having those design experts in the group. Helping everyone along on that journey. I hope that these learnings can go out to both funders and other research groups. But I'd like to ask both of you a question now. In the paper, you write that the pairing of convergence and design is a natural fit, but not necessarily a seamless one. What kind of tensions or challenges did the Network face when using design to foster convergence? And Weslynne, let's start with you. Weslynne - One of the important tensions, I think, is on this role of a designer, right? So, often when designers show up in spaces, it's as a graphic designer. So, someone who's visualizing the process making illustrations. It's as a facilitator, right? So, someone who's structuring the conversation to be more productive, to help people be more collaborative. And the tension that we see is that that's not the only role of design, right? Design research in and of itself is an important research area that adds value to projects, right? And whether that is using a human centered design research approach, right? Where we're plugging in designers into a research project. For example, to learn about how employees are behaving, right? And if we wanted to change a particular food waste prevention strategy in grocery stores, we need to engage the employees to understand their perspectives, right? So, designers help to integrate that approach as a research method. And so, you know, this tension here is that we can have some designers working as facilitators of this network convergence, but we also need designers as researchers who are contributing to the research questions and research methods that we're trying to converge in the process. I'll say one more and then I'll pass to Azra to, to see what she would add. This is a National Science Foundation funded project, right? And there is an inherent tension that the type of research that NSF tends to fund is very STEM focused, right? So, it's science, technology, engineering, math. And there is social science, but certainly, you know, like, we have a dominance of science and technology as the predominant set of disciplines in this group. And so that means that the social scientists, the designers are kind of at the fringes. And one of our challenges was to really create a space where all of these different disciplines have the ability to come in on an equal footing. I'm sure Azra would like to add a couple more. Azra - Yeah, thank you. I could build up on what you just said about like how design's role is understood. Yeah, when I was first talking about design, I talked about how toolkits made it more accessible. Like processes of human centered design and design thinking to be learned and adopted by people who are non-designers, and really gain more visibility to design. It was a blessing, but also a barrier for people to understand broader expertise of design, right? Like what, what we learned in 12 years of school cannot necessarily be translated to toolkits. And there is in the design field itself, over the past decade, there has been different branches that are emerging that are specifically dealing with the complex issues that we try to tackle through convergence research. So, we have specific areas of expertise. Like, systemic design, who tries to use design processes to understand systemic dynamics and patterns. We have transition design who tries to understand how long-term transition processes can be fostered in more creative and inclusive ways. Or we have life centered design that some of the researchers from MIKA are leading that are going beyond human centered design approach, but like saying, how can we center the life itself? How can we consider the needs of non-human beings in our design processes? And I think it's going to be a lot longer process for like these different areas of expertise of design to gain more visibility. But it's also, yeah, a mutual understanding that gets fostered as we work together. And perhaps the second thing I could add, I've been talking a lot about unlearning and unmaking recently. And it's probably the stage that I met at the end of PhD journey, where I realized how much unlearning it took. And I think the same applies to convergence research, because here we are trying to cultivate a completely different way of working that goes beyond disciplinary boundaries, that goes beyond geographic boundaries that sometimes goes beyond like the hierarchies that we're used to in academia. And there are certain structures and mindsets that come from traditional scholarship that can get into way of such authentic collaboration and open-ended way of working, right? We work with a certain funding structure. We work with certain expectations of progress and success from academia. And that might conflict sometimes with like a very open-ended exploration and experimentation that might also include failure and not getting anywhere at the end. So, yeah, I think there are some structures and mindsets that we need to reevaluate. We want to cultivate a broader culture of convergence. Amanda - Thank you. I have to admit as a researcher, I was probably one who did not appreciate all of the nuances of design. So, this has been a very enlightening conversation. But also, just the emphasis that this is going to take time. It's not necessarily that you get in your first convergent project and wow, you've now done the perfect model of convergence. You're learning as you go. As you said, sometimes failure is involved. And so, it's just the journey that you're on. Thank you so much for those reflections. Norbert - Weslynne, I want to come back to you and just think about something that was already said. This idea of we can't just simplify design as a series of tools that you could just kind of pick up and put into something else. And appreciating the complexity, the richness of what design as a discipline is, I'm interested to know how do we best use design, recognizing that it's a huge area? How do we use it authentically to address issues like convergence in the research team? And I want to even push that a little bit further. I mean, because some of our listeners are not researchers. They're not part of research teams, but they're designing policy. They're designing or they're a part of policy efforts. I'd be interested to think about what design can offer to any sort of group of people coming together to solve complicated challenges. Weslynne - I'm going to bring this into my teaching because I think like as a lecturer in a design school, one of the things that, that I emphasize in thinking about systems, thinking about how designers show up, is that there are many different types of expertise, right? So, there's our professional, educational expertise. There's the expertise of lived experiences. And it's often the case that we are biased in terms of one being more important than the other. And I tried to train my students to think about, like, what are their own biases and assumptions coming into situations. So that they can more authentically create space for different viewpoints and different ways of being. So, if we're trying to map systems and map all of the forces that are important for not only understanding a problem, and not just kind of the symptom of the problem that we see, but the real patterns and structures that are the root cause of those problems. That we have to kind of create a space where people can feel more comfortable to really explore more of those, those root causes. I think in applying design and a convergent research context, and a policy solution development process, that designers can help to create the conditions, create a space, for people from different perspectives to come into that space and be comfortable bringing their knowledge, their ways of being, their ways of knowing into that context. And that's a skill, right? That is a facilitation skill to help people show up in, in that way. I think that there are also these tensions that we came across in this Network, in the course of doing this research, where, you know, we found that it's really important to create a space for reflexivity. So that it's not just about creating these outputs and it's not just about these tasks. But creating a space where people have the time to reflect on what's happening, well, what has happened, and how they can then integrate that back into their practice, right? There can be these cycles of convergence, but there's also a need for divergence, right? And giving people the space to express what they're interested in, do the types of work that they're most interested in. And then come back together to say, okay, how can we bring these things together? I see design as really helping to play an important role in reframing questions. In helping groups dig deeper and reach more robust understanding of the challenges that they face. And then help to make the solutions more actionable, right? And that's not just as a research output. It's not just as a research paper. But really having solutions that work for a diversity of people. Norbert - I'm grateful for the way you've explained what design is. Both you and Azra have explained what design is and what it can do for us as members of society. And I just think about the current political and social moments that we're in and how design has a role to play in helping us, as you talked about, reframing problems, and finding solutions that benefit a broad swath of society. I didn't realize I was going to become an evangelist for designers. And I'm grateful for the work that you all are helping us think differently about how we do research or how we engage the larger community. BIOS   Weslynne Ashton is a professor of environmental management and sustainability at Illinois Institute of Technology, with joint appointments at the Stuart School of Business and the Institute of Design. She is the co-director of the Food Systems Action Lab at Illinois Institute of Technology.  Dr. Ashton is a sustainable systems scientist, whose research, teaching and practice are oriented around transitioning our socio-ecological systems towards sustainability and equity. She studies the adoption of socially and environmentally responsible strategies in business, and the role of innovation and entrepreneurship in addressing social and environmental challenges. Her research is grounded in industrial ecology and the circular economy. Her current work focuses on increasing sustainability and equity in urban food systems, and developing regenerative economies in post-industrial regions, newly industrializing countries and small island states. Azra Sungu is a design researcher and strategist at the Illinois Institute of Technology ID Food Systems Action Lab. Her research focuses on narrative-focused approaches for cultivating radical transition imaginaries. Her work uses design to navigate complexity, surface patterns and discover new pathways. Dr. Sungu earned her doctorate from Illinois Institute of Technology.

Justin W. Schloer, LCPC, EMDR Owner / CEO / PractitionerTelehealth, In Person Licensed in Illinois, Florida For 28 years, Justin has been a practitioner in the treatment of severe and persistent mental health disorders, Substance Use Disorders and Crisis Intervention. He also has held a variety of clinical and operational management positions in his almost three decades of commitment to humanity. Justin served in the United States military and after sustaining a serious head injury, left the service on a mission to help society one life at a time. He possesses a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology/Rehabilitation Counseling from the Illinois Institute of Technology and holds numerous licenses and certifications. Justin utilizes various therapeutic orientations including EMDR, CBT, DBT, Solutions Focused Therapy and many others, however, he is most passionate about Experiential Therapy which allows rapid self-discovery and personal exploration while facilitating The change you want to see in your life.

In this special episode, a couple of key players from Amazon Corporate join us to discuss some brand new functions released for sellers, including one that gives us unprecedented ability to identify and target our repeat customers. What if harnessing the power of Amazon's vast data pool could revolutionize your e-commerce strategy? In this episode recorded live from Amazon Accelerate, we introduce a couple of cutting-edge tools, Amazon Business Planner, Customer Loyalty Analytics, and Customer Journey Analytics, designed to transform Amazon brands' approach to their operations marketing. Our special guests, James Casazza and Wei Li, prominent figures from Amazon Corporate, share how these new tools offer brands the ability to set goals, receive personalized action plans, and effectively manage their business data with self-service capabilities. This episode unpacks how brands can gain confidence and clarity amidst the overwhelming flow of information, aligning their strategies seamlessly with their business objectives. Discover the magic of artificial intelligence as we explore a revolutionary business planning tool that's setting new standards in the e-commerce landscape. This tool provides brands with AI-generated plans, pinpointing impactful goals like boosting ad-attributed sales and enhancing profitability. By offering step-by-step recommendations—from campaign strategies to keyword optimization—the tool updates dynamically, suggesting fresh opportunities and strategic enhancements beyond advertising. Join us as we dissect its ability to deliver transparent progress tracking with detailed visualizations, historical comparisons, and a focus on profitability through cost-reduction strategies and content optimization. Get ready to dive into the world of customer analytics with Amazon's latest tools aimed at understanding diverse shopper behaviors. We spotlight the Customer Loyalty Dashboard and Customer Journey Dashboard, key innovations that offer brands deeper insights into customer behavior. Our guest Wei, shares her role in developing tools like the Search Query Performance and Product Opportunity Explorer. These analytics resources empower brands to tailor promotions, prevent churn, and boost loyalty among customer segments. By leveraging predicted customer lifetime value and promotional strategies, brands can enhance engagement, conversion, and ultimately, customer loyalty. In episode 602 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Bradley, James, and Wei discuss: 00:54 - Amazon Accelerate New Tools Announced Overview 02:00 - Amazon Launches New Business Planner 05:07 - Simplifying Data for Amazon Business Planning 11:16 - AI-Powered Business Planning Tool 12:39 - Dynamic Business Planner Features and Benefits 16:42 - Data-Driven Amazon Customer Loyalty Analytics 20:08 - Amazon Department Provides Key Seller Tools 23:20 - Understanding Customer Audience Types 28:26 - Understanding Buyer Behavior and Cart Abandonment 35:13 - Unlocking Valuable Amazon Data Insights 37:29 - Thanking Amazon for Launches at Accelerate ► Instagram: instagram.com/serioussellerspodcast ► Free Amazon Seller Chrome Extension: https://h10.me/extension ► Sign Up For Helium 10: https://h10.me/signup  (Use SSP10 To Save 10% For Life) ► Learn How To Sell on Amazon: https://h10.me/ft ► Watch The Podcasts On Youtube: youtube.com/@Helium10/videos Transcript: Bradley Sutton: Today's a special episode, as a couple of key players from Amazon Corporate are with us on the show to talk about some brand new functions released for sellers, including one that gives us unprecedented ability to identify and target our repeat customers. How cool is that? Pretty cool, I think Sellers have lost thousands of dollars by not knowing that they were hijacked, perhaps on their Amazon listing, or maybe somebody changed their main image, or Amazon changed their shipping dimension so they had to pay extra money every order. Helium 10 can actually send you a text message or email if any of these things or other critical events happen to your Amazon account. For more information, go to h10.me forward slash alerts.    Hello everybody and welcome to another episode of the Serious Sellers podcast by Helium 10. I'm your host, Bradley Sutton, and this is the show that is a special episode recorded live at Amazon Accelerate.    This was done in Seattle a few weeks ago and, as you probably have seen from other episodes, we had a lot of new releases, of new data points and new functionality that Amazon is releasing. Shout out, first of all, to Addy from Amazon, who helped us hook us up with some of these interviews but we had the privilege of being able to interview a couple of the key people that are involved in the ideation and implementation of some of these new tools, and so in this episode, we're going to go over a couple of things in from Business Planner, which is something new, and also customer loyalty analytics, which might blow your mind as far as the kind of targeting ability and being able to understand, you know, how your customers go through the funnel. I think it's going to be interesting because, you know, a few years ago we would have never thought that Amazon would release this kind of data to sellers, so it's really awesome that they're doing that and we get to talk to the person responsible for the creation of this. So let's go ahead and hop into the episode   Bradley Sutton: So I'd like to first start off with just getting your background. We're obviously here in Seattle right now. Where were you born and raised?    James: So I'm from New York originally. I grew up about an hour outside New York City, really close to my grandparents' dairy farm. But for the last 20 years, I've lived outside Detroit. After college, I moved up there.    Bradley Sutton: Hold on a quick second. This is an important question. Somebody who lives in New York. They move somewhere else. Are you a New York sports fan or a Detroit sports fan?    James: So I've kept loyal to my New York teams. It's a little difficult because especially now the football season started, keeping up after the Giants and Jets is keeping your head low and the Lions finally have something to be excited about. But I'm a proud father to three boys and I will say they all have their Aiden Hutchinson jerseys on. We're really excited last season and looking forward to this one.    Bradley Sutton: Awesome, awesome. So you were talking about. You graduated university. What direction did your career take you in that?    James: So early in my career, I worked in automotive, digital marketing, and then in the social media industry, and I really found a passion for using software and technology to help independent businesses reach their consumers, really connect, and ultimately drive their success, and that led me to Amazon. So I've been with Amazon for just over six years now. I'm currently a senior manager of product management in the Selling Partner Experience organization, and, while that's a bit of a mouthful, what it means is that I'm really working on building the tools that sellers are using to run their business and ultimately thrive in the Amazon store. Recently, my team worked on a complete redesign of the Seller Central homepage, which rolled out late last year, and today I'm excited to join you and talk about the next exciting tool that we're building, called Business Planner, which brings self-service capabilities to sellers to plan their business, set goals and objectives and receive a personalized action plan that will help them attain their goals in the store.    Bradley Sutton: Awesome. Now, I think that most brands would agree with me in that there is no other mechanism of selling whether we're talking brick and mortar, whether we're talking online that provides as much data as Amazon does to its brands. It's really incredible. I think sometimes we're spoiled, those who start on Amazon. They don't know how it is or how it used to be when you're trying to make money, and so I can totally understand that. Hey, with all this data, there's going to be some insights that can come from it. So what about the timing? Why did you decide, hey, now is the right time to go ahead and launch this new tool.    James: Yeah, so the idea for Business Planner actually started at Accelerate in 2023. I was talking to a number of different sellers and really this theme came out about the data that you're talking about. One seller likened it to being dying of thirst they're just so hungry to know what to do, and yet they're standing next to a fire hydrant. It's just spouting all this data at them. And so the question they had was like help me organize this, help me decide what's most important so that I can act confidently and know that that's aligned with the goals that I have for my business.    And so, while Amazon is providing plenty of reports and recommendations, it's really difficult to summarize or interpret that and get to an action plan. And we know that because sellers are working with account managers or even finding really productive partnerships with third-party software providers to help make sense of this data. And so our goal is to help democratize this access to data and bring the type of planning that sellers do offline when they're setting quarterly or yearly objectives and then want to track that and some may have teams that are doing customer acquisition or operations. They might be the individual's performance goals. We want to bring that offline planning into our tools so that sellers can easily keep track of where they're at and act confidently to drive their success.    Bradley Sutton: You know, obviously, as brands, we have a lot of our own data, but I believe that this tool is also bringing in aggregated data from other sources, not just what's happening with your own listings. Is that correct?    James: That's right. So throughout this process we've talked to so many sellers and I've just been impressed with the passion they have and the interest and the different opportunities that they're taking to bring insights and data analysis to really help them decide how to act. So with Business Planner, we're bringing together the power of data from thousands of different listings and all the customer activity in the Amazon store to create personalized action plans that will help sellers to achieve their goals. So they'll have a single place to go to benchmark their performance, identify their largest opportunities and then to generate a step-by-step action plan that aligns with the things that matter most to them. So, whether you're a new seller just getting started out in the Amazon store or you're an established brand with a healthy business that is ready to go to the next level, they can get a personalized plan that's specific to them and the goals that they want to achieve in the Amazon store.    Bradley Sutton: Now, you mentioned you worked on the Seller Central homepage. Now on the homepage there's already kind of like recommendations that might come through. There's a whole growth opportunity section. So how does this new feature here compare to what's already out there, and is it better?    James: So we're trying to take a best of both worlds approach. So when I think about the recommendations on the homepage and growth opportunities, it makes me think of a buffet where there's so many different options and there'll be like lots of tasty treats and plenty of nourishment there. So there's lots of good things there. But if you're trying to take like a structured plan, maybe instead you work with a nutritionist who's going to first ask you some questions about what's important to you. Are you training for the Olympics? Are you trying to slim down by a few pounds, like what is really your goal here?    Bradley Sutton: That's what I'm going to say. I'm going to say, hey, I'm training for the Olympics. That's why I'm eating so much food at this point.    James: Exactly, exactly, no-transcript in those other experiences and then also providing you with detailed tracking so you can see as the days and weeks go by, are you actually getting towards that goal?    Bradley Sutton: Let me piggyback on something you just mentioned there pulling data from some of those other recommendations. What exactly is driving other than just raw data? That's what does a lot of data there. I'm assuming maybe AI has some component of it, absolutely so.    James: I think AI is a really powerful tool because it can crunch massive amounts of data and identify patterns and discrepancies. So perhaps the seller is underperforming in their ads campaigns. We might be able to come back with specific keyword optimization recommendations and then they can increase their ad attributed sales and grow revenue. Or we might spot a change in demand for key ASINs that would require a different inventory strategy and it might be an opportunity for the seller to reduce their FBA fees and reduce costs of maintaining their current business. And so by applying machine learning and AI to that massive amount of data, we can kind of slim that down into a specific plan of action for the seller and by starting with the goals that they set. We're no longer in this business of kind of predicting what the seller might want. We start by asking the question and then we have a lot more confidence that, because the seller has set the goal, that when we come back with an action plan it's actually right for them and where they want to take their business.    Bradley Sutton: Awesome, awesome. Now for those who maybe haven't seen it yet in their Seller Central dashboard, where can they find this? Walk us through a little bit of a scenario, maybe, how they can see yeah, absolutely.    James: So Business Planner is going to be rolling out in the US store in just a couple of weeks. So later this month you'll start to see a tile on the homepage in that recommendation section that you talked about. It'll also show up on the left side menu of growth opportunities. From there you can access Business Planner, which is your dashboard for action planning. When you first visit, we'll have some recommended goals. So that's where we've assessed how the seller's performing, set some benchmarks and looked for the strongest opportunities where they can improve their performance. We'll rank those based on how big the impact is. So the most impactful goal will be at kind of the top left of that page and if that goal aligns with the objective that the seller has, they can click on it and see details about the plan. So maybe it's a four-week plan or a 12-week plan to increase their ad-attributed sales, because we see that as the largest opportunity and they'll be able to review the details and if they want to move forward, they just click to create a plan.    And this is where the really exciting part happens. That's where the AI steps in and kind of scans across all those different recommendations, opportunities, and where we see the most potential to achieve that goal. So in this case seller is trying to increase their ad-attributed sales. We might come back with some specific product level ad campaign recommendations or keyword optimization. We put that into like a step-by-step plan and so the seller from the Business Planner can then look into that plan. There'll be graphs right on the page where they can see their current performance, what the target's going to be, and then a list of those recommendations that's organized and sorted for them.    One of the special things about Business Planner is that it's constantly updating as much as once a day. It'll pull in new recommendations or reprioritize what's there because of progress that the sellers made, new opportunities that emerge Perhaps all of a sudden keyword traffic and customers are searching for new products on Amazon and that might change.    The order of recommendations will reflect that in the business plan. So it's a it's a living thing that they can check back to and and going to show them that next best action they can take to ultimately achieve that objective. And then you know, once we've reached the end of the plan, we'll show that completed goal right and the experience with a record of all the things they did, and I think that's really important to sort of earn trust with the sellers that you know some of these things might require a little bit of an additional investment or might go against the common knowledge of how to be successful in the store. But I'm confident that, as we, you know, offer these plans because we're starting from what's most important to the sellers, that they'll see that that's helping them achieve their unique objectives and make their business as successful as possible in the store.    Bradley Sutton: Okay. Now, when I was looking over some of the notes on this new tool, you mentioned a scenario with advertising, but I believe there's also another scenario where even it could get to something that has nothing to do with advertising, but like your A+ content. So I was trying to wrap my head around how that would work. So if I already I mean obviously, if I don't have A+ content the suggestion would be hey, get A+ content going. And now there's AI tools that help with that that we've talked about here at Amazon Accelerate this year. But if I already have A+ content, is this AI detecting like, hey, this might not be the most optimized and you need to tweak it, or what's it doing then?    James: Yeah. So it's going to look throughout the sales funnel that you might see for a product. It might look at search activity glance views at the detail page and then I think a key lever for sellers is are they converting those views and visits to their products into sales? And so it might come back with a recommendation to tweak that content to better align with the search terms that customers are using. Or it might see a strategy where they could increase their featured offer win rate and ultimately convert more of those customers into buyers. And that's where the AI is powerful.    It's going to look across those different opportunities and see where can we create the most leverage, and it was important to us as we were building Business Pointer. It's not just going to come with recommendations that might require some additional investment from sellers. So at launch, one of the things that we're including is a set of cost reduction goals, and that's where we might look at inventory levels and fee structures and recommend either promotions and deals or a different stocking strategy to the seller that can help them reduce their costs to serve and be more profitable in the similar All right, excellent.    Bradley Sutton: So, regardless of what it is, whether we're talking A+ content, whether we're talking advertised I set a goal, I implemented it. You mentioned tracking the progress. How can I see how I'm you know my road to that?    James: Yeah, absolutely so. This is where we want to bring in some like detailed data visualization. So when you come back to Business Planner, you click into the goal that you're tracking against, we'll have a big chart on the page with your progress, the projection of where you're going to end up, and also allow you to do some comparisons against a historical period so that you can see am I really outperforming, am I getting the gains? So back to your training for the Olympics. We want to see that your sprint times are coming down or your weight lifts are increasing in weight, and it's the same thing here. So if we're trying to improve our ads attributed sales we want to make progress on that metric. If we want to reduce our costs, we should expect to see our inventory performance index improve and by providing that granular view into the metrics, we can show that the seller is progressing towards their objective.    Bradley Sutton: Excellent, all right, so now I'm inspired by listening to this podcast and I'm ready to go in. Maybe by the time they're listening to this, maybe it is available already in Seller Central. If I'm just getting started, what's maybe the first thing I should do, or what's the best way to get started with this?    James: Yeah. So we want Business Planner to be a regular thing and we think that sellers will start to use it as it aligns with their monthly or quarterly business planning. So my first recommendation is check it out. Either go through the recommendations on the Seller Central homepage or go to growth opportunities and look for Business Planner in that left menu and you can start browsing those recommended goals. Those will update at least once a week with the latest and greatest opportunities that we see for you as a specific seller and based on, like your business and your opportunity, and then, once you find the plan that makes sense to you and you kick that off, you know, check back regularly. Those action plan items might update as much as once a day. So we want this to be a kind of like a regular part of your journey as a seller and a regular part of the tools that you might use on Seller Central.    Bradley Sutton: Well, thank you so much for bringing this tool, thank you so much for coming on the show and talking about it, and I'm excited to use it myself, and I'm sure a lot of the brands out there will be excited. And I can empathize with you about the New York teams. I mean, I'm a Chargers and Clippers fan, so I'm a glutton for punishment myself. So thanks a lot for doing it. Yeah, thank you so much for being here. This was fantastic actually. This she doesn't know I'm going to say this, but this was the highlight for me, for actually Amazon Accelerate was being able to interview our next guest, who I am super excited to meet her, not only her, but also especially what she's going to be talking about. So, Wei, welcome, welcome, thank you. Thank you for meeting with me.    Wei: Thank you for having me.    Bradley Sutton: Now let's what I do with all of my guests. I like to get the backstory a little bit, so where were you born and raised?    Wei: Definitely. I was born and raised in Beijing. I moved from Beijing to Chicago actually in 2003 for graduate school, so before Amazon, I worked for some of the big names like Merrill Lynch, KPMG. I have also worked for a number of startup companies in the fintech, pharmaceutical and supply chain companies. I joined Amazon in 2011. I have spent most of my time here with a selling partner services organization. Currently, I lead the selling partner growth analytics team, and our team built a few that I was on.    Our team built a few seller-facing applications in Seller Central and your comment earlier. I actually I'm a mom of three outside of work and I have a seven-year-old, a six-year-old and a baby under one.    Bradley Sutton: Yeah, wow, that's awesome, awesome. I miss those days. My kids are both. My kids are both in their twenties now and so, like I talked, when I talked to parents, when I talked to parents who still, I was like, oh man, you don't know how lucky you are to have kids at that age, because I wish I could go back in time Now, going back, one thing you said. You said you came to graduate school in Chicago. Which school did you go to?    Wei: Yeah. So I got two masters, one from Illinois Institute of Technology and got my quantitative finance degree there.    Bradley Sutton: And that's also Quantitative. I don't even know what that means.    Wei: And then I received an MBA from UChicago.    Bradley Sutton: Okay, excellent, excellent. You talk about your career there and on Amazon. You're very humble about the department you work at, but, guys, this is the department that I think not just me but every Amazon seller is so thankful for, which you're responsible for things like the search, career, performance and all these other amazing things that I think is so important, because brands, I think, have been spoiled by Amazon in the last couple of years with all the data that they get. They don't realize that if you were selling on Amazon, maybe like five, 10 years ago, some of the stuff that you guys are providing, you actually had to pay like thousands and thousands of dollars and most didn't even qualify to get it. So, first of all, again, thank you so much for what you do at your department. Now let's just talk about that a little bit Like how do you guys approach, what kind of analytical tools, what kind of information you're going to provide brands in?    Wei: a few different domains. So, first of all, we provide a traffic and sales data through Business Report, which is one of the most visited tools in Seller Central. Additionally, we also provide this tool called Opportunity Explorer. So Opportunity Explorer is a selection analytics tool. It helps sellers identify new selection to sell in Amazon store. Additionally, we also provide this tool called Search Analytics Dashboard. That is where we can provide some of the data on traffic, with an emphasis on search keywords. Lastly, but not the least, is the Customer Analytics Dashboard. For Customer Analytics Dashboard, I'm actually very excited to announce some new launches here.    So we started out by building dashboards about customers and their purchase behavior. We have demographic dashboards to tell you who your customers are. We have repeat purchase dashboard that tells you how often customers purchase from your brand. Additionally, we have this third dashboard called Market Basket Dashboard. It tells you what products your customers would purchase together with your brands. It unlocks some of the cross-selling opportunities. Since then, we have also received feedback from your brands. It unlocks some of the cross-selling opportunities. Since then, we have also received feedback from the brands. They want to take a customer-centered approach. So last year we launched a customer loyalty dashboard. It gives the brand a segmented view to understand who are your existing customers, from top tier to promising to at risk and hibernating customers. And then this year we're launching customer journey dashboard that allows a brand to understand your customer's entire shopping journey, from first moment they start to search for your brand to the moment when they make that final purchase. With these two dashboards, our goal is to lower the customer acquisition cost as well as increase the customer lifetime value.    Bradley Sutton: This is really important because actually, this part of all the analytical tools I probably know the least about. I'm so obsessive about search query performance and search volume and keyword data, but I think now 2024 and then going to 2025, brands really need to understand the customer and people are thinking too much just about the algorithm or things like that, but at the end of the day, we're not selling to the algorithm, we're selling to a human being, and so some of these data points that you're talking about is really important. I'm happy to, I'm really excited to learn about them today. Now, one thing you mentioned, you know, about different customers, like you mentioned, like top tier and things you know, like this might be familiar to some out there and I know you're probably going to talk about it, but we had the brand tailor promotions and we could see some of these different audience groups, now, those who might not be familiar with it. Can you talk a little bit about these customer audience types? You mentioned top tier, but there's a lot of other ones out there too.    Wei: Absolutely so. We help brand segment your existing customer base and we actually use a pretty standard methodology, is called RFM. R stands for Recency it describes when did your customer make the last purchase from your brand. F stands for Frequency it describes how frequently customers purchase from your brand. And lastly, m stands for Monetary Spend it talks about how much does the customer spend purchasing your products.    We use a quantile-based approach and equally divide your customers into groups along these three dimensions recency, frequency as well as monetary spend. This allows us to group your customers into four segment top tier, promising, at risk, as well as a hibernating. By top tier customers those are the customers who purchased from your brand recently, but they may be purchasing at varying frequency and they spend varying amount. At risk customers they made a purchase but they don't purchase frequently. They also spend varying amount of money on your brand. And hibernating customers are those customers who have already churned. Equipped with this knowledge, brand can then deploy different promotion and marketing tools to re-engage these customers and thereby encourage repeat purchase and drive customer lifetime value.    Bradley Sutton: Interesting.First of all, I was today years old when I heard the word quantile, so you're already teaching me new vocabulary lessons.    I realize how not smart I am when it comes to math and this kind of things, but what you know, I think the main thing that people can take away is how important it is to kind of like bucket your customers into these different brackets, because you know, somebody who's hibernating is obviously a different kind of customer, a different value to one as one who is at risk or some of the others that you mentioned, and so it's important to be able to just not consider all of our brands customers. Hey, they're exactly the same, and I think that's what a lot of brands, or especially newer brands, might be doing. Like, all my customers are the same, but no, not all customers are created equally. Let's talk about the new and potential customers. We've got the ones we've had existing, like Hibernating and things like that, and who have been part of your brand. But I think all brands are really especially concerned about hey, how do I bring new customers into the fold? And so talk to us about the new and potential customers.    Wei: We show the new and potential customers in the brand view of the customer loyalty dashboard. New customers are the ones who have made the first purchase in the last 12 months and potential customers are those customers who have not made the purchase but has engaged with your brands in some ways. For example, they may have viewed your product detail page, read customer reviews or added your products to their shopping cart or save them for later. The idea there is we want to allow brands to set up uh promotion tools to target these potential customers and convert them all All right Now, about 40 years ago.    Bradley Sutton: if we use this term cart abandoner, somebody might think of somebody who went to the grocery store and then took the cart home and then left it in the street. But when we're talking about cart abandoners on Amazon completely different meaning it's actually my favorite group of customers. For those who aren't familiar with that term, can you explain who that refers to?    Wei: Yes, absolutely. It is actually one of the new audiences that we launched this year. Cart abandoners are those customers who added your products into their shopping cart but has not made the purchase in the last 90 days.    Bradley Sutton: Now it's amazing, because this is why I think it's so important that somebody thinks, uh, more holistically about customers, because we can't think that everybody's like us as a buyer, like me, as an Amazon customer I am. I am never a cart abander, like if I add something to the cart, I buy it, like I add it to the cart and then I check out. But then I thought everybody was like me, but actually not. You're not like me, probably I'm the opposite.    Wei: I actually, I actually added to the cart and I observe uh, when does the price drop?    Bradley Sutton: and so many people are like you. Yes, I heard other people. You tell me if this is you too, but other people they're searching for like a teacup or something like that, and they'll actually add five different ones to the cart and then make the decision about do you do that one too? Sometimes, see, I don't do any of this, and so I was thinking when I first saw the numbers of this, it was just flabbergasting. I was like I cannot believe how many people are cart abandoners. And then I just started asking friends and family and I guess I was the weird one and you guys are the normal ones. But yeah, that is a huge audience and a very valuable audience. So all of these audience types, at the end of the day, what we're talking about here is we're trying to send promotions to them in different ones. So how do we send promotions to these different audiences?    Wei: Absolutely so. Today, you're able to send tailored promotions to these different audiences, and promotions are then become available to customers through search result page. I do want to share with you that as a team, we're constantly thinking about new tools that sellers can leverage or brands can leverage. So in the future, we might incorporate new tools such as coupons, Amazon buying, A+, detail page, and Manage Your Experiments, so that brands can leverage different tools to engage with their customers and help them convert.    Bradley Sutton: Excellent, excellent. Now I think one question I've gotten a lot before from different brands is hey, if I set up a promotion that's going to one of these audiences being the cart abandoners or some other audience, how do they actually see the promotions?    Wei: Promotions will show up for these customers in the search results page or the product detail page.    Bradley Sutton: Okay, so now we're looking at an example of one of these graphs here, and there's a part here that says trends. So can you explain what is this representing?    Wei: Definitely. The trend graph actually allow you to compare different metrics, for example, your total customers, total sales, new-to-brand customers, new-to-brand sales. Brands can then compare and contrast and observe how these metrics change over time.    Bradley Sutton: All right, next question. Here I can see we have a Segment view and a Brand view. Can you explain the difference between those?    Wei: Absolutely so earlier we mentioned that we will share with brands about their existing customer base top tier customer, promising, customer at risk, as well as a hibernating customer. Brand view gives you data for the entire brand, and segment view actually allows you to dive deeper into each segment. On both brand view and segment view, we will provide recommended actions that you can take to drive conversion and increase repeat purchase. Additionally, one thing I would love to call out is segment view actually gives you a predicted customer lifetime value. We use a science model to predict how likely a customer is going to purchase from your brand again and we further segment each segment based on whether the customer lifetime value is going to grow, maintain or decline.    Bradley Sutton: Wow, that's interesting. Let's talk a little bit more about this, because I think there's some brands out there who might have a product where you know what it's a vacuum. Maybe they're just going to buy the one vacuum and 10 years later maybe they'll buy another vacuum. There's others who have maybe are in the supplements, the health and household category, the beauty category, where they're very reliant on repeat purchases. So this, this lifetime value, is definitely something near and dear to their heart. But you're saying that using uh models, you can actually kind of predict some of the potential lifetime value. Can you talk a little bit more about that?    Wei: Absolutely so. We use this size-based model, and the model input considers a variety of features such as customer's profile, their browsing behavior, how they have interacted with your brands or product in the past, and then the output of the model is how likely they're going to purchase from your brand again in the next 12 months, and we will then be able to say whether the customer lifetime value is going to grow, maintain or decline as a result of that. Brands will then have further segmentation within each customer segment each customer segment. So now brands can actually launch tailored promotion specifically targeting, for example, the top tier customers, those top tier customers where their lifetime value is predicted to decline. This will allow brands to prevent these customers from churning. Bradley Sutton: Interesting is that available already or that's coming later?  Wei: This is available already today.    Bradley Sutton: I've been missing the boat on that one. I need to go ahead and start implementing that, because that's very definitely invaluable. So what are the actions that brands should be doing that we do have available? I'm obviously missing that last one, but what are some more things that we need to be leveraging right now?    Wei: So brands can achieve a number of different goals through customer loyalty dashboard, for example, if you're a brand who are trying to drive conversion and acquire new customers, it would be a good idea to think about advertising campaign and boost awareness. You can also launch a tailored promotion, as we talked about earlier, focusing, say, on cart abandoner to encourage customers to convert and make their purchase. And if your goal is to drive loyalty and encourage repeat purchases, it would be a good idea to focus on top tier customers as well as promising customers. And, additionally, we have these promotion tools where you can focus on those customers whose lifetime value is predicted to maintain or decline and encourage them to purchase more from your brand your brand.    Bradley Sutton: Now I just want to take a moment to talk to the listeners out there who might not understand how crazy it is that this kind of data is being available. This is the kind of data that companies who are selling on other channels are paying a lot of agencies, tens and hundreds of thousand dollars and it's not even that great of information, because a lot of it is just trying to predict things where they might not have that information. It's just based on perhaps some surveys and things, but this is Amazon itself, who has access to all of this data and it's giving you firsthand this kind of information. Guys, if you are not leveraging this information, you are missing out on a ton of valuable information, so make sure to use this Now. This has been great. A lot of what you just mentioned is available as of now, but right here during Amazon Accelerate, you actually even announced some new and exciting more things that are coming to the platform. Can you talk about some of those launches coming to the platform?    Wei: Can you talk about some of those launches? Absolutely, I am super, super excited. So customer loyalty dashboard the goal there is to help brands understand their existing customers so that brands can engage with these customers at the right time with a right product. However, brand frequently ask for information about what's happening in the upper funnel. We are launching this new dashboard called the Customer Journey Analytics. So Customer Journey Analytics allows brands to map the end-to-end customer journey with data and analytics, as well as recommendations. It allows brands to visualize how customers go from becoming aware of your brand all the way to consideration, maybe intent to purchase, to finally making that purchase and become a new customer to your brand.    Bradley Sutton: Wow, I'm excited to see how that's gonna work, because I think that's what we would always have always wanted that kind of information, kind of guess about it, like, all right, that's how you know, that's why I'm doing my advertising in this sense, and it's going to pay back, uh, you know in this sense, and that's why I need to have them see it this many times but to be able to actually have real data to see, that's going to be, I think, a game changer for, uh, Amazon brands out there. Well, thank you so much for launching these things. Like I said, your department is my favorite. I was about to say the best, but then I have a lot of friends at Amazon so I can't completely say that or else they might get mad at me. But my personal favorite tools definitely come from your department, and so please, please, keep giving us brands this great information. We really, really appreciate it, and thank you so much for what you've launched this week at Amazon Accelerate. I'm sure all the brands are really gonna appreciate all of this data.    Wei: Thank you.  

According to Dr. Peter Kilpatrick, Catholic Education is distinct not only in that it offers classes in theology or “religion.” Integration of the curricular and co-curricular is the true hallmark of Catholicism. That means that in Catholic schools – and especially Catholic universities – the goal should be much more than skills building for a future profession and even more than character formation. The ultimate purpose of Catholic education is to guide students into a deeper recognition and understanding of God's revelation of the true, good, and beautiful across all disciplines and in every arena of human life. Dr. Kilpatrick articulates this and discloses the unique way that the Catholic University of America executes on this noble educational venture. ABOUT THE GUEST Dr. Peter K. Kilpatrick was appointed president of The Catholic University of America in March 2022 and took office on July 1, 2022. His prior roles are numerous. He served as provost and senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Illinois Institute of Technology and previously as professor and McCloskey Dean of Engineering for ten years at the University of Notre Dame. He launched Notre Dame's first joint Ph.D. program with the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, later expanding to programs with universities in Brazil and Hungary.  Dr. Kilpatrick also served on the faculty of North Carolina State University in chemical engineering for 24 years, from 1983 to 2007, the last eight-plus years as the department head. Dr. Kilpatrick also served as the founding director of the North Carolina Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center. He is the author of more than 100 refereed journal articles in the areas of colloid and interfacial science, emulsion science, and molecular self assembly, particularly as they apply to energy and to bioseparations. His work has been cited more than 5,300 times and he holds or shares 12 patents. He received his A.B. in chemistry from Occidental College (summa cum laude) in 1978 and his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1983. He and his wife, Nancy, are the parents of four adult children. 

On today's episode of Architectette we are joined by Katerina Burianova. Katerina is a licensed architect in California, owner of Katerina Burianova Architecture Inc, and host of the From the Honeycomb podcast which features discussions about architecture, design, and women's stories. She studied at the Illinois Institute of Technology after which she moved back to Orange County and joined a small high-end residential firm. In 2022 Katerina obtained her architecture license and in 2023, she became a firm owner.  We talk about:  - Katerina's transition from being let go to launching her architecture firm. She talks about the importance of humility, the first steps she took as a business owner, and the strategies that helped her secure her first clients. - We explore Katerina's strategies as a business owner to overcome age/ gender biases. She shares her approach to networking, setting fees, and standing out in a competitive field. - We also chat about Katerina's podcast, From the Honeycomb. She shares how it has encouraged her to connect with like-minded women, but it has helped her diversify her income and build professional connections. Links: Work with Katerina: https://www.kbarchitectinc.com/ Connect with Katerina on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fromthehoneycombpodcast/ Download The Mindful Blueprint for Launching your Architecture Firm (use 'CAITLIN10' for 10% off!): https://www.kbarchitectinc.com/product-page/the-mindful-blueprint-for-launching-your-architecture-firm Architectette Podcast Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.architectette.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with the pod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Instagram (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@architectette⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠), and TikTok (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@architectette⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) Exclusive Content on our Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.architectette.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AlexGrohl⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Jim talks with Glenn Loury about his recent memoir, Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative. They discuss the problem of self-regard, Glenn's mentorship under Thomas Schelling, his upbringing in the South Side of Chicago, his matriarch aunt Eloise, his best friend Woody, the one-drop rule, the social construction of race, the influence of his uncles, stealing a car for prom, the Illinois Institute of Technology, working at a printing plant, community college classes, discovering the life of the mind at Northwestern University, choosing MIT, macro- & microeconomics, separating from his wife, choosing a department to work in, getting the call from Harvard, walking the line between Economics & African-American Studies, modeling inequality in society, moving out of economic theory & into public intellectualism, "little essays," leading a double life, a torrid love affair ending in arraignment, being conservative, resisting the mournful recitation of historic victimization, a crack-cocaine addiction, resubmitting to the Christian faith, restoring his marriage, his wife's forgiveness, the arc of his political life, and much more. Episode Transcript Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative, by Glenn C. Loury The Glenn Show Glenn C. Loury is Merton P. Stoltz Professor of Economics at Brown University. He holds the B.A. in Mathematics (Northwestern) and the Ph.D. in Economics (M.I.T). As an economic theorist he has published widely and lectured throughout the world on his research. He is also among America's leading critics writing on racial inequality. He has been elected as a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economics Association, as a Member of the American Philosophical Society and of the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, and as a Fellow of the Econometric Society and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

JD Gershbein is an expert on all things LinkedIn. His company, Owlish Communications provides LinkedIn branding and advisory services to executives, leaders and entrepreneurs around the world. Listen, as Sonny poses the most asked questions by LinkedIn users. In this episode, you'll learn: -The biggest mistake people make on LinkedIn How to navigate LinkedIn to your benefit Do you really need to upgrade your account How to reach out when someone views your profile The best way to attract connections and followers The difference between posting and article writing Who sees your contributions The mystery of the Linkedin algorithm More! About JD JD Gershbein received his B.A. in English from the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. He earned two postgraduate degrees at Illinois Tech (formerly the Illinois Institute of Technology), an M.S. in industrial/organizational psychology, and an M.B.A. in marketing communications from the Stuart School of Business. In spring 2011, Stuart offered JD an adjunct professor position and invited him to design and teach the school's first-ever graduate school course on social media marketing. As far as we know, his acceptance marked the first time the subject became part of an MBA curriculum at a major academic institution!

In the span of one month, Americans have seen an assassination attempt on a former president, the first of two major party political conventions, and the incumbent president bowing out of his reelection campaign. CNI's Peter Hancock talks with Prof. E.J. Fagan with the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs about the news, and its impact on the 2024 campaign.

Dr. Greg Chasson, clinical psychologist and researcher, speaks broadly about his work helping people and organizations who manage perfectionists.  Dr. Chasson's book - Flawed : Why Perfectionism is a Challenge for Management - is a highly regarded contribution to the fields  of psychology and business management. Dr. Gregory S. Chasson, a distinguished licensed and board-certified clinical psychologist, Associate Professor, and the Director of Behavioral Interventions of the Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders Clinic within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Chicago.With a rich academic background, Dr. Chasson earned his BA in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and later obtained his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Houston. His professional journey led him through three transformative years at Harvard Medical School, including a prestigious internship at McLean Hospital and postdoctoral Clinical and Research Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.Before joining the faculty at the University of Chicago, Dr. Chasson made significant contributions as an Assistant Professor at Towson University and later as an Associate Professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology. For the latter, his impactful leadership extended to a four-year tenure as the Director of Clinical Training for the accredited Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program.Dr. Chasson's expertise lies in obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, encompassing conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), hoarding disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, body-focused repetitive behaviors, and tics/Tourettes, alongside anxiety disorders. His commitment to evidence-based treatment is exemplified by his ownership and operation of two specialized practices—CBT Solutions of Baltimore (2010-2016) and Obsessive-Compulsive Solutions of Chicago (2016-2022).An accomplished and award-winning educator, Dr. Chasson has accumulated thousands of hours of teaching experience, leaving an indelible mark on students at various academic levels. His international reputation as a sought-after professional trainer is evidenced by workshops delivered in China on the nature and treatment of OCD for the Chinese Psychology Society and the China Mental Health Association. The International OCD Foundation recognizes his expertise, inviting him to lead trainings and serve as an expert consultant.As a prolific scholar, Dr. Chasson has authored over 70 scientific publications (Google Scholar Profile) and spearheaded grant-funded research projects in the field of OCD and related disorders. His commitment to advancing the field is reflected in his recent co-authorship of a book on cognitive-behavioral therapy for hoarding. Dr. Chasson's editorial contributions extend to multiple journal boards, and he has notably served as the Program Chair for the 2021 annual conference for the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Currently, he is the editor of the Behavior Therapist, solidifying his status as a leading authority in the field.Dr. Chasson's wealth of clinical experience, a dedication to education, and  prolific research portfolio, enables him to offer unparalleled insights and expertise to those seeking speaking engagements, media involvement, and a deeper understanding of OCD and related disorders.

It's an EmMajority Report Thursday! She speaks with Margaret Power, professor of history at the Illinois Institute of Technology, to discuss her recent book Solidarity across the Americas: The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and Anti-imperialism. Then, she's joined by journalist Erin Reed, author of the Erin In The Morning newsletter on SubStack, to discuss how speakers at the RNC have been employing transphobic rhetoric. Check out Margaret's book here: https://uncpress.org/book/9781469674056/solidarity-across-the-americas/ Check out "Erin In The Morning" here: https://www.erininthemorning.com/ Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Follow us on TikTok here!: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here!: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here!: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Join Sam on the Nation Magazine Cruise! 7 days in December 2024!!: https://nationcruise.com/mr/ Check out the "Repair Gaza" campaign courtesy of the Glia Project here: https://www.launchgood.com/campaign/rebuild_gaza_help_repair_and_rebuild_the_lives_and_work_of_our_glia_team#!/ Check out StrikeAid here!; https://strikeaid.com/ Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: http://majority.fm/app Check out today's sponsors: Henson Shaving: It's time to say no to subscriptions and yes to a razor that'll last you a lifetime. Visit https://HENSONSHAVING.com/MAJORITY to pick the razor for you and use code MAJORITY and you'll get two years' worth of blades free with your razor–just make sure to add them to your cart. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @BradKAlsop Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/

This week, Dustin talks with Dr. Joseph Orgel from Illinois Institute of Technology about the innovative Empowerment Leadership and Mentorship (ELM) program he developed. Dr. Orgel shares his journey in academia, emphasizing the importance of mentorship and the development of durable skills for student success. They also discuss the program's impact on academic performance, graduation rates, and the overall student experience. Lastly, Dr. Orgel highlights the critical role of peer mentorship and the positive effects of creating a supportive and empowering academic culture.Guest Name: Dr. Joseph Orgel, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at Illinois Institute of TechnologyGuest Social Handles: LinkedInGuest Bio: Dr. Joseph Orgel is a visionary with a passion for innovation and collaboration. He is a relentless research leader in multi- and cross-disciplinary R&D, delving into areas such as the molecular organization of tissues, X-Ray diffraction, neurology, social influence, generative AI and applied learning. His diverse background spans academia, research, and business, giving him a unique perspective on leadership and problem-solving. Joseph's expertise in industrial R&D, business administration, and strategic planning is complemented by his commitment to fostering strong relationships and championing personal development. As a skilled communicator and dedicated mentor, Joseph inspires those around him to reach their full potential. - - - -Connect With Our Host:Dustin Ramsdellhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinramsdell/https://twitter.com/HigherEd_GeekAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Geek is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you'll like other Enrollify shows too! Some of our favorites include Generation AI and I Wanna Work There. Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.

Embracing the Aliveness Mindset: A Guide to Leading with Passion, Purpose, and JoyIn a recent episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur Show, host Josh Elledge conversed with Jack Craven, an executive leadership coach and author of "Aliveness Mindset: Lead and Live with More Passion, Purpose, and Joy." Their discussion explored leadership, emotional intelligence, and living a fulfilling life. This blog post distills key insights from their conversation, offering actionable advice to help you lead with more passion, purpose, and joy.Jack Craven's "Aliveness Mindset" emphasizes living and leading with passion and purpose. It involves reducing reactivity, accessing emotional intelligence, and aligning with true desires. Key themes include reducing reactivity through mindfulness practices, identifying core values by reflecting on peak experiences, and setting intrinsically rewarding goals. Craven also highlights the importance of perseverance, modeling your best self, and taking practical steps to experience more aliveness daily.To experience more aliveness, Jack advises listening to your heart, making heart-centered decisions, and prioritizing activities that make you feel alive. Reframe your perspective on your current role to find meaning, and be open to change if your current path isn't fulfilling. By staying committed to your values, trusting your instincts, and taking small actions daily, you can transform both your personal and professional life, leading with passion, purpose, and joy.About Jack Craven:With a diverse background as a trial lawyer, seasoned CEO, long time member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO) mindset author, distinguished executive coach, and C-Suite team facilitator, Jack Craven has spent the last 9 years leading countless CEOs and their C-Suite teams into more fulfilling, authentic lives.In his work over the past decade, Jack continually found what he personally experienced in his long-term CEO role–executives aren't necessarily satisfied with their lives but feel guilty asking for more because they know they are privileged and blessed. Through his “Living All In” philosophy, he has helped leaders and their companies reach the pinnacle of their potential. He aids leaders in honing their effectiveness and fulfillment by pinpointing drivers, strengths, and blind spots and helps them discover deeper purpose, joy, and happiness in their lives. Jack seamlessly blends his experience with neuroscience-based practices and insights from the Enneagram personality system to facilitate transformative coaching results.Since 2007, Jack has also been an active member and one of only 120 certified facilitators worldwide for the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO), the world's leading community for chief executives, giving him a profound understanding of contemporary leadership dynamics.Prior to his work with executive leadership, Jack was the CEO of his family's business, Craven Closeouts, for nearly two decades. He began his career as a trial lawyer with the Chicago State's Attorney's Office and then moved into private practice.To help executives become fully immersed in their aliveness and live their best professional and personal lives, on April 2, 2024, Jack will launch his first book, Aliveness Mindset: Lead and Live with More Passion, Purpose, and Joy, with publisher Forefront Books.Jack received his J.D. from the Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, and his B.A. in Political Science, Criminal Justice from Indiana University Bloomington. Just as passionate about his personal pursuits, Jack loves keeping.About Aliveness Mindset (Book):In Aliveness Mindset, Jack explains his groundbreaking method to achieve an “Optimal State,” which provides clarity, confidence, growth, and natural concentration. This is honed through implementing “Living All In Tools” and by first grasping an “Aliveness...

Mike Stephen visits the Hope Chicago Goal Getters 2024 Conference at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Hope Chicago is a scholarship-focused non-profit designed to provide students and their parents/guardians with the support they need to graduate from college debt-free.  We learn about the amazing work of this local nonprofit from program manager Joeysha Dobbins, scholar Diana Solano, and parent of a scholar April Kern.

In this episode of Grid Talk, host Marty Rosenberg talks with Shay Bahramirad who is the  vice president of T&D, strategy, and sustainability at LUMA and president of the IEEE Power & Engineering Society. The discussion focuses on rebuilding the grid in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017 and how the world is pivoting to a new electric grid.Bahramirad is the point person helping to rebuild the grid in Puerto Rico and and go beyond what existed prior to Hurricane Maria. The federal government has earmarked $16 billion to Puerto Rico for grid related work.“From that total $16 billion dollars, we have initiated over $13 billion dollars of scope of work and over $4 billion dollars of it is approved by FEMA and over $1.2 billion dollars has been constructed in the grid. That includes everything from poles that they would withstand 160 miles per hour winds to modernization of substations,” said Bahramirad. Part of the rebuild is making the grid more reliable for customers.“It also suffered from decades of under investments and lack of maintenance that led customers and citizens of Puerto Rico to experience outages three times more frequently than any other utility in the United States. ““We got to work. The frequency of outages experienced by customers has gone down by about 25% since we started.”As for changes confronting IEEE Power & Engineering Society members, utilities, and customers – the organization is focused on building the electrical grid of the future and making sure all the players are working in unison.“It's an unprecedented time to be in this industry and the challenges that we deal with cannot wait for a decade to coordinate.”Dr. Bahramirad is a leading figure in the industry. She is the President of the IEEE Power and Energy Society, an editorial board member of the Electricity Journal, a US CIGRE Executive member, an adjunct professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and the founder of IEEE Women in Power. Dr. Bahramirad completed her PhD in electrical engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Barry gets small businesses unstuck.As a small business expert, Barry Moltz gets owners growing again by unlocking their long-forgotten potential.  With decades of entrepreneurial experience in his own business ventures as well as consulting countless other entrepreneurs, Barry has discovered the formula to get stuck business owners unstuck and marching forward. As a small business expert, Barry applies simple, strategic steps to facilitate change.Barry has founded and run small businesses with a great deal of success and failure for more than 20 years.After successfully selling his last operating business, Barry has branched out into a number of entrepreneurship-related activities.  He founded an angel investor group, an angel fund, and is a former advisory member of the board of the Angel Capital Education Foundation.  His first book, “You Need to Be A Little Crazy: The Truth about Starting and Growing Your Business” describes the ups and downs and emotional trials of running a business.  It is in its fifth reprint and has been translated into Chinese, Russian, Korean and Thai.His second book, “Bounce! Failure, Resiliency and the Confidence to Achieve Your Next Great Success”, shows what it takes to come back and develop true business confidence.  It has been translated into Korean and German.  His third book, “BAM! Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World” shows how customer service is the new marketing. People now buy experiences and relationships, not products. His fourth book, Small Town Rules: How Small Business and Big Brands can Profit in a Connected Economy shows how when every customer can talk to every other customer, it's like living in a small town: Your reputation is everything! His fifth book, “How to Get Unstuck: 25 Ways to Get Your Business Growing Again” focuses on how to get small business owners making more profits in their company. Barry's sixth book  “Small Business Hacks: 100 Shortcuts to Your Success” with Rieva Lesonsky gives small business owners the key resources to be successful.Barry's 7th award winning book, “ChangeMasters: How to Actually Make the Changes You Already Know You Need to Make” is available now. He most recently appeared as a business expert in the History Channel's “The Booze, Bets and Sex that Built America”.Barry is a nationally recognized speaker on small business who has given hundreds of presentations to audiences ranging in size from 20 to 20,000.  As a member of the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, he has also taught entrepreneurship as an adjunct professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology.  He has appeared on many TV and radio programs such as CNBC's The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, MSNBC's Your Business and NPR's The Tavis Smiley Show.  He hosts his own weekly radio program for 12 years, The Small Business Radio Show writes regularly for other periodicals. ----- John Bates provides 1:1 Executive Communications Coaching, both in-person and online, as well as large and small group training. Sign up for his free weekly micro-trainings at https://johnbates.com/mini-trainings and create a great leadership communications habit that makes you the kind of leader who inspires trust, loyalty and connection.

Over the past 40 years, Shigeru Miyamoto has been inventing the modern video game one pixel at a time. From Donkey Kong to Super Mario Bros to The Legend of Zelda, Miyamoto turned wonder and exploration into game mechanics, and incorporated his personal experiences into his games. I talk with Illinois Institute of Technology dean Jennifer deWinter and Oakland University professor Sam Srauy about how Miyamoto changed Nintendo, and where his influence can be seen in big budget and indie video games today. Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/IMAGINARY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest: Abhishek Jaiswal, Data Analytics Intern at Chicago Transit Authority [@cta]On Twitter | https://twitter.com/jabhijOn LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jabhij/________________________________Host: Saman FatimaOn ITSPmagazine | https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/saman-fatima________________________________This Episode's SponsorsAre you interested in sponsoring an ITSPmagazine Channel?

In this episode, we're joined by Katerina Burianova, the founder of Katerina Burianova Architecture Inc. and host of the ‘From the Honeycomb' podcast, ranked in the top 100 Best Architecture Podcasts.  Katerina recounts her career journey in the architecture industry, from launching her firm to successful podcasting. She offers insights into her experiences with the ARE exams and the essential lessons she learned. Katerina also discusses Vastu Shastra principles, detailing how she incorporates them into her design work. Additionally, she speaks on the challenges she's faced as a woman in architecture and her strategies for overcoming these barriers. Katerina shares her favorite organizational tools and introduces her new resource - 'The Mindful Blueprint for Launching your Architecture Firm' e-book, which aims to help architects establish their firms. For more insights into Katerina's career journey, listen to the episode wherever you listen to podcasts! Don't forget to check out the link below to buy her e-book, and use the code architect10 for a 10% discount. Purchase the e-book here: https://www.kbarchitectinc.com/category/all-products   ABOUT THE GUEST: Growing up with two cultures gave Katerina Burianova a unique perspective on the world. Born in the Czech Republic and raised in the US, she chose to study architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. During her five years at university, Katerina worked on various internships, from a historically significant building in the Czech Republic to high-end residential architecture in Chicago. After graduating, she stayed in Chicago for a few years but eventually moved back to sunny Orange County, California in 2017. In 2022, she became a licensed architect and established Katerina Burianova Architecture Inc. Outside of architecture, Katerina enjoys yoga, hiking along the California coast, and swimming in the ocean.     Listen to the Podcast: Spotify Apple Podcasts  Website   Connect with Us! Instagram LinkedIn AMB Connect Page   Get in Touch Ask Aya anything  Send us a message  

https://www.paypal.me/Truelifepodcast?locale.x=en_USLadies and gentlemen, esteemed guests, and seekers of innovative thought, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce to you a visionary thinker, a pioneer in the realm of economic philosophy, and a catalyst for transformative change: Tulsi Tawari.In a world where the battle between the creation and transfer of wealth rages on, Tulsi Tawari stands at the forefront, armed not with conventional weapons, but with a groundbreaking book: “Creation of Wealth vs Transfer of Wealth - The Final Battle.” This seminal work offers new strategies for the future growth of the global economy, emphasizing individual pursuits for excellence over the concentration of capital in fewer hands. With a relentless commitment to fostering sustained abundance and prosperity for all, regardless of nationality or societal status, Tulsi Tawari's insights illuminate a path towards a more equitable and prosperous future.As the Founder CEO of Alternate Approaches Pvt. Ltd., Tulsi Tawari spearheads an educational initiative aimed at attitudinal transformation and entrepreneurial drive, instilling in individuals the mindset and skills necessary to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of the modern economy. Through Ultra-Tech Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., accredited by the prestigious BARC (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre), he pioneers innovative solutions for monitoring radiation exposure, ensuring the well-being of individuals and communities.But Tulsi Tawari's impact extends far beyond the confines of boardrooms and laboratories. As the Founder CEO of Indi-Roots Rural Enterprises LLP, he champions the empowerment of rural economies and entrepreneurs, unleashing the transformative power of enterprise to uplift communities and create lasting prosperity.Tulsi Tawari's risk-mitigation approaches and innovative tools, such as HR-Print™ Quality-Time-Quotient (QtQ)™, Leadership-Quotient (LQ)™, and Prosperity-Index (PI)™, have become indispensable resources for knowledge-entrepreneurs seeking sustained growth in an ever-changing world. His distinguished academic background, including an advanced degree in Chemical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, coupled with his status as a distinguished alumnus, underscores his commitment to excellence and lifelong learning.Frequently sought after as a speaker on leadership, entrepreneurship, and wealth-creation strategies for national economies, Tulsi Tawari's influence transcends borders and inspires individuals and organizations alike to embrace a future defined by innovation, inclusivity, and sustainable prosperity.tulsitawari@gmail.com https://www.paypal.me/Truelifepodcast?locale.x=en_US

In this episode of Breaking Down Barriers, we welcome Gisele Hamm, MA program director for the MAPPING the Future of Your Community strategic visioning and planning program at the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University and Chris Merrett Dean for Innovation and Economic Development and the Director of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA) at Western Illinois University (WIU). The IIRA is a university-based research, outreach, teaching, and policy development center that identifies and implements strategies for sustainable rural community and economic development. Merrett also serves as WIU Distinguished University Professor.Many rural communities across the country face challenges like population decline, limited resources, and a lack of opportunities. But there's good news: with strategic planning and a focus on homegrown solutions, these communities can not only survive but thrive.Empowering Communities to Take ChargePrograms like the Mapping Program, offered by the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, are making a difference. This innovative initiative brings community members together for a series of intensive workshops, fostering a grassroots effort to create a vision for the future. By working collaboratively, residents identify their community's strengths and weaknesses, establish shared goals, and develop concrete action plans to achieve them.Turning Challenges into OpportunitiesThe challenges faced by rural communities can be daunting, but they also present opportunities for innovation. Here are some key strategies to consider:Community Planning: Develop a data-driven plan with the Mapping Program or a similar initiative. Leverage hidden assets like community foundations to fund local projects.Supporting Small Businesses: Shift the focus from attracting large corporations to building an ecosystem that supports entrepreneurs. Offer training programs, create a welcoming environment for startups and remote workers, and establish co-working spaces.Workforce Development: Partner with local community colleges to develop training programs that equip residents with in-demand skills. Recognize the growing diversity in rural communities and expand opportunities for underrepresented groups to become entrepreneurs.Building Hope and Capacity: Tap into resources like Peace Corps Fellows and AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers to supplement local expertise. Provide ongoing support to communities that have completed a strategic planning program.Building a Brighter Future, TogetherBy working together, rural communities can overcome challenges and create a future filled with opportunity. With careful planning, a focus on local businesses, and a commitment to developing a skilled workforce, vibrant rural communities can become a reality.

Nothing is impossible. We all need to be reminded and encouraged to act as if we believe it.   Today's conversation will do that and more!   ============================   When you're ready, here are three ways I can help you build your engineering career:   1. Engineering Career Accelerator™️ Scorecard … foundational development actions and key points you can check, score, and apply immediately to stand out and excel at work.   2. Join us at Happy Hour … a limited-attendance LIVE monthly workshop where we dig deep into career growth strategies and provide 1:1 open coaching for you at the end of the session.   3. Work with me directly … start with a free chat and ensure it's a great fit, then work with me and my team privately in our intensive coaching program, exclusively for engineers.   ============================   In this episode, meet an amazing father-daughter duo, Shawn Dalcour and Keshia Robinson.   If you have ever felt stuck, stagnant, uncertain, or afraid to take that next step in your career, you must hear what Shawn and Keshia brought to our conversation today.   Shawn went from the projects of Chicago, growing up in a neighborhood where the life expectancy was only 30 years old… to arguably the most successful project leader I've had on this podcast!    He earned an engineering degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and built his engineering career on elite teams at places like IBM, Oracle, Adobe, and Verizon, where he is currently responsible for $1.3 billion in revenue as Global Technology Alliance Manager, Partner Business Development & Innovation Leader.    His daughter Keshia has her own amazing journey, currently serving as Director of Operations for the National Society of Black Engineers. She has witnessed first hand the power of her father going from tragedy to triumph, and is giving back to the community of engineering leaders as part of that legacy.   So press play and let's chat…because nothing was impossible for Shawn, and nothing is impossible for you!   ============================   HAPPY ENGINEER COMMUNITY LINKS:   > Full Show Notes, Resources, & More   > Join our Facebook Group! Get access to bonus content and live coaching as growth-minded leaders build careers together.   ============================   WANT MORE AMAZING GUESTS?   “I love Zach and these amazing guests on The Happy Engineer Podcast.” If that sounds like you, please consider following, rating and reviewing the show!    I know it's a huge favor to ask, but when you follow, leave a 5-star rating, and add an honest review of how these episodes are helping you… it's a massive benefit for getting the attention of powerhouse guests on this show.    On Apple Podcasts, click our show, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with 5-stars, and select “Write a Review.”   Thank you so much.    ============================   Connect with your host, Zach White:   LinkedIn (primary) Instagram Facebook YouTube

On this episode of Deans Counsel, moderators Ken Kring and Dave Ikenberry speak with Raj Echambadi, the 10th President (since August 2021) of the Illinois Institute of Technology.From 2017 to 2021, Echambadi served as the Dunton Family Dean of D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University. Under his leadership, D'Amore-McKim has become widely recognized for moving beyond traditional business silos and for embracing cross-disciplinary perspectives in both research and teaching. Prior to joining Northeastern, Echambadi served for eight years in various roles, including as the Alan J. and Joyce D. Baltz Professor and the senior associate dean of strategic innovation, at Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Echambadi was a driving force behind the scaled online M.B.A. (iMBA) program at the University of Illinois, which has been lauded as one of the best breakthrough, disruptive educational innovations in the past decade.Echambadi's wealth of experience animates a fast-moving and fascinating discussion about these topics and more:• Online Education • Creating a learning Eco-System• Understanding the power of people and shaping the jobs to fit them • Democratizing education • Defending the value of higher education  • How The Deanship prepared him for the Presidency   Learn more about Raj EchambadiComments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note at feedback@deanscounsel.comThanks for listening.-Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts--DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn FerryDeansCounsel.com

Our Excellence Spotlight series celebrates and showcases the remarkable journeys and achievements of RQM+ employees; the same employees who are committed to technical excellence and make a significant impact on our clients.

Do you like to consider yourself a values-driven leader? Do you wonder how to assess how you're doing?My guest today on The Courage of a Leader podcast is Raj Echambadi. We delved into how he thinks about and practically demonstrates values that inspire and engage others.Raj is the President of Illinois Institute of Technology and has a principle-driven vision for the institute and he shares with us how he thinks about and practically demonstrates values that inspire and engage others.You'll enjoy, be impressed and be inspired by what Raj has to say and how he says it.This is not an episode to miss!About the Guest:Raj Echambadi became the 10th president of Illinois Institute of Technology in August 2021. Echambadi's vision for Illinois Tech is centered on a new path to preeminence driven by four principles: first, honoring and strengthening the university's role as an engine of opportunity and a national leader in economic mobility; second, pursuing growth through reimagining education to serve learners at all stages of life; third, fueling future innovation by empowering students; and fourth, exemplifying purpose-driven citizenship in service of the Bronzeville neighborhood, Chicago, and the world.Previously, Echambadi served as the dean of D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University. Before joining Northeastern, Echambadi served in various roles, including as senior associate dean of strategic innovation, at Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was a driving force behind a scaled online M.B.A. (iMBA) program that was lauded as one of the best educational innovations in the past decade. Echambadi received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Anna University in India and a doctorate in marketing from the University of Houston. His academic research focuses on strategic innovation within organizations and how firms should balance current and future opportunities. He has won numerous teaching and research accolades including the prestigious Academy of Management Journal Best Paper Award for his work on employee entrepreneurship. About the Host:Amy L. Riley is an internationally renowned speaker, author and consultant. She has over 2 decades of experience developing leaders at all levels. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Deloitte and Barclays.As a trusted leadership coach and consultant, Amy has worked with hundreds of leaders one-on-one, and thousands more as part of a group, to fully step into their leadership, create amazing teams and achieve extraordinary results. Amy's most popular keynote speeches are:The Courage of a Leader: The Power of a Leadership LegacyThe Courage of a Leader: Create a Competitive Advantage with Sustainable, Results-Producing Cross-System CollaborationThe Courage of a Leader: Accelerate Trust with Your Team, Customers and CommunityThe Courage of a Leader: How to Build a Happy and Successful Hybrid Team Her new book is a #1 international best-seller and is entitled, The Courage of a Leader: How to Inspire, Engage and Get Extraordinary Results.www.courageofaleader.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/amyshoopriley/ Link mentioned in the podcastThe Inspire Your Team assessment (the courage assessment): https://courageofaleader.com/inspireyourteam/ Thanks for listening!Thanks so much for listening to The Courage of a Leader podcast! If you got inspired and/or got valuable...

Mike Stephen learns about the latest efforts in studying our local water systems from David Lampert, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology, discusses a new report about who is working from home these days with the report's co-author David Merriman, and chats about inclusivity in the media with Second Glance Productions founder Anthony Williams.

Chicago-based trial lawyer Jeffrey Kroll is no stranger to risk.  On the road to some of his biggest verdicts, including a 2017 verdict for $148 million, Jeff has turned down big money to cast his lot with the jury.  Join Ben and Rahul for their conversation with Jeff, in which he discusses some of the core beliefs and strategies that inform his highly successful approach to trying cases to juries.  Listeners will come away with many insightful tips that will benefit their own trial practices. About Jeffrey KrollWebsite: Chicago Personal Injury Attorneys | Kaveny + Kroll Jeffrey J. Kroll is a founding partner at Kaveny + Kroll, a Chicago firm focused primarily on plaintiffs' tort litigation.  Jeff has been representing victims of negligence for over three decades and has taken cases to verdict throughout the country in the areas of trucking accidents, products liability, premises liability, medical malpractice and transportation negligence.   In 2017, Jeff was a major part of the trial team that won a record-breaking $148 million verdict on behalf of a dancer paralyzed by a collapsed shelter at O'Hare International Airport.  This is the highest compensatory damage award to an individual plaintiff in Illinois history.  Jeff regularly handles complex damage cases and has received multimillion dollar verdicts and settlements. Jeff obtained a $15.2 million verdict on behalf of a man who was seriously injured when he was struck and run over by a forklift at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago.  He obtained a $5.25 million dollar verdict in the first U.S. bike share death.   During his career, he has obtained verdicts or negotiated settlements on over 80 occasions where the results have exceeded $1 million, including six cases which have exceeded $10 million.  Jeff has obtained more than $430 million in verdicts and settlements throughout his career.  Jeff is also active in national bar associations where he routinely speaks and writes on several trial topics as part of his commitment to maintaining quality and professionalism in the legal community. He has been asked to lecture on over 160 occasions and has published over 139 articles for lawyers. Based on his substantial contributions to continuing legal education, the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education recognized Jeff with IICLE's 2015 Addis E. Hull award.  In 2008, that same group awarded Jeff the Top Instructor in CLE courses.   Jeff is also a highly sought-after legal commentator, making frequent local and national media appearances to provide in-depth legal insight and analysis of current events.  He has been interviewed in countless television segments, podcasts, and publications.   

We're thrilled to welcome Kenneth T. Christensen, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Illinois Institute of Technology to this episode of LRTU! With a career spanning decades at the forefront of engineering and academia, Christensen brings a wealth of knowledge and insight. In this episode, we'll explore the intersection of academia and industry, the evolving landscape of engineering education, and the role of research in addressing some of today's most pressing environmental challenges. Christensen shares his journey from a mechanical engineering student to a leader in academic administration, shedding light on the path to academic leadership and the importance of industry partnerships in fostering innovation and economic development.

Martin Cooper is an engineer, an entrepreneur, and a futurist. Known as the “father of the cell phone,” he invented the world's first portable cell phone at Motorola and made the first public call in 1973. Over thirty years at Motorola, Cooper and his teams introduced the first nationwide mobile phones and pagers, and numerous other products. He and his wife, Arlene Harris founded over a half dozen companies.He is chairman of Dyna LLC, serves on the FCC's Technological Advisory Council and is a member of the National Academy of Engineers, the Marconi Society, and is a Prince of Asturias Laureate. He has been widely published, and created the Law of Spectrum Capacity, known as Cooper's Law.Cooper grew up in Chicago and attended the Illinois Institute of Technology.   Please leave a review or send us a Voice note letting us know what you enjoyed at:Back2Basics reconnecting to the essence of YOU (podpage.com)Follow us on IG and FB @Back2BasicsPodcast

Today, on The Courage of a Leader podcast, you can be inspired and impressed by Eric Larson, Tilia Holdings Co-Founder, Co-CEO, and Chairman.Eric's mission is to transform the effectiveness and efficiencies in the food supply industry, focusing on food safety, nutrition, and wellness, and sustainability. No small task!!Listen in to discover the innovative ways he's approaching his commitment and take away lessons that can benefit you and all leaders. About the Guest:Eric Larson, Tilia's Chairman, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, started his career as a private equity investor and business builder in 1986. Prior to co-founding Tilia in 2017, Eric established Linden Life Science in 2002, now known as Linden Capital Partners, a leading healthcare focused middle-market private equity firm. Eric was Linden's Chairman and, as its senior investment professional, developed the firm's strategy and organization.Before Linden, Eric was Executive Vice President and Managing General Partner of First Chicago Equity Capital (now One Equity Partners), which he co-founded in 1991. He began his private equity career at First Chicago Venture Capital (now Madison Dearborn Partners), where he was a Partner and Investment Principal.In addition to Tilia, Eric is involved with several technically-oriented organizations, including: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Member of the Nutrition Roundtable); the National Geographic Society; the Illinois Institute of Technology (Trustee and Chairman of its Institute of Design); Center for Higher Ambition Leadership (Executive Fellow); and the Commercial Club of Chicago (member). https://tiliallc.com/About the Host:Amy L. Riley is an internationally renowned speaker, author and consultant. She has over 2 decades of experience developing leaders at all levels. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Deloitte and Barclays.As a trusted leadership coach and consultant, Amy has worked with hundreds of leaders one-on-one, and thousands more as part of a group, to fully step into their leadership, create amazing teams and achieve extraordinary results. Amy's most popular keynote speeches are:The Courage of a Leader: The Power of a Leadership LegacyThe Courage of a Leader: Create a Competitive Advantage with Sustainable, Results-Producing Cross-System CollaborationThe Courage of a Leader: Accelerate Trust with Your Team, Customers and CommunityThe Courage of a Leader: How to Build a Happy and Successful Hybrid TeamHer new book is a #1 international best-seller and is entitled, The Courage of a Leader: How to Inspire, Engage and Get Extraordinary Results.www.courageofaleader.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/amyshoopriley/ Link mentioned in the podcastThe Inspire Your Team assessment (the courage assessment): https://courageofaleader.com/inspireyourteam/ Thanks for listening!Thanks so much for listening to The Courage of a Leader podcast! If you got inspired and/or got valuable leadership techniques you can use from this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share using the social media buttons on this page.Do you have questions or feedback about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!Subscribe to the podcastIf you would like to get automatic updates...

Think of all the batteries you use in your home for all your remotes and clocks and flashlights. We all go through a lot of batteries and as you are aware, they aren't cheap. This episode begins with some interesting facts and myths about batteries you likely never knew. http://www.greenbatteries.com/ It does seem that most people don't like their own voice and wish it sounded better. The good news is, you really can make it better. Your voice is really an instrument and like a musical instrument you must learn how to use it the right way. Here to tell you how is voice coach Caroline Goyder. She has worked with A-list actors, teachers and broadcasters to improve their voices and she has some very easy strategies that will have you loving the sound of your own voice. Caroline is the author of the book Find Your Voice: The Secret to Talking with Confidence in Any Situation (https://amzn.to/3vi3sKr) and she has a Ted Talk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2MR5XbJtXU) that has been viewed over 9 million times. Are you concerned with the safety of the food in your kitchen? Do you follow expiration dates or trust your judgement? Have you ever gotten sick from eating food that went bad? A lot of people have which is why Robert Brackett is here. He is professor of food science at the Illinois Institute of Technology and Director of the Institute of Food Safety and Health. Robert offers some practical suggestions to keep your food safe and explains why it is actually a good thing when food spoils and smells bad. While it is easy enough to find advice on the secret to success, let me share some very simple wisdom from former advertising executive James Dale. Listen and I am pretty sure you will find what he says rings true for you. Source: James Dale author of The Obvious (https://amzn.to/3t6AsmP). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions and manage your expenses the easy way by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something ! Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! Dell Technologies' Presidents Day event is here! The savings start now on select sleek XPS laptops and more powered by 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors. Don't forget special pricing on the latest monitors, docks and accessories, plus free shipping on everything and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account.  Just call 877-ASK-DELL for these limited-time Presidents Day deals! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn't it? Come to TurboTax and don't do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices