Podcasts about kansas association

Steve welcomes fellow Kansas Association of Broadcasters Hall-of-Famer Dan Dillon to the show to talk about his years at the DA's office and his 30 years as a leading voice in Wichita radio.

The State of Kansas requires local counties to provide an array of services, from health and safety to road maintenance and administering elections. But lawmakers at the Statehouse are applying scrutiny to counties for the property taxes that largely pay for those services. Bruce Chladny, executive director of the Kansas Association of Counties, and Jay Hall, the association's deputy director and general counsel, talk about the tension between state and local governments.

Andrew Mall is a past Kansas Association of REALTORS® President, and in 2025 he has stepped into a new role as KCRAR President. He talks with Bobbi and Alex about the strength and community the local, state and national REALTOR® associations bring to members. Bobbi's Book Bit: Just Listen by Mark Goulston Alex's Book recommendation: The Book of Charlie by David Von Drehle (Jump to interview at 13:38)

Maranda DeSanto is the new CEO of the Kansas Association of REALTORS®. She talks with Bobbi and Alex about her career and her goals for the future of the state association. Bobbi's Book Bit: Extraordinary Influence by Tim Irwin (Jump to interview at 13:20) Learn more about the 2024 KAR Annual Conference in Overland Park: https://kansasrealtor.com/events/2024-kar-annual-conference/

Leadership and Advocacy in School Psychology with Lina Kitson In this episode, the host interviews Lina Kitson, a practicing school psychologist in Kansas and a leader in various school psychology organizations. Lina discusses her extensive involvement in the Kansas Association of School Psychologists (CASP), her advocacy work, and her role in the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). She shares insights into her leadership journey, key initiatives during her presidency, and strategies for managing time and professional development. Lina also talks about co-founding 'Copy Paste Report,' an Excel-based program designed to assist school psychologists and related service providers. The conversation explores Lina's passion for strategic planning, professional growth, and the importance of leaning into leadership roles within the field. Resources: Kansas Association of School Psychologists: https://kaosp.wildapricot.org/ Lina's Excel based program: https://www.copypastereport.com/ JOIN SUMMER BOOT CAMP TODAY! Interested in Joining Summer Boot Camp? Register Today: ⁠https://jennyponzuric.com/summerbootcamp2024/⁠ Not sure and want to try out a 2-week Free Trial Inside Our Prepared School Psych Community Click Here and use Code Podcast at check out: ⁠https://jennyponzuric.activehosted.com/f/159⁠ ---------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe now and join our community of dedicated School Psychologists committed to creating inclusive, supportive, and empowering school environments for every child. Let's embark on this journey of professional growth and student-centered advocacy together! Follow us on social media for updates, behind-the-scenes content, and more: Instagram: @jennyponzuric

2024 ACB Summer Auction Saturday, June 22 at 6:00pm ET Broadcast on ACB Media One Shipping Donors Thanks to the Bay State Council of the Blind ($250), Veterans of ACB ($150), California Council of the Blind ($100), Council of Citizens with Low Vision International ($100), ACB Families ($100), ACB Teachers ($100), Illinois Council of the Blind($100), North Dakota Association of the Blind ($100), VisAbilities Show ($100), Terry Pacheco )$100), Merrilee Hill-Kennedy ($100), Pat Tusing ($80) ACB Next Generation ($75), Natalie Couch ($50), Angelo Lanier ($50), David Trott ($50), Chris Bell ($50), and Agnes Ferris ($10) for their generous donations for shipping. Segment One - Cindy Hollis and Deb Cook Lewis 100 $50 Gift Card to The Southern Grill donated by ACB Board of Publications Director Cachet Wells The Southern Grill, a local restaurant, has been serving hearty home cooked southern meals in Jacksonville since 1998. Besides serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner with dishes such as BBQ, sandwiches/wraps, Greek platters, vegetarian options and more, along with beer and wine there is something for everyone in the family to enjoy. Located within 15 minutes and approximately 0.7 miles from the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The Southern Grill promotes local musicians that have become a favorite part of their dining experience with Open Jams and live band music several nights a week. 101 A Set of 5 Holiday Ornaments Handmade and donated by Jamaica Miller You will receive one ornament of each color: red, green, gold, blue and white. They are adorned with pins and beads in various bright colors, and each will have a tag of your choosing. You can have any combination of messages, or they can all be the same. The choices are: "Merry Christmas", "Happy Holidays", "Peace on Earth", or "Joy to the World". The tags feature Braille as well as printed text. The ornaments will be packaged in a decorative tin. 102A Two-pound Box of Ghirardelli dark chocolate Fudge donated by Marvelena Quesada You will receive a 2-pound box of Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Fudge, made from San Francisco's own 100-year-old chocolatier's intense 72% Cacao Dark chocolate. She has crafted this rich, delicious fudge for family and friends for years. While it is especially wonderful around the holiday season, it works throughout the year for the chocolate lovers among us. Enjoy this delicacy with a morning cup of coffee or as an after-dinner treat. 102B Two-pound Box of Ghirardelli dark chocolate fudge donated by Marvelena Quezada You will receive a 2-pound box of rich Ghirardelli dark chocolate fudge, made from San Francisco's own 100-year-old chocolatier's intense 72% Cacao Dark chocolate. She has crafted this rich, delicious fudge for family and friends for years. While it is especially wonderful around the holiday season, it works throughout the year for the chocolate lovers among us. Enjoy this delicacy with a morning cup of coffee or as an after-dinner treat. 103 $50 Olive Garden Gift Card donated by ACB of Connecticut Do you ever get hungry for Italian food? Well, here's something just for you, a $50 gift card to Olive Garden. Hurry up and bid so you can get those wonderful bread sticks, salads, and delicious dinners. Braille menus available upon request. 104 Braille Read Necklace donated by Dorlyn Catron This necklace has a bright copper pendant with the word "read" written in contracted braille and features a tactile image of an open book. The pendant measures approximately 1.5 inches long by half an inch wide. Originally sold by National Braille Press, but there are no more left. Wow, this truly is an exquisite necklace to have either for yourself or someone special! 105 Snakeskin Printed Purse Created by Keri Bishop This purse had its start as a white, black, and gray pair of jeans in a rattlesnake skin printed design. Keri fell in love with this pair of jeans when she saw them at a local thrift shop. Soon the jeans were home and cut, sewn, and reconstructed into this lovely snakeskin printed purse. The words I (heart) ACB across the front in black glitter iron on vinyl. The medium sized purse makes use of the pockets in the jeans repurposed as the pockets for the purse. The shoulder strap is adjustable. 106 Amazon Echo Pop 5th Generation Speaker donated by Cheryl McNeil Fisher You will enjoy owning this ECHO POP compact smart speaker with Alexa. The speaker features full sound that's great for bedrooms and small spaces and is small enough to blend in and mighty enough to stand out. It controls music WITH YOUR VOICE, and you can Ask Alexa to play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from your favorite providers like Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Sirius XM and more. Connect via Bluetooth to stream throughout your space. 107 Celebrate the State of Washington with Chukar Cherries donated by Washington Council of the Blind The recipient will enjoy the no-sugar-added Organic Rainier Cherries, a delicious variety of chocolate covered cherries, Cherry Apple Crisps, Pickled Asparagus, Smoked Salmon, and more. A great gift for anyone missing the Pacific Northwest—send a taste of our beautiful region to friends and loved ones. Arrives in a keepsake metal hamper with an oversized Seattle souvenir mug. What's inside this basket: Organic Rainier Cherries: This prized Northwest cherry is organically grown and picked fresh, then gently air dried with no added sugar or preservatives. Amaretto Rainiers: Honey-sweet, dried Rainier cherries are layered with luscious dark chocolate and almond essence. A unique treat from Washington State. Cherry Quartet: An assortment of four best-selling milk and dark confections, including Cabernet, Amaretto Rainiers, Cherry Bings, and Classic Milk. Cherry Apple Crisps: Healthy and addictive! Fresh Washington state apple slices are infused with cherry juice and cinnamon, then dehydrated to a delightfully crisp texture. Cherry Caramel Twists: Luscious caramels studded with dried cherry bits and almond essence. Gift box of individually wrapped pieces. Souvenir Mug: An oversized mug is adorned with famous Northwest landmarks. Lead safe. Dishwasher safe. Washington State Pickled Asparagus: Fresh Yakima Valley asparagus is pickled with garlic and red chilies for a zesty appetizer or cocktail garnish. Smoked Salmon: Tender, lightly flaked, boneless, skinless salmon in a Seattle-themed gift box. A choice gift for any salmon fan. 108 Two Hand-Crafted Pottery Chili Bowls donated by Mucie Allred Two hand-crafted pottery pieces shaped into unique “Chili” bowls. On each side of the bowl is a curved area to hold your crackers. A beautiful blue swirl color has been added. They are designed by Marcia Springston of Wake Robin Gallery. Don't restrict them to only chili because these one-of-a-kind bowls would be beautiful to display candy or nuts on your table as well. 109 West Virginia Gift Card Bundle donated by ACB Board Director Donna Brown Planning for your upcoming vacation has just gotten easier. This black and blue neck wallet is perfect to carry your necessities wherever you go. It is big enough for your cell phone, keys, credit cards, etc., but small enough to carry easily. Written on the neck wallet is: Wild and Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia. Plus, a $25 Texas Roadhouse and a $25 Cheesecake Factory gift card and they fit nicely in the wallet. What a fantastic gift for yourself or someone special. 110 Sweet and Savory Treats of North Carolina donated by North Carolina Council of the Blind Enjoy the following fine North Carolina goodies: Red Bird Hand-crafted Soft Puff Peppermint Candy from Lexington; Grammy's Gourmet Pretzels from Raleigh; Chad's Carolina Popcorn from Greensboro; Memaw's Country Cookies from Raleigh; Salem Baking Moravian Thin Cookies from Winston-Salem; Baker's Peanuts from Roxobel; Dark Chocolate/Pecan Toffee from Chapel Hill. You will savor these wonderful treats and treasure the North Carolina Ornament also included. 111 BITS- Blind Information Technology Specialists, full zip, black tote bag from Blind Girl Designs donated by Tricia Waechter on behalf of BITS. Blind Girl Designs has created a complete collection for BITS. We are proudly donating a 15 by 18-inch full-zip black tote bag on their behalf. The print is very circular. The center of the print is an image of the globe with the continents inverted vibrant green and the ocean in blue with North America facing front. Surrounding the globe on either side are hands holding the globe. The hands are created by drawing thin lines, all around the sides and the bottom of the globe. Overarching the globe and the hands in a half circle are the words “blind technology information specialists” with those words in braille underneath. There is a fold in the bottom of the bag to easily allow it to sit upright. It has a full zip across the top as well as a zippered inside pocket. It's a classic from Blind Girl Designs! 112 A Four Mini Loaves of Homemade Banana Bread donated by Kaila Allen You will enjoy four mini loaves of this mouthwatering banana bread made just the way you like it. Choose one of the following add ins: peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, walnuts, or pecans. What a fantastic treat to either have for yourself or share with friends! 112 B Four Mini Loaves of Homemade Banana Bread donated by Kaila Allen You will enjoy four mini loaves of this mouthwatering banana bread made just the way you like it. Choose one of the following add ins: peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, walnuts, or pecans. What a fantastic treat to either have for yourself or share with friends! 113 Movie Extravaganza Package donated by ACB Associate Director of Development Jo Lynn Bailey-Page Enjoy using this $50 Regal Cinemas gift card to watch the latest audio described movies with some friends or family. Plus, you will love adding some goodies to go along with your movie. 114 Ruby Heart Jewelry Set made and donated by Charlotte lang This lovely set features July's birthstone ruby in 1/2 inch puffed hearts. Each earring features a heart dangling from sterling silver hooks. The bracelet stretches easily on and off the wrist. The 20-inch necklace closes with a matching silver heart-shaped toggle clasp. The hearts on the necklace are separated by silver links. Wow, this would make a lovely gift for that someone special in your life! 115 Two Companion Framed Floral Collages donated by ACB Advocacy Director Claire Stanley The two decoupage style pieces include yellow, brown, and green flowers. The flowers have six petals each and overlap each other across the canvass. The pieces are finished with a gloss which gives off a shiny glare. The two canvasses have been framed in wooden, 10 by 10 picture frames. Wow, what a fantastic gift to have either for yourself or to give to someone special! 116 JBL Portable Bluetooth Speaker donated by Florida Council of Citizens with Low Vision This ultra-portable, waterproof Bluetooth speaker is small in size but with a surprisingly big sound. The JBL Clip 3 features a built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery with up to 10 hours of battery life plus a metal carabiner so you can easily hook it to your clothes, backpack, or belt loop. This portable speaker has noise cancelling and wireless streaming from your smartphone or tablet. Plus, take crystal-clear calls from your speaker with the touch of a button, thanks to the noise and echo-cancelling speakerphone. JBL Clip 3 is completely waterproof, and you can even immerse it in water. Plus, the improved, durable fabric material and rugged rubber housing protects it during all your outdoor adventures. 117 Kentucky Derby Pie donated by Kentucky Council of the Blind Kern's Kitchen Kentucky Derby Pie®! Kern's Kitchen crafts each pie, one at a time, according to a legendary secret recipe. Premium chocolate and choice walnuts are folded into a decadent filling, then baked in a delicate crust. Delicious when eaten at room temperature; incredibly heavenly when eaten all warm and gooey and topped with either whipped cream or ice cream. This 9-inch, 1-pound-4-oz. pie stays fresh for about 14 days. Ready to warm and serve or freeze for later use. Serves 8 to 10. 118 Enjoy A Game Night donated by Connie and Pete Jacomini and Lisa and Ron Brooks Be the host with the most! You have everything you need included in this package for a wonderful game night. All decks of cards are print/braille and dice are tactile. Card games include Classic Playing Cards, UNO, SKIP-PO, PINOCHLE, PHASE 10, ROOK, and MILLE BORNES. Lisa Brooks personally Brailed MILLE BORNES for this package. Also included are a pair of large tactile dice, LEFT RIGHT CENTER and LEFT RIGHT CENTER WILD dice games. You will also get a wood card holder and card shuffler. 119 $100 A T Guys Gift Certificate donated by Diane Scalzi A T Guys provides affordable technology solutions for consumers, businesses, and educational customers. Our product line includes mobile phone software and accessories, portable electronics, screen readers, braille translation software and accessible games. With over 30 years of combined technology experience, our trainers offer customized instruction both in-person or via phone or online voice chat on a wide array of assistive technologies including screen readers, braille displays, embossers, the iPhone and iPad, Android phones, and general accessibility consulting. 120 Welcome to Jacksonville donated by Florida Council of the Blind Are you coming to the ACB convention in Jacksonville? Enjoy one night at the hotel and a$50 Starbucks gift card and a $50 VISA gift card to use while you are at convention! 121 A Song from the Smitherman's donated by Michael and Alison Smitherman If you enjoy listening to country or Gospel music, for your summertime listening enjoyment, Michael and Alison would like to record a song for you. You choose the song from either of these genres, and we will sing it for you. The song will be sent to you in an mp3 file. What a treat for you or someone special to enjoy! 122 A Two Dozen Homemade Shortbread Cookies donated by Deb Trevino and Delaware Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired We are pleased to offer two dozen fresh-baked mouth-watering authentic shortbread cookies guaranteed to explode on your palate with luscious buttery goodness. These are great with milk, coffee, or your favorite tea. Next to Walker's, these are the best I've ever tasted. If you plan to give a tasty treat to someone you love, don't miss this opportunity! 122 B Two Dozen Homemade Shortbread Cookies donated by Deb Trevino and Delaware Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired We are pleased to offer two dozen fresh-baked mouth-watering authentic shortbread cookies guaranteed to explode on your palate with luscious buttery goodness. These are great with milk, coffee, or your favorite tea. Next to Walker's, these are the best I've ever tasted. If you plan to give a tasty treat to someone you love, don't miss this opportunity! 122 C Two Dozen Homemade Shortbread Cookies donated by Deb Trevino and Delaware Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired We are pleased to offer two dozen fresh-baked mouth-watering authentic shortbread cookies guaranteed to explode on your palate with luscious buttery goodness. These are great with milk, coffee, or your favorite tea. Next to Walker's, these are the best I've ever tasted. If you plan to give a tasty treat to someone you love, don't miss this opportunity! Segment Two- Dan Spoone and Kim Charlson 123 Holy Cow Baraboo Chocolate donated by ACB of Wisconsin Chocolaty goodness in every box! This yummy package includes: • 1-Milk Chocolate Cow Pie • 1-Dark Chocolate Cow Pie • 1-Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cow Pie • 1-Milk Chocolate Moo Chews • 1-Milk Chocolate Udderfingers • 1-Milk Chocolate Green Bay Puddles • 1-Milk Chocolate Horse Apples • 10-Individually Wrapped Chocolates including mini Cow Pies and assorted Homer's Meltys. plus TWO SURPRISE BONUS ITEMS. This item will ship in September or October once the weather permits. 124 Black Pearl Necklace and Bracelet Set donated by Cindy Hollis This lovely set features a 20-inch necklace and stretch bracelet in naturally shaped black pearls. They are 7 to 8 millimeter in size. The necklace is hand knotted between for added security and elegance. It closes with a lobster claw clasp. Wow, what a wonderful set to have either for yourself or someone special in your life! 125 Get Moving with Couch to Active donated by ACB President Deb Cook Lewis This online fitness program specializes in helping people who have chronic conditions or physical limitations that impact their ability to participate in standard fitness programs. More recently, they have expanded to make sure all their instructional resources and classes are accessible to people who are blind or have low vision. You may choose between: • The 6-pack: Six classes over the next year. This is ideal if you want to have instruction once a month or once a week. • All In! Up to nine sessions per week for one month. These include Pilates, yoga, strength, mobility/stability, dance /movement, and cardio. 126 Accessible Digital Portable Recorder donated by Kim Charlson You will love having this Zoom H1 essential Stereo Handy Recorder with 32-Bit Float, Accessibility, X/Y Microphones, Record to SD Card, USB Microphone, Portable, for Musicians, Podcasters, Filmmakers, & Content Creators. The hottest accessible digital portable recorder on the market. All menus talk, and it comes with accessible documentation. Stereo 32-bit float recording - perfect audio with no need to set gain, High-Quality X/Y Mics capture clean audio up to 120 dB SPL, Records up to 96kHZ sample rate to SD card, USB Microphone for PC, Mac, iOS, or Android using the USB-C Port, Accessibility - Audio guidance function for the visually impaired. 127 Megan's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies donated by Megan Sullivan Enjoy sharing three dozen homemade Megan's chocolate chip cookies either with family or friends with that favorite beverage. These cookies will melt in your mouth. 128 Bradford Exchange Music Box donated by ACB LIONS We all admire the quality products from the Bradford Exchange. This limited-edition handcrafted heirloom porcelain egg-shaped music box features a hand-enameled red Cardinal on light pink flowers inside the open egg mounted on a base. It is inspired by Peter Carl Faberge's prized eggs and is adorned with 22K Gold accents. It is beautifully hand glazed in a soft blue hue with more than 80 hand-set jewels. It plays, “Always in My Heart.” The abundance of handcrafted details makes each egg a one-of-a-kind treasure. 129 $100 VISA Gift Card donated by Mississippi Council of The Blind Use this card anytime while dining or doing some shopping for yourself or someone special in your life! 130 Lunch with the ACB Board of Director Koni Sims donated by ACB Board Director Koni Sims Enjoy one-on-one time with ACB Bord of Director Koni Sims over lunch in Jacksonville, Florida in 2024 to be determined by the winner and Koni. 131 ACBDA Sugar Warriors Tote Bag from Blind Girl Designs donated by Tricia Waechter on behalf of ACBDA This ACBDA tote bag features on the front a 12 by 12-inch colorful print to celebrate ACBDA! Across the top reads "SUGAR WARRIORS" which is printed in a velvety 3-D puff ink in both letters and Braille. Both sets of letters are a deep orange color and are very tactile. Beneath the words is a drawing of a fist with prominent knuckles, which is holding a 12-inch white cane diagonally across the bag, smashing through cubes of sugar. The white sugar cubes are flying through the air, struck by the mighty force of the white cane. To further emphasize the force, the words, “pow” and “bam” are colorfully included in yellow and red. The bottom of the print is in deep orange, the words “KNUCKLING DOWN ON DIABETES!” fill the entire length of the print. On the back of this classic navy-blue zippered tote bag, there is a white print in the center of the bag reading “ACB Diabetics in Action.” This deep navy-blue canvas tote is 15 by 20-inch full zip, canvas bag with a folded bottom so it can sit upright and a zip pocket on the inside as well! It has a generous strap so you can swing it over your shoulder. 132 Enstrom Milk Chocolate Almond Toffee Two- Pound Box donated by ACB Media and IT Manager Rick Morin This all-natural traditional almond toffee is handcrafted. It is the perfect blend of almonds, butter, and pure cane sugar, covered in a generous layer of milk chocolate and sprinkled with crushed almonds, creates a buttery toffee with a delicate crunch. Enstrom's Almond Toffee is lovingly handcrafted in small batches with a family recipe passed down through four generations. Includes simple ingredients like fresh California almonds, sweet cream butter, pure cane sugar and 36% milk chocolate. Enstrom's Almond Toffee is certified gluten free, kosher dairy and 100% preservative free. We will contact the winner to arrange shipment to consider options to avoid heat damage during shipping. 133 $200 Target Gift Card donated by Beth Corley and Dan Dillon Here's a $200 Target gift card for you to use in store or online. Enjoy this either for yourself or someone special in your life! 134 Jade 14K Gold Earrings donated by The Literacy Project You will love having these authentic small Jade earrings with gold trim. The earrings are oval and are on posts. Wow, these will dress up any outfit for a romantic outing! 135 Honoring our Heroes Patriotic Package donated by the Georgia Council of the Blind, Marsha Farrow and Blind Girl Designs This package comes in a red Blind Girl Designs bag with white lettering of the Braille alphabet in the shape of a heart. The bag contains a yard flag depicting a red truck with three labradors (yellow, black, and chocolate) flying an American flag. This package also contains a Christmas ornament with an angel holding a folded American flag, a beverage cup with the words “Fear not” on the background of the outline of the American flag, and an American flag pillow. Finally, a paper Braille American flag tactile graphic measuring 7.5 inches by 9.5 inches from the American Braille Flag project completes this gift package. 136 Phoenix Braille Embosser donated by HumanWare The Phoenix is our ninth generation of braille embossing technology that combines our durable and legendary Romeo Braille dot with a proprietary 25 DPI tactile graphics embossing system. All-in-one embosser! There is no longer a need to settle for poor-quality braille text to achieve high-definition tactile graphics. Imagine the ability to scan your pictures, graphs, and charts into your computer and with a few clicks of the mouse, emboss those images in high-definition tactile graphics without compromising the quality of your braille text. Phoenix includes the capabilities to emboss single-sided braille text and high-resolution graphics up to 25 DPI, in a simple to use format. The newly designed Phoenix is smaller and lighter, with an auto-install feature to make setup even easier. The Firebird Software Suite, included with the Phoenix, is a comprehensive set of productivity tools that powers the Phoenix Embosser. The Firebird Software Suite includes the Firebird Graphics Editor that provides you with a list of automatic tools to effortlessly create tactile graphic images. Phoenix is also compatible with your existing braille translator. 137A Homemade Triple Play Oversized Cookies donated by Brian Charlson Here we go again; it's time for Brian's triple play oversized cookies. Those who have won this item in the past will attest to the flavor, size, and overall quality of this perennial auction favorite. This year Brian is offering 1 dozen classic chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and lemon shortbread. They are packaged individually. Feel free to offer them up as additions to gift baskets or pop them in the freezer to savor them over a few months or weeks. 137B Homemade Triple Play Oversized Cookies donated by Brian Charlson Here we go again; it's time for Brian's triple play oversized cookies. Those who have won this item in the past will attest to the flavor, size, and overall quality of this perennial auction favorite. This year Brian is offering 1 dozen classic chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and lemon shortbread. They are packaged individually. Feel free to offer them up as additions to gift baskets or pop them in the freezer to savor them over a few months or weeks. 137 C Homemade Triple Play Oversized Cookies donated by Brian Charlson Here we go again; it's time for Brian's triple play oversized cookies. Those who have won this item in the past will attest to the flavor, size, and overall quality of this perennial auction favorite. This year Brian is offering 1 dozen classic chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and lemon shortbread. They are packaged individually. Feel free to offer them up as additions to gift baskets or pop them in the freezer to savor them over a few months or weeks. 138 IROBOT Roomba 677 robot vacuum donated by Connie Jacomini For effortlessly clean floors, the Roomba® 677 Series Robot Vacuum learns your cleaning habits to suggest personalized schedules that take care of daily dirt, dust, and debris. Effective cleaning is part of the 3-Stage Cleaning System's design. Dual Multi-Surface Brushes grab dirt from carpets and hard floors, while an Edge-Sweeping Brush takes care of corners and edges. 139 $500 Coupon to HumanWare donated by HumanWare Details for this Coupon: Coupon is valid until June 30, 2025, and may be applied to any HumanWare product sold by HumanWare USA Inc. 2. Coupon is transferrable. Winning auction bidder for this coupon need only send an email to David Bradburn, HumanWare's Vice President Global Sales at david.bradburn@humanware.com providing the name and contact information of the person who will be redeeming the coupon. The coupon has no cash value. 140 Fun in the Sun! A week at the Wyndham Ocean Walk Resort at Daytona Beach donated by Tim Paul Must be used August 18-August 25, 2024. This unit is a two bedroom, two bath, fully equipped kitchen, with washer/dryer, and all the amenities of home. The resort offers activities for family members of all ages: indoor and outdoor swimming pools, outdoor hot tub, beach, lazy river water, exercise equipment, bar and grill, live entertainment and more. 141 A Song with Kolby donated by ACB Development Officer Kolby Garrison Kolby will sing a song of your choice acapella. The file will be sent to you in mp3 format. What a treat to listen to with friends. 142 A Kermit's Key Lime Pie Duo Donated by Dan Spoone Direct from Kermit's Key Lime Shop, the winner will receive two 9-inch Key Lime Pies. The pies that started it all named “the best taste Key Lime Pie” by Food Network's Keith Famie's Adventures. Kermit's Key Lime Pie is baked fresh daily. True tart Key Lime flavor in a delicious graham cracker crust and topped with fluffy whipped cream. This Key West delicacy will arrive at your door just waiting to be shared with the people you love the most. 142 B Kermit's Key Lime Pie Duo donated by Dan Spoone Direct from Kermit's Key Lime Shop, the winner will receive two 9-inch Key Lime Pies. The pies that started it all named “the best taste Key Lime Pie” by Food Network's Keith Famie's Adventures. Kermit's Key Lime Pie is baked fresh daily. True tart Key Lime flavor in a delicious graham cracker crust and topped with fluffy whipped cream. This Key West delicacy will arrive at your door just waiting to be shared with the people you love the most. 143 $500 Gift Certificate to Jack Stack's BBQ donated by Melvin Smith Your Package Includes: Pulled Pork 2 Pounds. Pork Spareribs 1 Full Slab Beef Burnt Ends 1 Pound. Lamb Ribs 2 Racks Hickory Pit Beans 1 Quart Cheesy Corn Bake 1 Quart KC Original BBQ Sauce One 18.6 Ounce bottle KC Spicy BBQ Sauce One 18.6 Ounce bottle KC Hot BBQ Sauce One 18.6 Ounce bottle Pulled Pork – Pulled pork might be a Carolina staple, but Jack Stack's is deliciously unforgettable. Our BBQ Pulled Pork is perfect for sandwiches. Pork Spare Ribs – Our Pork Spare Ribs are expertly seasoned, slow-roasted to perfection over hickory logs, and a delicious choice. Beef Burnt Ends – When it comes to classic Kansas City barbecue, Jack Stack's Beef Burnt Ends are second to none. Meaty, juicy, and tender on the inside - with the smokey edges you could only get from double-smoking them over hickory. Hickory-Roasted Lamb Ribs – Tender, savory and hickory roasted, Denver-cut lamb ribs are a uniquely treasured culinary find. Hickory Pit Beans – Beans may be standard barbecue fare, but there is nothing typical about these Hickory Pit Beans. Thick, slow-cooked, and loaded with chunks of our hickory-smoked brisket. Cheesy Corn Bake – It doesn't get more craveable than this: Jack Stack's Cheesy Corn Bake is bubbly, velvety, and unforgettable. Four gourmet cheeses are blended with whole-kernel corn and slivers of our hickory-smoked ham. 144 Black Hills Gold Heart shaped Pendant necklace donated by South Dakota Association of the Blind Enjoy this beautiful and delicate 10KT yellow, Black Hills Gold heart shaped pendant with .02ct round brilliant diamond in the center. It has an 18-inch gold chain. This will dress up a casual outfit or look stunning in a formal setting. What a fantastic gift either for yourself or someone special in your life! 145 Aromatherapy Bundle donated by Seth and Koni Sims, ACB Board of Director This aromatherapy bundle will give you a variety of ways to take care of yourself and your best furry friend. You will find something to help sore achy muscles and joints and headaches. These products are by Wyndmere Naturals. Included in this bundle: Lava Bead Necklace – Aura, Lavender oil 10 ml bottle, Aches & Pains Cream 4 ounce, Detoxification Aide Bath Salts 24 ounce, Citrus Delight Body & Air Mist 4 fluid ounce, Sleepy Time inhalation Patch, Breathe Blend inhaler, Head Aide Roll on 8 ml, Less Stress Pet Mist 4 fluid ounce. Wow, you, and your pooch will really feel relaxed and pampered with all these wonderful items! 146 A DaVinci Pro CCTV donated by Kim Charlson DaVinci Pro is a high-performance desktop video magnifier, featuring a Full HD 1080p 3-in-1 camera and full-page Text-to-Speech (OCR). DaVinci Pro's OCR allows it to easily read your favorite article or book aloud. DaVinci Pro's 3-in-1 Full HD camera allows you to see near, far or a mirror image. It is great for applying make-up, shaving, reading, writing, viewing presentations and whiteboards and so much more! 24” high resolution HD LCD, Auto focus 3-in-1, Magnification up to 77x, Computer compatible, Save documents, pictures or books and export files to your PC. It is a higher end CCTV. 146 B DaVinci CCTV donated by Kim Charlson DaVinci Pro is a high-performance desktop video magnifier, featuring a Full HD 1080p 3-in-1 camera and full-page Text-to-Speech (OCR). DaVinci Pro's OCR allows it to easily read your favorite article or book aloud. DaVinci Pro's 3-in-1 Full HD camera allows you to see near, far or a mirror image. It is great for applying make-up, shaving, reading, writing, viewing presentations and whiteboards and so much more! 24” high resolution HD LCD, Auto focus 3-in-1, Magnification up to 77x, Computer compatible, Save documents, pictures or books and export files to your PC. It is a higher end CCTV. Segment Three- Michael Garrett and Zelda Gebhard 147 Power Tower Donated by ACB of Minnesota This multiple outlet power strip tower has twelve grounded 3-prong AC outlets spaced out to accommodate different size plugs. The five high speed USB charging ports will meet your electronic charging needs. Charge your iPhone, iPad, tablet, or other devices. The 16-foot heavy duty cord ensures high conductivity and safety. The 45dg low profile flat plug and the vertical design makes this tower more space-saving than a traditional power strip. 148 The Pocket Bible donated by Rev. Ray Raysor, President DC Council of the Blind The Pocket Bible is a self-contained digital device that contains the entire bible. It is about the size of the old cassette tapes and has navigation buttons that allow forward and backward movement by both book and chapter. It has no moving parts and is rugged and water resistant. The Pocket Bible has both an internal speaker and an earphone jack. Available in your choice of English Standard Version, King James Version, New King James Version, New American Standard Bible, New International Version NIV, New Living Translation ®. Audio Bibles in Spanish also are available. 149 The Bring it Home $300 Bundle donated by Arizona Council of the Blind Enjoy a $100 Gift Card to Door Dash, $100 Gift Card to Instacart and $100 Shipt gift card. You will welcome the handpicked groceries delivered from your favorite local stores along with your favorite fresh produce from the comfort of your own home. Enjoy On-Demand Delivery from Instacart. Order and have your favorite meals at your door in minutes with DoorDash. Like your avocados a little firm? Shoppers with Shipt go the extra mile to ensure you get the things you want, exactly how you like them. Local stores and national chains you know and love, delivered directly to you same day. Your shopper will keep you updated every step of the way. From special requests to last-minute changes, they are here to help. You will enjoy these three $100 gift cards to shop, shop and shop some more! 150 Lunch with the ACB President donated by ACB Enjoy one-on-one time with ACB President, Deb Cook Lewis, over lunch in Jacksonville, Florida in 2024 to be determined by the winner and Deb. 151 RSVA navy crewneck sweatshirt from Blind Girl Designs donated by Tricia Waechter on behalf of RSVA Come and support the Brenda Dillon Memorial Walk and the RSVA walk team! The print on this sweatshirt is 3-D tactile white puff ink mixed with red, slightly tactile ink. The words “at your service” are arched over the top of the print. Under the three-dimensional words there is matching three-dimensional braille. In the center of the print, there are three shields: a large center shield and smaller shields on either side. In the center of the big shield is a red checkmark and the side shields have red stars. At the bottom in 3-D tactile ink are the letters RSVA with braille underneath. Available in sizes small through five XL. You pick! The sweatshirt is cotton/poly blend and will not shrink. 152 Maker's Mark Bourbon Balls Donated by Greater Louisville Council of the Blind This is an elegant gift for family, friends, and business associates or a fantastic treat for yourself. Fine, handcrafted chocolates made from an old family recipe; laced with a generous touch of Maker's Mark Bourbon Whiskey. The one-pound gift box contains 32 delicious pieces. Shipped directly to the winning bidder. Shipping is not available to Hawaii or Alaska. 153 $150 Amazon Gift Card donated by ACB of Indiana It is time to treat yourself to something special and here's a gift card to help you do it. $150 in spending at Amazon! 154 Shell Hematite and Rose Quartz Jewelry Set made and donated by Keri Bishop The 21-inch necklace is made of alternating chips of hematite shell and rose quartz. The shell chips are spiral slices of shell. The bracelet is elastic with two row shell and hematite beads every six shells bead is double wide with two drilled holes going across both rows. This beautiful handmade jewelry set would make a fantastic gift for that someone special in your life! 155 Ferris wheel Music Box donated by Patty Slaby The Ferris Wheel carries bears as the music plays Night In the Sky, The key to wind it is on the motor. There are more bears standing in line at the bottom. The music box is 6 inches tall and about 4 inches wide. What a fantastic gift to have yourself or to give to someone special! 156 Explore 12 donated by HumanWare Explore is an easy-to-use, portable electronic magnifier that offers HD image quality for improved near and distance viewing. As the largest portable magnifier in our Explore series, its 12-inch touchscreen is perfect for anyone desiring a larger interface, plus it has the added benefit of a foldable stand enabling easy use for reading, writing, and other manual tasks. 157A Homemade Scotchies Cookies donated by CCLVI President Patti Cox These soft and chewy Oatmeal Scotchies are sweetened with brown sugar, packed with oats, and loaded with butterscotch chips. They have crisp edges and chewy centers. Every bite is buttery delicious and packed with flavor. What a delicious treat to enjoy yourself or share with friends! 157B Homemade Scotchies Cookies donated by CCLVI President Patti Cox These soft and chewy Oatmeal Scotchies are sweetened with brown sugar, packed with oats, and loaded with butterscotch chips. They have crisp edges and chewy centers. Every bite is buttery delicious and packed with flavor. What a delicious treat to enjoy yourself or share with friends! 158 Coffee, Coffee, and More Coffee donated by ACB of Minnesota If you have a Keurig coffee maker, this is a must bid for you. You can choose from a box of 100 pods of multiple flavors or of the same flavor. What a fantastic treat for you or the coffee lover in your life. 159 Big Texas Spending Bundle donated by ACB of Texas Enjoy lots of shopping or dining with these gift cards which include: a $50 certificate to the Berdoll Candy and Pecan farm, a $50 gift card to the Container Store, a $50 gift card to Sweet Taste of Texas, and a $50 VISA gift card and others to come! 160 Mantis ™ Q40 donated by American Printing House Keep braille at your fingertips anytime, anywhere, with the Mantis™ Q40: a Bluetooth® keyboard and 40-cell refreshable braille display. Users of the Mantis Q40 no longer need to choose between a keyboard or a braille device. A student or professional typing on the Mantis has a multimodal option of refreshable braille below the keyboard making it easier to participate in, and succeed at, school or work. Contains the following built-in applications: Basic editor to function as a user's pen and paper, book reader to download and read books in braille, calculator to perform basic mathematical calculations, clock to check the date and time, file manager to organize one's work, HumanWare signature thumb keys and home button, 15 hours of battery life with rechargeable, removable batteries and 16 GB of internal storage, SD card slot and USB host port for flash drives. 161 A Song with Lucy Arguijo donated by Lucy Arguijo Lucy will sing a song of your choice. The file will be sent to you in mp3 format. What a treat to listen to with friends. 162 Homemade Peanut Delights donated by Zelda Gebhard If you like salted nut rolls, you will love these! This delightfully delicious candy is all marshmallowy and nutty throughout. There are two pounds of individually wrapped pieces so there is plenty to enjoy and to share of this salty and sweet treat made by Zelda. 163 $150 Braille Superstore Gift Certificate donated by Braille Revival League “Come browse with us and shop to your hearts' content at the Braille Superstore. Check out their great selection of accessible games, toys, signature guides, braille and talking watches, braille card games, educational items for preschool and K-12 students, adapted timers and cooking instruments, tactile labeling items, talking calculators, thermometers, scales, MP3 players, audio Bibles, and braille books, just to wet your appetite.” 164 Purple Pearl Necklace donated by Cindy Hollis This lovely necklace features 7-to-8-millimeter naturally shaped purple pearls. They are hand knotted between for added security and elegance. The 20-inch necklace closes with a lobster claw clasp. This beautiful necklace will dress up any ensemble! 165 Summer Vacation Bundle donated by GDUI Yippee! Another GDUI Sweet Summer Vacation bundle! Rating: 4 paws! GDUI-branded harness pouch where you can store a roll of pick-up bags, keys, and cash/credit card; a gray collapsible bowl with carabiner clip which holds 36 ounces; a Nerf Collapsible 2-in-1 Agility Tunnel and Target Dog Game! Also included is a large, Invincible Triple Chain dog toy and a cute 29-inch plush carrot squeaky toy by Petlou; a package of five reusable Scrubby instant, waterless bath mitts; a large 56 by 28 inch pink microfiber dog bath towel with two white embroidered bones in one corner by Frisco; a blue Coleman roll-up 24 by 36 by 2 inch travel pet bed with a durable water-resistant nylon top, a waterproof PVC base and polyester fill. It folds in half lengthwise to roll up and fasten with two sturdy buckles. Machine wash and line dry. It's time to snuggle up and dream of another fun-filled, splendid sunny summer day tomorrow! (yawn) 166 Echo Show5th Generation donated by Library Users of America The latest and greatest Alexa Echo Show is now available for you to enjoy. The 5.5-inch screen can display the time, a calendar, the weather, photos, video calls, podcasts, read audio books, plus stream your favorite music, tv shows, and podcasts, all controlled with your voice. With the built-in camera, you may check in on children and pets, or drop in on your home when you are away. When not in use, you can set the background to a slideshow of your favorite photos. Prime members also get unlimited cloud storage. There are multiple layers of privacy controls including a mic/camera OFF button and encrypted Ring videos. The Echo Show now has 2 times the bass and a clearer sound for your enjoyment. 167 Joann's Fudge (6 slices) donated by Michigan Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired Joan and Frank Nephew opened the first Joann's Fudge Store on Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Island. Today, Joann's Fudge is a third-generation family business that continues Joan and Frank's commitment to providing high quality products. Each slice is ½ pound for a total of three pounds. You can order six slices of one flavor or mix and match from the list below. Flavors: Butter Pecan, Chocolate, Chocolate Cherry, Chocolate Cookie Crunch, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate Pecan, Chocolate Toffee, Chocolate Turtle, Chocolate Walnut, Double Dark Chocolate, Double Dark Chocolate Cherry Walnut, Double Dark Chocolate Espresso, Double Dark Chocolate Mint, Double Dark Salted Caramel, German Chocolate, Maple Walnut, Peanut Butter, Pumpkin Pie, Raspberry Truffle, Rocky Road, and Vanilla Salted Caramel. 168 Braille American Wall Flag donated by Veterans of ACB This beautiful flag is designed from very durable polymer and is recommended for permanent indoor display only. The flag measures 15 by 19 inches and weighs approximately 5 lbs. It has a brass-colored frame, mounting hardware and instructions included at no additional cost. Be proud and display your patriotism with this attractive flag. Segment Four- Jeff Thom and Terri-Lynn Higashi 169 $250 Pet Package donated by Tim and Maria Stone of Scoop Masters You will enjoy splurging on your pet and yourself with all the wonderful gift cards included: A $100 Chewy gift card, a $75 Amazon gift card, a $50 Cheesecake Factory gift card and a $25 Starbucks gift card. 170 Lunch with the ACB Executive Director donated by ACB Enjoy one-on-one time with ACB Executive Director, Scott Thornhill, over lunch in Jacksonville, FL in 2024 to be determined by the winner and Scott. 171 Canvas Tote Bag from Blind Girl Designs donated by Tricia Waechter on behalf of AAVL Join us in celebrating the AAVL with this beautiful canvas 15 by18-inch full-zip tote bag. The 12 by 12-inch print explodes with color. The top of the print has the words CELEBRATE in teal, EXPERIENCE in pink AND WISDOM in orange. The words are in a graceful arch. Beneath the words in the center of the print is a dynamic colorful fireworks display. The bottom of the print in 3D yellow puff ink are the letters AAVL and below that are the letters in tactile, readable braille. There is a fold in the bottom of the bag so that the bag can sit upright. It has a full zip across the top as well as a zippered inside pocket. It's a Blind Girl Designs classic! 172 Delicious Homemade Cookies from Patty's Kitchen donated by Patty Slaby Let your imagination guide your taste buds selecting 3 dozen of the same choice or 3 dozen of three 1 dozen choices. Choices include: peanut butter, oatmeal, molasses-ginger, snickerdoodles, chocolate chip, or anything you can imagine, even lemon. Very popular! Yum, Yum! 173 $100 Honey-Baked Ham Gift Card donated by Leslie and Jeff Thom You will enjoy having this $100 gift card for Honey-Baked Ham plus scrumptious sides from the Honey-Baked Ham Store. Enjoy this delicious feist with family or friends anytime over the summer or during the holidays! 174 Touch of Hawaiian Beauty Earring and Necklace Set donated by Hawaii Association of The Blind You will dazzle in this pair of earrings that feature a shiny ball on the top with tiny white seashell hanging from the ball. The seashell has delicate lines within it. It comes with an 18-inch necklace and a basket charm. Within the basket there are 3 delicate white stones similar to the shiny balls of earrings. It also comes with some surprise treats such as chocolate, and coffee. 175 Two Bottles of Wine donated by the Oklahoma Council of the Blind 1 bottle of Sunset Bliss and 1 bottle of Sex-In-The-Vineyard Wines. Wakefield's Winery is in the rolling hills of central Oklahoma. They produce some of the best kept secrets of delicious award-winning wines in the state for the most discriminating tastes! "SUNSET BLISS", is a tropical fruit Riesling sweet white table wine with hints of kiwi, pineapple and mango is an Oklahoma State Fair Silver Medal winner. “SEX-IN-THE-VINEYARD” is a Black Cherry Pinot Noir. This sweet wine is an “Oklahoma State Fair Bronze Medal” winner and the “People's Choice Award” winner. If you like sexy wine, this is the wine for you! Wakefield's Winery does not ship to the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, New Jersey, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, and Virginia. 176 Explore 8 Magnifier donated by HumanWare Magnification up to 30X with HD stunning image quality, fully customizable functions, touchscreen to navigate easily through menus, twin Ultra HD cameras for desktop or distance viewing, large physical buttons to adjust magnification and contrast, can be connected easily to a large screen TV, battery life of 4.5 hours. 177 Two Pounds of Homemade Fudge donated by ACB Board Director Cecily Laney Nipper Indulge your sweet tooth. Enjoy two pounds of homemade fudge. Choose from flavors such as double chocolate, peanut butter, and coffee; with two pounds of the same flavor or one pound each of two different flavors. You will be contacted to customize this rich tasty treat. Enjoy yourself or share with friends or family! This will be shipped in September. 178 Fun Time in Hawaii donated by Hawaii Association of The Blind A porcelain Shaka wall hook by Hawaiian artist Jason Dow; Enamel mug with a design that says Hawaii in colorful letters below 3 pineapples; Hawaiian Harmony from Big Island Roasters 100% Kona coffee beans 7 ounces; Yellow Hau flower enamel key chain from Paradise Now Hawaii - made on Maui; Lucky Fortune Cat 3-D shaped sponge from Fred. Enamel flair pin shaped like a bowl of ramen noodle soup from Moxhi Kids; Vinyl sticker sheet with Hawaii's favorite smiling foods and 2 larger vinyl stickers shaped like spam musubi and Boba tea from Mochi Kids. These can be placed on water bottles, phone or iPad cases. Bid and enjoy all these fun items from Hawaii. 179 $100 Gift Card to Omaha Steaks donated by AAVIA Everyone loves a good steak! Omaha Steaks offers a wide selection of high-quality meats that are delivered to your doorstep. Yum, yum. 180 Handmade Story Book Quilt made and donated by Margarine Beaman You will love having this story book quilt with each page sporting a different color. The size of this quilt is 45 by 51-inches. This beautiful quilt is great for a young child to look at as they are going to bed. “My grandkids love to lay on top of their bed and look at the colors and animals.” Wow, what an entertaining quilt for that special person in your life! 181 “The Tom Kaufman Make Believe Hillbilly Band” Bundle donated by Tom Kaufman Come and bid on Tom Kaufman's choices from his Make Believe Hillbilly Band showcased during ACB Community Karaoke! You will be able to choose a song or some of Tom's exciting genres from Tom's Band. Tom will send you an mp3 file with your choices. Enjoy this amazing selection repeatedly by yourself or with some friends! 182 A Tony's Energy Bar and Banana Bread Delight donated by Anthony Akamine and Terri Lynn Higashi Akamine, members of Hawaii Association of the Blind Summer days are here again! Yummy for the tummy. Need some treats to kick your summer into high gear? Back by popular demand for the auction. One loaf of chocolate banana bread full of chocolate, bananas, and nuts. If you don't like bananas, we can do mangos. Also, Anthony is perfecting his mom's energy bar treats. Get a bag of these yummy treats packed with Rice Krispies, oatmeal, raisins, peanut butter, and nuts. If you don't like peanuts, we can throw out the nuts. Made by Anthony and his mom's creation. Perfect for those summer days. And the box may even come with a few extra goodies. 182 B Tony's Energy Bar and Banana Bread Delight donated by Anthony Akamine and Terri Lynn Higashi Akamine, members of Hawaii Association of the Blind Summer days are here again! Yummy for the tummy. Need some treats to kick your summer into high gear? Back by popular demand for the auction. One loaf of chocolate banana bread full of chocolate, bananas, and nuts. If you don't like bananas, we can do mangos. Also, Anthony is perfecting his mom's energy bar treats. Get a bag of these yummy treats packed with Rice Krispies, oatmeal, raisins, peanut butter, and nuts. If you don't like peanuts, we can throw out the nuts. Made by Anthony and his mom's creation. Perfect for those summer days. And the box may even come with a few extra goodies. 183 $100 Bloomin' Brands Gift Card donated by AAVL Bloomin' Brands gift cards are the freshest way to see for yourself how one card can offer so many appetizing choices from steak, seafood to classic Italian. Our card can be redeemed at any of the following restaurants: Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar. What a wonderful way to enjoy a night out with family or friends! 184 Versa Slate Paperless Erasable Braille Slate and Stylus donated by Lucy Edmonds The Versa Slate is a braille slate that is paperless and erasable. It works just like a regular slate and stylus, but without paper. It features four rows of 20 cells each, and a magnetic stylus that is built into the side of the unit for easy storage. 185 Himalayan Salt Lamp donated by Jeff and Keri Bishop of Tucson, AZ You will love using this Himalayan Salt Lamp. It is 9 inches high, 4 inches wide with a 7W night light bulb inside. This lamp glows a lovely pink that shows all the different variations of color in the large salt crystal. It is a spectacular piece of decor that would look great on any mantel or end table. 186 Podcasting Bundle with Accessible Tools donated by BITS This package contains all you need to conduct the interview of your dreams! You will be able to record high quality music or just capture life as it happens. The Zoom H4essentials is an accessible digital voice recorder. The first thing you hear when you turn it on is it prompting you to enable speech and beeps providing independent navigation of most system options. The Zoom H4essentials has a built-in stereo microphone, with dual XLR connections available as well and it supports up to one terabyte micro SD card, and is powered by USB-C or AAA batteries, not included. The Samson Q2U microphone is a versatile handheld dynamic mic. This microphone allows you to connect via XLR into an audio interface, such as the Zoom H4essentials, or directly to your computer via an included USB cable. Great for rejecting off access noise, these microphones are ideal for interviewing individuals in an environment that might not be the most conducive for podcast interviews. Bid today on the great podcasting bundle including one Zoom H4essentials field recorder, 2 Samson Q2U mic's, 2 XLR cables, and 1 128 GB microSD card. 187 A Home Baked Cookies from Andrea Conner's Kitchen donated by Andrea Conner These delicious cookies melt in your mouth! The light, buttery goodness of a crescent formed into a ball, loaded with chopped pecans, flavored with a hint of vanilla, then dusted in powdered sugar. One dozen with almond flavor and one dozen cocoa flavor. They're sure to satisfy your cookie craving! Enjoy these scrumptious cookies yourself or share with friends or family. 187 B Home Baked Cookies from Andrea Conner's Kitchen donated by Andrea Conner These delicious cookies melt in your mouth! The light, buttery goodness of a crescent formed into a ball loaded with chopped pecans, flavored with a hint of vanilla, then dusted in powdered sugar. One dozen with almond flavor and one dozen cocoa flavor. They are sure to satisfy your cookie craving! Enjoy these scrumptious cookies yourself or share with friends or family. 188 One-on-One In-Person or Phone Conversation with Our Talking Book Narrator Donated by ACB Enjoy chatting with our talking book narrator, Mare Trevathan. Here's your chance for a one-on-one, behind the scenes conversation with a talking book narrator. The winner could either use this in person in Jacksonville or be contacted after the convention to make arrangements for a phone conversation. 189 $50 Amazon Gift Card donated by Delaware Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired It is time to treat yourself to something special and here's a gift card to help you do it. $50 in spending at Amazon! 190 One-hour Business Coaching Session and $25 Gift Card to Pete's Coffee donated by Ardis Bazyn Enjoy this one-hour business coaching session with Ardis Bazyn. Ardis coaches on positive image building, secrets for coping with challenges and change, creating a plan for professional/business success, speaking skills, writing skills, advocacy skills and inexpensive marketing/public relations initiatives. Also included is a $25 Pete's Coffee gift card to enjoy with some friends or family! Expiration Date: June 30, 2025. 191 Nebraska Black Tote Bag from Blind Girl Designs donated by Tricia Waechter on behalf of Nebraska The delightful Nebraska tote bag has white vinyl ink printed on a black canvas, full-zip 15 by 18-inch tote bag with an interior zipper pocket. The top of the 9 by 13-inch print starts boldly with the state name NEBRASKA and underneath it is spelled also in braille. Underneath the word NEBRASKA is the entire state outline of Nebraska exactly like a map. The only difference from a map is on the left side of the state there's a white cane instead of a straight line and on the northwestern border there is another white cane instead of a line. At the end of the strap of the white cane, the map continues along the river as it naturally would. The river continues all the way down to the southeast border of the state. In the middle of the west side of the state are the historic rolling sand hills, which are covered by prairie grasses. These sand hills are replicated by small wavy tactile hills as a nod to this critical and historic portion of the state, which supports the cattle industry. Starting in the middle to the right side of the print are three huge stalks of corn. There's a reason this is proudly called the Cornhusker state! 192 Berkey Creamery Bundle Package donated by Pennsylvania Council of The Blind One thing that most Pennsylvanians agree on is “Ice cream is good, and the Penn State Creamery makes some of the best.” We love ice cream, but we love the science behind it even more. By supporting the Berkey Creamery, you also are supporting food science, the dairy industry and agriculture across Pennsylvania and beyond. The PCB Package includes six pints of ice cream: Peachy Paterno; Cookies-n-Cream; Bittersweet Mint; Death by Chocolate; Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Vanilla Bean (BASED ON INGREDIENT AVAILABILITY). Enjoy this Penn State Creamery 100% cotton t-Shirt with color options of blue or white, sizes small up to 3XL. We've got some fashion for your sweet tooth! Simply stated, all roads lead to the Creamery! Also, enjoy the 21oz travel mug which is a stainless steel beverage container with the Penn State Berkey Creamery emblem on it. Segment Five- Kolby Garrison and Mary Haupt 193 $50 Amazon Gift Card donated by New Jersey Council of The Blind It is time to treat yourself to something special and here's a gift card to help you do it. $50 in spending at Amazon! 194 Doggie Gift Basket donated by Jeff and Keri Bishop This doggie gift bag comes with lots of goodies for your guide dog. This set includes: Two jumbo collapsible dog dishes for travel, A hard rubber giggle ball, a nylon dual length leash in bright safety green It's the same size and length as standard guide dog leashes, hillside farms chicken jerky for dogs, hillside farms jerky twist (dried chicken and sweet potato), a velour kennel blanket. A back seat cover or hammock (covers the entire seat and floor by putting 2 handles on the head rest in the back or a hammock by putting the second set of handles over the all 4 heads rest of the front and back), a dog safety seatbelt, a tug of war nylon bone, doggy poo bags, a grooming kit (has right and left grooming mittens, a comb and a grooming brush the straps around your hand. This gift set comes in a reusable shopping bag that has been sewn from a recycled dog food bag. 195 Disney 100 Years of Wonder Mickey Watch and Minnie Mouse Watch donated by Connie Jacomini You will love having these enchanting Mickey and Minnie Mouse watches that feature a detailed 3-layer dial with a laser-cut silhouette of your favorite character alongside the Disney 100 logo. Plus, it arrives beautifully packaged and ready for gift giving. Wow, what a fantastic gift either for yourself or someone special in your life! 196 Dry Aged Steaks for a Summertime Grill donated by ACB Development Director Bill Reeder Enjoy four luxury steakhouse prime grade ribeye steaks, dry aged for 45 days and hand cut two inches thick. Grill ready and perfect for a fancy summer BBQ. They are accompanied by two bottles of fine wine (red or white) and Kosmos famous BBQ steak rub. What a treat to have for a summer meal with friends or family! 197 Pat's Beef Jerky Gift Box donated by Kansas Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired This fantastic beef jerky is from A Land of Kansas Company. The box features four different flavors of beef jerky made from Kansas beef, and two packages of beef stick. Enjoy this delicious treat yourself or share with friends. 198 A Gift Box of Fragrance donated by Barry Carver of Mountain Crafted A box of sulfate-free fragrance available in Cactus Flower or Jade. You may request braille labels on all your items. This bundle includes: 8 ounces shampoo, 8 ounces hair conditioner, 8 ounces shower gel, 4 ounces moisturizing cream, 1 ounce body mist, 1 ounce room spray. A little dab goes a long way. 199 $100 VISA Gift Card donated by Mississippi Council of The Blind You can use this $100 VISA gift card any time for dining or doing some shopping for yourself or someone special! 200 a Maryland box of Goodies donated by ACB of Maryland Bid and enjoy this box of goodies from Maryland. It includes: Old Bay Fisher's Popcorn, Jeppi Nuts, Chocolate Crabs dusted with Old Bay, Hot Sauce, Crab Cake Mix, Old Bay Seasoning, and some Chesapeake Mouth Party Caramels! Special Add Ons: "Home is Where the Old Bay Is" 5 by 7 print, Bigs Old Bay Sunflower Seeds, Crab Towel, and an Old Bay Insulated Tumbler. 201 Hills of Purple Heather donated and performed by Jeanette Kutash The lucky winner will enjoy sharing this piano piece performed by Jeanette. As you hear this beautiful melody, imagine yourself walking through the hills with the purple heather, a beautiful flower which represents healing and quieting of the mind. The hills and the heather invite those who walk through them to revel in a feeling of confidence to pursue living life to the fullest with those you love. As the music increases and decreases in volume, we find gradual healing, calmness, and the feeling that we can get through all storms ahead with grace and tranquility. The piece culminates with a final chord which represents that feeling of being whole from the heather's qualities. 202 $100 Honey Baked Ham Gift Card donated by ACB Media Coordinator Larry Gassman Whether you're celebrating a loved one, marking a special occasion, or simply wanting to surprise a friend, show you care with a Honey Baked Ham. Enjoy this delicious treat with friends or family. 203 Baby Afghan in White, Yellow, and Green donated by Keri Bishop Enjoy this baby Afghan crocheted like a jumbo granny square or continuous granny square. The center is white bordered by a pastel green then white and trimmed in pastel yellow. Afghan measures 42 by 42 inches. Wow, what a beautiful Afghan to give as a gift for that someone special! 204 $100 Gift Card to Walmart Donated by Mary Haupt Fill your basket with treats for your family and friends. The $100 gift card offers a wonderful opportunity for you to treat yourself or to please and surprise others. 205 Four Bags of Healthy Dog Treats donated by ACB of Connecticut Here's something for the canines in your life. You will receive 4 bags of healthy dog treats baked, packed, and shipped by special needs students at Bellcate School in Vermont. They are freshly baked upon order and contain no preservatives. The flavors are Peanut Butter Pumpkin, Calming Chamomile and Honey Maple Mousse with the maple coming from the farm on the school property and Apple, Oatmeal and Cheese. They are truly making a difference for our dogs! 206 2012 Read Easy Move Scanning Device donated by Roberta McCall You can use this freestanding scanning device which will read out all printed text to users to assist you with everyday life. It includes headphones so you can hear what the scanner is reading to you. It has a custom carrying case, clear voices, Keypad Feature Pack For users requiring additional features such as multi-page documents, WIFI navigation control, saving, loading, importing, and exporting documents! Low Vision Pack that connects your Move to television or computer screen. Let's you view your documents in large print, (up to 2x newspaper headline size on a 22” screen), as well as listen to them. 207A Loaf of Homemade Pumpkin Bread Donated by Terri Nettles Perfect for breakfast, dessert, or a party, this bread will delight all who love pumpkin any time of day. Enjoy this pumpkin bread either plain or with chocolate chips yourself or share with friends or family. It is delicious. 207B Loaf of Homemade Pumpkin Bread Donated by Terri Nettles Perfect for breakfast, dessert, or a party, this bread will delight all who love pumpkin any time of day. Enjoy this pumpkin bread either plain or with chocolate chips yourself or share with friends or family. It is delicious! 208 Handmade Pottery Snack Tray and Butter Dish donated by Patty Fletcher You will enjoy this lovely snack tray which is a rectangular shaped plate with rounded edges. The edges and sides of this piece are textured. It is a marigold color with a glossy finish. Also enjoy the accompanying butter dish which is an oblong shaped plate. It is marigold with a glossy finish. These one-of-a-kind handmade pottery pieces are both useful and lovely. 209 $50 Amazon Gift Card donated by Friends in Art It is time to treat yourself to something special and here's a gift card to help you do it. $50 in spending at Amazon! 210 Four-piece Amalia Serving Set donated by Becky Gleason Enjoy having this four-piece set of elegant flatware. It will add sparkle to any table setting. Made from high-quality 18/10 Stainless Steel, each piece is beautiful, durable and dishwasher safe. The serving utensils feature a unique vine design and rope detail. This set includes a Serving Spoon, Slotted Spoon, Serving Fork, and Serving Spatula. Use this serving set yourself or make someone incredibly happy by making them the recipient of this useful and classy gift. 211 $50 Starbucks Gift Card donated by Merrilee Hill-Kennedy Everyone loves a good cup of coffee. It's even better with some friends or family members over some laughs! As an extra bonus, Starbucks also has goodies to eat. Bid so you can enjoy all the delicious choices from a great coffee establishment. 212 Two Dozen Homemade Cookies donated by Mary Cook of Outta Sight Sweets LLC Your choice of either snickerdoodle or triple chocolate chip cookies. The snickerdoodle is an old-fashioned d

Complete Show: It is Tuesday, Steve returns, and we bring you all the local and national headlines.  Plus some great news for a friend, colleague, and (for Steve) a fellow member of the Kansas Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

In this episode, Mike Williams and Burke Jones delve into the intricacies of school facilities management and the role of school facility directors. They share insights on improving communication within facilities management teams, implementing digital work order systems, and the importance of professional collaboration through organizations like the Kansas Association of Directors of Plant Facilities (KADPF). Mike emphasizes the significance of being a part of KADPF, highlighting the invaluable support and knowledge-sharing among members, which ultimately contributes to enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of facility management processes. Main Topics Discussed: Improving Communication: Mike and Burke discuss the importance of effective communication within facilities management teams and the positive impact it has on resolving issues promptly and enhancing overall operational efficiency. Implementation of Digital Work Order Systems: They share their experiences with implementing digital work order systems, highlighting the benefits of streamlining processes, improving feedback loops, and enhancing communication between staff and facility managers. Role of KADPF: Mike elaborates on the role of the Kansas Association of Directors of Plant Facilities (KADPF) in fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing among school facility directors, ultimately contributing to professional development and the advancement of facility management practices. Professional Collaboration: The importance of professional collaboration and networking within the field of facility management is emphasized, with Mike and Burke discussing the value of learning from others' experiences and sharing best practices to address common challenges. Certification Process: Mike shares insights into the potential benefits of implementing a certification process for plant facility directors, including enhanced recognition, professional development opportunities, and succession planning within the industry. These topics underscore the significance of effective communication, collaboration, and professional development in school facilities management, highlighting the continuous efforts to improve processes and enhance the overall learning environment for students and staff. Listen here: ⁠https://lnkd.in/esYWUye8⁠ or anywhere you listen to podcasts! Apple: ⁠https://lnkd.in/gM2MrHG2⁠ Spotify: ⁠https://lnkd.in/gUHw5C85 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/schoolfacilities/message

In this episode of the podcast, join host Burke Jones for an engaging chat with Dave Montgomery, the Assistant Director of Facilities at Auburn-Washburn USD 437 School District. Dave shares his experiences and insights into the world of leadership and networking within professional organizations. From the Kansas Association of Directors of Plant Facilities (KADPF) to career growth opportunities, Dave offers valuable perspectives on how to thrive in the field. Main Topics Covered: Getting the most out of leadership roles in professional organizations The power of networking for career development and seizing opportunities The buzz and benefits of attending conferences and industry events Collaborative efforts between organizations for greater advocacy impact Balancing digital tools and traditional methods for knowledge management --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/schoolfacilities/message

I asked my son to write the obituary for his father, and so now, I share it with you.  Ian Case Punnett died on December 22, 2023.  Ian hosted weekends on the nationally syndicated show Coast to Coast with Ian Punnett, as well as local shows in the Twin Cities, Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago, and the Quad-Cities over his lengthy radio career.   He received his Master of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary and went on to receive his Doctor of Philosophy in Journalism and Mass Communication from Arizona State University. He was ordained as a deacon in the Episcopal Church and served in that role for many years, though to his friends and family (and frankly anyone with his phone number), his ministry was always available.   Ian was inducted into the Kansas Association of Broadcasting Hall of Fame in October 2023. For the last five years, Ian taught journalism at Kansas State University and ran the college radio station there. He took great pride in his student-staff and in Wildcat 91.9. In 2023, Wildcat 91.9 was named one of best college radio stations in the country by The Intercollegiate Broadcasting System.  He was a writer and authored several books including How to Pray When You Are Pissed at God, How Millennials Can Lead Us Out of the Mess We're In: A Jew, a Muslim, and a Christian Share Leadership Lessons from the Life of Moses, and A Black Night for the Bluegrass Belle. In addition, Routledge Press published his dissertation, Toward a Theory of True Crime Narratives. Children know him as the author of Dizzy the Mutt with the Propeller Butt and Jackula the Vampire Dog.  Ian was a caring, intelligent, and generous man. He never hesitated to extend a hand to those in need or give his time to those in suffering. His deep Christian piety was matched by genuine curiosity and enthusiasm for all forms of faith. He always stood up for a just cause and was fearless in facing all obstacles. He was endlessly creative and never missed an opportunity for a funny bit. He was a loyal friend, a loving husband and excellent father.  Best to the Nest is our podcast all about creating strong, comfortable, beautiful nests that prepare us to fly.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I asked my son to write the obituary for his father, and so now, I share it with you.   Ian Case Punnett died on December 22, 2023.   Ian hosted weekends on the nationally syndicated show Coast to Coast with Ian Punnett, as well as local shows in the Twin Cities, Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago, and the Quad-Cities over his lengthy radio career.    He received his Master of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary and went on to receive his Doctor of Philosophy in Journalism and Mass Communication from Arizona State University. He was ordained as a deacon in the Episcopal Church and served in that role for many years, though to his friends and family (and frankly anyone with his phone number), his ministry was always available.    Ian was inducted into the Kansas Association of Broadcasting Hall of Fame in October 2023. For the last five years, Ian taught journalism at Kansas State University and ran the college radio station there. He took great pride in his student-staff and in Wildcat 91.9. In 2023, Wildcat 91.9 was named one of best college radio stations in the country by The Intercollegiate Broadcasting System.   He was a writer and authored several books including How to Pray When You Are Pissed at God, How Millennials Can Lead Us Out of the Mess We're In: A Jew, a Muslim, and a Christian Share Leadership Lessons from the Life of Moses, and A Black Night for the Bluegrass Belle. In addition, Routledge Press published his dissertation, Toward a Theory of True Crime Narratives. Children know him as the author of Dizzy the Mutt with the Propeller Butt and Jackula the Vampire Dog.   Ian was a caring, intelligent, and generous man. He never hesitated to extend a hand to those in need or give his time to those in suffering. His deep Christian piety was matched by genuine curiosity and enthusiasm for all forms of faith. He always stood up for a just cause and was fearless in facing all obstacles. He was endlessly creative and never missed an opportunity for a funny bit. He was a loyal friend, a loving husband and excellent father.    Best to the Nest is our podcast all about creating strong, comfortable, beautiful nests that prepare us to fly.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is part of a new short monthly series where Mason Pashia is joined by Dr. Jason Cummins, a previous guest and a friend of the podcast, to speak with indigenous leaders and academics to discuss how indigenous ways of knowing and leading can, and should, shape the education system.   Awaachiáookaate', or Jason Cummins Ed.D is an enrolled member of the Apsaalooke Nation, and recently served as the Deputy Director for the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities, Office of the Secretary. Previously, he was the principal at Crow Agency Public School. As an Indigenous scholar and school leader he has innovatively worked to lead schools towards authentically serving Native American students PreK-12 and their communities by implementing culturally sustaining, trauma-informed, and restorative approaches.  We are joined by Alex Red Corn, Ed.D, a citizen of Osage Nation, where he is a member of the Tsi.zhu.wah.shtah.geh (Gentle Sky/Peacekeeper) clan. At Kansas State University, he is Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, Coordinator of Indigenous Partnerships, CoChair of the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance, Executive Director of the Kansas Association for Native American Education (KANAE) and Program Coordinator for the Indigenous Educational Leadership Graduate Links:  A Walk in My Shoes Documentary Alex Red Corn Bio The Rural Educator Journal of American Indian Education Indigenous Steam (Analise and Megan Bang) Osage Ribbon Work Lanny Real Bird Liberating Sovreign Potential  

The Kansas Association of Counties is holding its annual meeting in Wichita this week. Sedgwick County Commission Chair Pete Meitzner joins us on Steve and Ted in the Morning.

Jodie Leiss and Damon Leiss are co-Executive Directors of the Midland Region of the National Academy of Health and Physical Literacy. We were excited to have them on the show to discuss their careers, physical education majors clubs, their vision for the Midland Region, and more!! Jodie Leiss is an Associate Professor of Health and Physical Education in the Department of School of Health Science & Wellness at Northwest Missouri State University. Leiss is a teacher educator, physical education advisor, past President of the Kansas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.Damon Leiss is an Assistant Professor and serves in the school of Health Science and Wellness at Northwest Missouri State University in several capacities. Damon Leiss works with both undergraduate and graduate students in Applied Health Science, Physical Education, Recreation and Coaching Education.

The title above does not do justice to today's guest, Alex Achten. Alex is from Kansas City where he grew up. After college he spent time in Texas where he worked as a news reporter for several years. We talk quite a bit about news reporting and what makes a good reporter.   As Alex explains, he finally felt that the stress of the reporting job caused him to want to go more into the communications and public relations aspects of media and media relations. His parents had moved to San Diego several years ago and so Alex decided to moved to San Diego as well. He joined the staff of the national nonprofit agency, Identity Theft Resource Center, where he directs media relations.   Alex tells us some about identity theft although he says he is not an expert. Even so, he has some excellent ideas about identity protection he passes along.   I asked him about his college minor in Leadership Studies and a certificate he recently earned in “Coaching as a Leadership Tool.” As you will hear, he is quite passionate about this topic and offers some great ideas about good leaders and quality leadership.   In all, no doubt that Alex is quite an unstoppable person. I am sure you will see why by the end of our conversation.     About the Guest:   Alex Achten is the Director of Communications & Media Relations for the Identity Theft Resource Center. Alex oversees the Communications Department of the ITRC and all of the company's Communications initiatives. He specializes in public relations and media relations. At the ITRC, Alex has helped secure media coverage with programs like CBS This Morning, NBC Nightly News, CNBC's American Greed, NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Red Table Talk, and many others.   Previously, Alex was a TV Reporter at KAUZ-TV News Channel 6 in Wichita Falls, Texas. While at News Channel 6, Alex covered the political beat and interviewed Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, U.S. Congressman Pat Fallon, former U.S. Congressman Mac Thornberry, and many others. He also worked the city beat and covered breaking news ranging from plane crashes and fires to shootings and stabbings.   Alex is a graduate of Kansas State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science with a Major in Broadcast Journalism and a Minor in Leadership Studies. While at K-State, Alex was involved with Channel 8 News, The Collegian, and The Wildcat 91.9. Alex won First Place in the Kansas Association of Broadcasters Student Awards for Complete Sports Feature and Sportscast, as well as Honorable Mention for Entertainment Programming and DJ Personality. His radio show was also a finalist in the South Central Competition for Audio Talent.   Alex recently completed and received a certificate for his participation in Fieldstone Leadership Network's Course titled “Coaching as a Leadership Tool.” His passion for leadership dates back to his involvement in Student Leadership Institute in high school. He has taken part in numerous leadership projects, most notably a service project that consisted of gathering and manipulating data to figure out better and more efficient ways of advertising for the Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan, Kansas. Alex was born and raised in Kansas City and is a huge Chiefs and Royals fan! There is a good chance you will find him in San Diego wearing either blue, red, or purple!     Ways to connect with Alex:   Alex Achten LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-achten-27a9002b/ Alex Achten Twitter: @Alex_ITRC https://twitter.com/Alex_ITRC Alex Achten Facebook: @Alex-Achten-Identity-Theft-Resource-Center https://www.facebook.com/people/Alex-Achten-Identity-Theft-Resource-Center     About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.     Transcription Notes      Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hi, yep, it is Mike Hingson Once again, and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. Today, we get to chat with Alex Achten and Alex and I have had some wonderful discussions ahead of this podcast and just to help you out and get you hungry. Since he spent a lot of his life in Kansas, we talk about ribs and shrimp. And we're now both very hungry, but we are going to resist on the podcast we're going to just chat and not eat in front of all of you. And we we do have the willpower at least for one episode to resist. Alex, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Alex Achten ** 02:02 Thank you I'm so so happy to be here and appreciate the the invite to be on. And I have to say saying no to ribs as someone from Kansas City that that's just wrong. Like I you know, I should not be saying no to ribs or rib talk or anything barbecue related or shrimp related. But here I am saying let's talk about something more important. So people listening to this against that. You might say Alex, what are you doing? Why are you giving up an opportunity to talk about ribs? But But hey, you know, you mentioned it we talked a lot about in our political.   Michael Hingson ** 02:38 I want to say that we're going to talk about something more important what we're going to talk about something else. But we could always talk about ribs, you know that's   Alex Achten ** 02:44 true. Ribs is an evergreen topic. You can talk about a whenever, wherever,   Michael Hingson ** 02:48 right? And eat them wherever and whenever you can just to say,   Alex Achten ** 02:54 just don't wear a white shirt. Like I'm like, I'm   Michael Hingson ** 02:56 right now. Right? Yeah, we're at least wear a bib. Yes, I've   Alex Achten ** 03:00 been at the minimum. Yeah, federal. Well, I   Michael Hingson ** 03:03 really am glad you're here. We had a fun time when we chatted last time. So why don't we start by maybe you telling me a little bit about you growing up and a younger Alex and all that kind of stuff?   Alex Achten ** 03:15 Yeah, absolutely. So I started I suppose I told you. I grew up in Kansas City. That's where I was born and raised. That's where my roots are. That is, that's where a lot of my family is. And and it's still home. You know, it is absolutely still home at my core. But yeah, that's where it that's where I grew up. I went to Kansas State University. So I am a Wildcat. Through and Through. I graduated there in 2015. I got a Bachelors of Science and I majored in broadcast journalism, and I minored in Leadership Studies and and from there, I went and pursued a TV career. And I went down to Texas, and was a TV reporter and multimedia journalist for about three to three and a half years down at KU Zee TV NewsChannel, six, and had a really good time there did a lot of a lot of interesting, interesting things that you wouldn't get to do it. Many other jobs, covered tons of different stories there. But even after three, three and a half years, I made the decision that I wanted to get into communications and public relations and also wanted to have the opportunity to get closer to home. And as I told you, in the past, my parents actually moved to San Diego in 2011, which is when I went to Kansas State so they had been there for a while I come out here and I knew I loved it. And I knew that ultimately, you know with my brother in Los Angeles as well, you know, it gave me an opportunity to get closer to home. So I went ahead and moved out here and I was able to land a job with the identity that The Resource Center where I'm at now and I've been here for four years working in communications and public relations. I'm our Director of Communications and Media Relations at the identity theft Resource Center now, and it's just really worked out. It's been a it's been a great, a great experience and opportunity for me. So that is kind of be in a nutshell on my background. But again, my roots, my roots are in Kansas. That's there's no doubt about that. But, but you know, you can't be living in America's Finest City there.   Michael Hingson ** 05:33 Well, having lived in Vista for six years, I can very well appreciate what you're saying. And we love the San Diego area. I still think it's the best weather in the country.   Alex Achten ** 05:44 I will not debate you on that. I will not debate you on I was telling I literally like the 10 day forecast for the next 10 days it is sunny and either 7374 75 or 76. That 10 day so yeah, doesn't get much better than that. It does it.   Michael Hingson ** 06:00 Next Friday, I fly to the National Federation of the Blind Convention, which this year is in Houston. Oh, one that's gonna weather Yeah, well be nice and toasty. That'll be nice and toasty there. You're wearing your clothes. Yeah, there is something to be said for air conditioning.   Alex Achten ** 06:22 But I've been down there to the   Michael Hingson ** 06:24 humidity in Houston is no fun either. been there before. That's okay. I can cope. Well. So when you were a news broadcaster, that must have been pretty interesting. Did you find it interesting and fun. And you must have introduced interviewed lots of people like the governor of Texas and people like that. Did you get a chance to talk to people like that?   Alex Achten ** 06:46 Absolutely. I did. I did interview the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, three or four different times, in my stint there at Channel six. And I actually worked the political beat. So I interviewed a lot of political figures in the state of Texas. So I interviewed Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. I also interviewed Beto O'Rourke a handful of times when I was there, and then pat Fallon, who is in the he is in the US House. Now. I interviewed him a handful of times, former congressman Mac Thornberry was was one of them. So a lot of a lot of political figures. I interviewed in my time there and I also had the, the city beat so that actual Wichita Falls that he beat. So I've covered all the the government related things going on in the city of Wichita Falls. And, you know, really what was kind of the, the wildcard was was really the breaking news that you've covered. I think, you know, I think every reporter will tell you that's one of the probably one of the most exciting parts of the job is the breaking news that you cover. And unfortunately, you know, not not all breaking news is good news. But as a reporter, you know, that's that's, that's what you go to school for, you know, you go to school for opportunities to be able to tell the public, you know, do your service tell the public what is going on and, and while it is something that you know, a lot of it is stuff you never want to see happen. You want to do to the best your ability, and it is a thrill to be in a situation now it can be a moment, don't get me wrong, it is emotionally draining. It is physically draining, mentally draining, it is draining in every sense of that word, but but your passion, your passion is what drives drives you and I tell everybody you know what my passion and my core is journalist I'm a I'm a I'm a journalist, at my core, even though I work in public relations, and Media Relations and Communications now and I love it. At my core, I'm a journalist and I am telling story. So in Wichita Falls, you know, I was able to, to cover so many stories that impacted my life in so many different ways and stories they'll carry with me forever. And I met people that I will remember and carry with me forever. You know, you talk with so many people every single day. When you when you're doing so many different stories and you hear so many stories from so many different people. It is just a very rewarding job and it can be very exhausting job. So it was it was something that again, I covered everything from you know, amazing story. I covered one guy who had like, multiple heart surgeries, didn't know if he was going to live and then he ended up a few months later being able to come out and ride in the Hunterdon hell bike race, which is a really really popular bike race Wichita County. I got to interview him. That was a great story. I got to do stories like that I got to ride To be 25 Bomber for one particular story, which was something that was actually really near and dear to my heart because my grandma was actually a Rosie the Riveter. So that was really, really cool opportunity for me. But on the flip side of that, you know, I covered a handful of stories and breaking news that didn't end well, that things that you won't forget. And, you know, those are the things that stick with you. But you know, I know, as a reporter, something that I was passionate about was telling these people, some of these people that may have been gone too soon telling their story, and telling their story in a way that that really highlighted them and showed them in the best light possible, so people could really get to know who they were in some of the tragic events that happen. And so that was something I took very seriously. And those are some of the things that I'll definitely remember. So, again, I could go on for days, about everything I got in that, in that in that role. But ultimately, what it just came down to was, it was a position where sustainability, you know, I just didn't think it was something that I could sustain long term going through that, again, that that mental, emotional, psychological, physical strain, needed some better work, some better work life balance, that was something that was really important. And then look, you know, I'm honest with people about it, you know, TV reporters, it's not the biggest salary in the world. It's not a and, you know, you also got to worry about you being able to support yourself financially. So you know, that's another piece of it, too. And again, not that you don't make a livable wage. But that, you know, I know a ton of people who have made the jump to communications PR for that reason, as well. So, but don't get it all.   Michael Hingson ** 11:47 As a speaker. I know that when I go somewhere to speak, from the time the airplane lands until I take off, I have to be on. Oh, yeah. And so I appreciate what you're saying about the whole emotional aspect of it, then sometimes you go on well, I went, I've gone to places where it was very interesting. And certainly the the tenor and tone of people and some of their views. Were not the views that I had. But I can't ever let that get in the way. And I'm there to do something. And I'm there to inspire. And I learn as much as I can about how to inspire every audience when I go. So it is different for different kinds of audiences. And for you, it must have been a challenge. I mean, going from beta O'Rourke to Greg Abbott, talk about two different ends of the spectrum. And that kind of thing has to be a real challenge for you, as a reporter, and if you are working to represent the story and talk to the people, then you have to do it without getting emotionally involved in and letting your biases and show on show and that has to be emotionally draining   Alex Achten ** 13:01 it 100% It absolutely is emotionally draining. I don't think people understand, understand how many aspects of that job, are emotionally draining. And, you know, not just that, but there's, you know, there's a lot of people out there that, that don't love what you do, and that, that you have to deal with when you're on the public as well. And unfortunately, I have stories about things that have happened to me, just trying to do stories and cover stories. And unfortunately, too many reporters do have stories like that. And it just kind of comes with the territory. But you're right, getting back to what you were saying, working that political beat in particular. When you're covering, you know, politicians from these, you know, complete opposite sides of the spectrum. You do, you have to let your biases, you have to leave your rises at the door, and you have to come in and you have to do your job, which is strictly to report, report what this person is saying, and then report what the other person is saying. And then you let the viewer come to the conclusion of whatever conclusion they're going to come to but your job is to report the facts. Your job is not to apply any, you know, any sort of speculation or any sort of any sort of leanings one way or the other. There's just something that you can't do. And I think I always told people that I thought the ultimate compliment was not when a when a when a politician told me that I did a good story. It was when they told me that I did a fair story, that that was what I really took as the ultimate cost. Because if I did a fair story, it meant they respected what I did, but you know, understood that, you know, I was tough, you know, and but I was but I wasn't disrespectful. You know, I did, I did my job. And so that was really kind of what I strive for in that in that position. So that was one piece that was really important. And then as you mentioned when you're getting a lot of these other stories that are emotional like Again, you know, I, you know, one story, did a touched on a girl who unfortunately was murdered walking home from school and her friend was with her and shot as well. And that was a story that really captivated kind of the way it happened really captivated the entire community. And it was really hard to leave your emotions out, you know, at the door on this particular piece, he was only 14 years old. It was a really sad backstory to it. And I was reported it was live on the scene, I was the reporter that was at her memorial, and I was the reporter that was speaking with her family, and that was just super emotionally draining. And there's multiple times stories like this, where you're trying to talk about someone's life. And you're also trying to report about the breaking news that might be happening, and maybe also about that trial, you know, I was part of the trial coverage do? How do you leave your emotions out of that when there's so much heavy emotion in it. But you have to find a way to leave it at the door. And that is really difficult to do, and it takes a toll on you. But you have to do it to be able to do the job to the best of your ability   Michael Hingson ** 16:07 I listened to from a standpoint of collecting old radio shows some interesting news reports through the years, I think the probably one of the most dramatic ones is when the Hindenburg exploded, and there was one reporter on the scene everybody else had left because it was late coming in. And he was there reported the whole thing herb Morrison did and did an incredible job. Although his emotions came through some there was no way not to. But yeah, but the point is that he was able to report the whole thing. And even through the emotion, he reported everything. I've heard reports, because I was alive then about JFK getting shot. And I heard the Columbia challenger or the Columbia space shuttle thing. And, you know, other things. What amazes me today is how many people when we see some reporters reporting on stories, and clearly being very bias and not just reporting, which we see a lot, and to all too many people won't hold them accountable and say that's not your job, your job is to report the news. And it's really scary. And so unfortunate that we see all too often today where people don't leave their biases at the door. And they portray things as facts that aren't. And that's too that's too bad too, because that gives the whole industry a very bad name.   Alex Achten ** 17:43 Exactly. You nailed it right there. At the end, it gives the industry a bad name. And it really damages the credibility of good reporters and a majority. And we say this best so many different fields of work, but you know, there's always a few bad apples that seemed it can ruin it for everybody. And in the news, everybody sees what to do. So if those few bad apples are going to be directly seen what what they're doing, and I used to tell some of the new reporters that came in, that I would train, you know, don't you know, don't take, you can't take some of this, you know, stuff that you're going to hear some stuff you're going to encounter, you can't take it too hard. You can't take it too personal. Yeah. And you can't you have to let it go if you have a bad day, because the reality of the fact, you know, the reality is, when you have a bad day, unfortunately, everybody's gonna see it, because you're on TV every day. And, you know, people aren't gonna see my bad days. Now, you know, when I'm when I'm working at the CRC, but they did when I was on TV, and there was no way to get around that and it's in the public eye. But you have to find a way to let that go. Getting to these kind of these bad apples that really kind of paint media in a bad light. It's the same thing, you know, they're being seen. And then, you know, people think, well, that's what all journalists and all media are like, and I think that's what's most disappointing to me is that there are so many good journalists out there, and they get overshadowed by some bad apples that ruin it. And I'm very clear with people that, you know, those that are inserting their opinions into things. That's not news. I mean, that that is entertainment programs and entertainment. Right? That is entertainment, that is not news. Entertainment, but no, I agree. And I've had people come up to me and say, you know, well, you know, I don't watch the news because of this person. And I think that's not like I don't even consider that a news program, whatever. They whatever. They came to me, and I'll tell them, you know, some of some of the some of the places that I think do have good news, but again, I you know, I got to know a ton of reporters when I worked in the industry. I know a ton now for my current role and working in media relations. And again, there's just so many good reporters out there. Air. And you know, I will say that the line, it's thinner now than it's been in a long time with within certain opinion in the news. And that is kind of a, you know, scary thing a little bit. But, you know, when you, you know, they teach you these things in school, how to handle these situations, and there's a lot of really good reporters who do good work. And it's hard work work that requires tons of research and education, and being able to be impartial and ask good questions. And not even just that, you have to, after you ask the question, do you have to tell the story and you have to be a good storyteller. There's so many pieces of that. And there's so many good reporters that doing that, and getting messages out that needed need to get out there. But unfortunately, not enough people. Read the news, watch the news, hear the news, because they just associate some of those bad apples in the opinion with it. So it's disappointing to hear kind of that misconception. And again, I, as a former reporter, I will obviously stand up for many reporters, and believing that it is it is still a good industry. But I will admit at the same time that there are some some some bad apples out there. But I definitely encourage people to if you hear opinion, you see opinion, there is a differentiator between what I would consider news and entertainment program. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 21:22 yeah. Well, for me, I was so impressed, watching a lot of the news once I got home on September 11, having gotten on at the tower and all that, but people like Aaron Brown on CNN, who all day stayed and covered it. Of course, they were across the river. I think he was in New Jersey, I believe, but he, he did the reporting for hours and hours. And I finally got to meet him. And just anyone who could do that, and Peter Jennings did the same thing on ABC, and just being able to do that. And I think with Peter Jennings Finally, there was some emotion, but but still ropey, how can there not be on the next Monday? Dan, rather, was interviewed on Letterman, and and he broke up on the Letterman Show. And yeah, how could you not and why shouldn't you? Yeah, because you're doing Yeah, they're human, they should you be able to react?   Alex Achten ** 22:26 Exactly. I, you know, I, I, I haven't met a reporter that hasn't had a broker who has not had a breakdown, I'll be honest and honest, I, every single reporter that I've worked with had a breakdown at one point or another, I've had breakdowns before as a reporter. It's going to happen, it comes with the territory. And when you're covering something like, like, September 11, I can't even imagine how difficult that had to be. And again, you're only human, you only can take so much. And, and that that is just a incredibly tough job to do. But I'm glad that you mentioned that is because that's that's a great example, and a perfect example. But you know, I think that you mentioned in there human. I mean, I think that that is kind of when I would remind people of you know, these reports are human. And, you know, they they're out here trying to do the best job that they can. Yeah, sure, there are again, there are some bad apples out there. And they're gonna, you know, you know, you need to be able to decipher news from non news. That's deaf, right thing. But But I again, I think that there's just a lot of lack of respect for for some media out there. And I don't think people understand how hard they work and what they go through. And so, you know, hopefully, that's something that, you know, I've been an advocate, again, that a lot for a long time, I'll continue to advocate for that. Because it's like I said, I'm a journalist at my core. Those are my people always advocate for them. But, but just again, you know, you're human, you will and go through so much. And I can't even imagine what it was like this 911 coverage, but I will say I have watched, I have gone back again, news junkie, I've just pronounced surprised anybody. I've gone back and watched to the coverage, one of the coverage from September 11. And it was, it was some very, very good coverage that day.   Michael Hingson ** 24:14 There was some some really good coverage that day. And it was very amazing that people held it together as much as they did. And it's a testimony to them and to their character that they did and they didn't go off and try to go off on deal with diatribes and lecturing people and so on but reported the business which is what they should have done.   Alex Achten ** 24:34 Exactly. And I'll say just one thing with that, too, that's so hard because you don't know they didn't know initially what was going on? No, and you have to have essentially wall to wall coverage of what's going on and you have to fill that time was something so you have to fill it and it's hard not to go to those places on well, they could have been this or it could have been that right it's that is that is so hard when you don't have a script, there's there's not a playbook for that. There's not there's not a playbook for that. That is so hard. You're going wall to wall all day long covering this event where you're learning what's going on. But you don't fully know, I mean that there's no job more difficult.   Michael Hingson ** 25:13 And one of the things that I realized pretty early on, and I'm not sure it was said, as much as it should have been, is that this was not an attack by Islam, this was attacked by a fringe group that wanted to have their way. But that's not the representation of the Muslim church. Yeah. And and I think that not nearly enough people understood that. And again, it's all too often that we, as the public haven't learned to step back and truly analyze, we listen, and we hear somebody, Oh, I agree with that. And then we just go on, and we don't analyze for ourselves. And we really need to do that. I'm not a great fan of Fox, but I watch Fox to hear what they say, as long as I can, can take it, and then I will go back and listen to other news, but I do like to watch a variety of different kinds of newscasts. And I could also go off and say things like, watching the BBC, or news from Europe and so on is really fascinating, because the way they report a lot of stuff is totally different, compelling way we do it here. And there's a lot of value in what they do.   Alex Achten ** 26:29 Oh, yeah, absolutely. Did you write I would encourage someone go go watch a BBC broadcast and see what the way that it did. It is much different than the way than the way and that's not a bad thing. No, no, not a bad thing at all. And, but But I will say, you know, you're right. I think that it is important for people to again, be able to watch different different news outlets and be able to get news from different places. And because, you know, again, I just think it's good to be hearing what everybody's saying and thinking and then I think if you can come to more of an educated opinion, on whatever it is that that that's going on. But if you're only watching the news that plays into the narrative that you want to believe I mean, how much are you really, you know, learning or to the flip side of that, if you're only watching news that goes against what you believe in, they're there to just, you know, mock what they're saying, again, I'll say the same thing. What are you what are you really gaining from that? I my default is always tell people that I go back to you know, I like to watch. You know, I like to watch a galley i I'm, I worked at CBS affiliate, I think CBS news is, is pretty good. I work with the investigate TV team, for television a lot. I actually used to be in a great, great TV employee. But I think investigate TV has an has an incredible team of people there. And I think that NBC is not not MSNBC, just NBC MVCs investigative team is tremendous. I think that there's some tremendous reporters on their investigative team. So again, I think it's about you know, figuring out being able to sift out you know, who's, you know, who's going to really tell this, you know, who tells stories from an impartial standpoint,   Michael Hingson ** 28:28 given my age. I'm a relative late comer to 60 minutes. I love watching 60 minutes, but I had a radio program on our college radio station K UCI at 9.9 on your dial on every Sunday night, I played old radio shows for three hours. And I learned along the way when somebody called from the Orange County Jail in California, that half the people in the jail wanted to listen to our show on Sunday nights and roughly half of the people wanted to listen and watch 60 minutes. And ultimately we beat out Wallace so I'm really glad that we'd be Wow, look at that. And you know, of course what I say to everybody is that Wallace was really just kind of a guy with criminal tendencies if you listen to him when he did old radio shows. What did he announce the Green Hornet What's that all about? Crime and Sky King you know, what's that all about crime? So we know what we don't what kind of mic well, it says I never got to meet him and say that a person who would have been great to do   Alex Achten ** 29:29 Mike Well, that is true. But it was it   Michael Hingson ** 29:33 was really funny that we we we beat out 60 minutes and so they wanted more entertainment the news that's okay.   Alex Achten ** 29:40 Hey, you know what? There's so many there's so many things that are coming into my mind right now but it's it's what was it I you know, if it bleeds it leads like that was one that I remember being like a really popular saying yeah, and then there I there was another one that rhymed at sales, and I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting what it was but but You're right. I mean, you know a lot of these news producers, I mean, they're stalking their shows know what what people are gonna be most interested in here and are seeing at the beginning of a show.   Michael Hingson ** 30:09 My favorite, my favorite 60 minutes is still the one where Morley Safer interviewed Miss Piggy. And she had him on the ropes. It was so funny. I'd love to get a copy of that. She kept calling him Morty and all sorts of stuff that is still my favorite 60 minutes episode.   Alex Achten ** 30:29 Well, I'll say this. I do like some good news mixed in with that. Yeah. I hear people talk about you know, I hate how much bad news is the beginning. And I get it why people say that. I also understand why is it the beginning of shows and why it's so prevalent, but I think it is important to sprinkle some things in. And yeah, I watched CBS Sunday Morning, every morning because I love their feature stories. And I at the station that I worked at, we had a good news segment at the end of every show. So I'm sure it's something that we that we'd like to mix in, I think it's important to be able to get that in. So again, you know, you have to hear the people and there's a lot of people want some more good   Michael Hingson ** 31:05 news. Yeah. And sometimes I don't think we get as much of it as we could, and probably should. There's so much bad stuff. And that's what seems to get a lot of the headlines, I understand it. But and the other part of it is there always seems to be something that is dramatic enough that we do have to get those headlines. So you know, that's the other part about it. We there's there's hardly a slow news day anymore. No, no. Which is, which is too bad. Well, you know, but we cope. So how did you then I understand why you decided that you wanted to leave actually doing real reporting? How did you end up at the identity theft Resource Center?   Alex Achten ** 31:47 Yeah, well, you know, getting back to, you know, you count what I said a little bit earlier in the podcast, you know, it was kind of a situation where, you know, okay, and do you want to sign on it, you know, sign a contract with your, you know, with your current employer and, you know, stay longer? Do you want to look to go to a new station and a bigger market? You know, what do you want to do, and I was kind of at the crossroads, they were, you know, it was time to make a decision one way or the other. And I've been mulling it over for a while, you know, again, I was like, This is not something that's not sustainable. It's really a stressful job. I love what I'm doing. But it's super stressful. And, you know, again, I wanted a little bit of more financial stability, my life, I wanted a little more work life balance, and I wanted to be ultimately be, you know, a little bit closer to family. That was something that would that I wanted as well. So I moved to San Diego, and said, You know what, I'm going to go after this communications thing and see what happens. So I came out to San Diego, I got involved in prsa, which is the Public Relations Society of America, the San Diego chapter in particular, and took part in a mentorship program actually, there. And that was an amazing experience, I was able to work with somebody who at the time was with VA II, out here in San Diego. And they helped me with with a ton, you know, with prep on the industry, interview PrEP. PrEP on the resume, refining the resume. And they really helped me with a lot of that. And I'll say this is a very common jump. And I don't know how many of you will know this very common jump for people and news to jump to communications and PR, I would say, I mean, I don't know if 50% of the people who work in PR are former news people but it, it feels like it well, I'm meeting with them all the time. And it feels like half the time they're like, Yeah, I used to be a reporter as well or used to work in the news as well. And I have a ton of friends that have made the jump since me even from news to PR. So it's a really, really common jump. There's a lot of parallels there. But I ended up you know, the mentorship program was great, it helped me learn a lot. And then I landed a position with the identity theft Resource Center is a communication specialist with a focus on PR. And after about a year, a little over a year, year and a half, I got a promotion to earn an own media specialist. So it was more really focused on media relations. In particular, which is more what I wanted to do. And then from there, I got a promotion to head of earned and owned media relations, which really kind of allowed me to kind of begin to run the show on that side of things. And then the way things ended up shaking out I got another promotion to Director of Communications and Media Relations. So now I'm running an overseeing the communications team for the identity theft Resource Center. And it is a position that that I Love, you know, I love the company, I love the people that I work with. And I love that, you know, I have an executive that we have an executive team there that is so supportive of me and supportive of the work that I do, and they give me the freedom to go out and, and do what I think needs to be done to put the ITRC in the best light publicly, to get us media coverage, to execute successful communications campaigns. And it is something that I really do enjoy, we got a great team. I'm in a managerial role now, which is something that that I said I would never do. I was like, I'll never I'm never I'm never gonna be be a manager, I'm never going to manage people. That's not something I'm going to do. Here I am 31. And now I'm a director, so, so much for that. But, but that's what I said, But you know, I really do enjoy it. I better work life balance. Closer my parents, I get to see them more often. And I've built a community of friends out here that that I really enjoy. And, again, you can't beat San Diego, but but I really I really do. I really do love it. And I think what is something that has really helped me is being a former reporter. Being able to speak with people who work in the media, I feel like it's so much easier for me to speak with them. And so yours didn't say easier. But it's so easy for me to speak with them. Because I feel like I know how to talk to them. How would I know? How to myself back when I was sitting at my news desk? What would I tell? What would I tell Alex like, that's what I think when I'm when I'm writing a press release, or I'm right, you know, I'm I'm personally pitching somebody, or if I'm about to send out a media alert, you know what, what I want to hear and then I think of it just about how people will have it I want people to communicate with me, so much of it is about building relationships. And I put a ton of stock and building relationships with with these people in the media, and it goes beyond just hey, I've got a story for you, or, Hey, I'll scratch your back here, if you scratch our back there, you know, it goes further than that. It's about you know, taking genuine interest in these people. Because again, you know, these amateurs, good journalists, I mean, they're good people, and being able to build those relationships with them. And getting to know them is something that I think is really important. And when I was a reporter, it was the same, you know, I kind of had the same approach, I wanted to get to know the PR people that I was working with, and I took a lot of stock and building those relationships. So I that's something that's really important to me, kind of with where I'm at right now with the with the communications team, at the ITRC is our executive team knows that media relations and public relations is really kind of my my bread and butter. So they let me really stay in the weeds and kind of do all of that. But, but I delegate for the most part, a good chunk of the the other stuff that we do marketing stuff, project management stuff, I'll delegate that to other to other people on the team. But, but I really do stay in the weeds with the media relations stuff, because I love it, I mean that I really am passionate about that. And I love to see the ITRC highlighted on these programs. And and now that I've worked in a space for four years, I didn't I am really passionate about helping these victims because I see the the way that these victims of identity crimes are impacted. And I always I you know, one of the things I wanted to do, and I moved into communications, I wanted to take take a role, where I felt like I would make a difference. You know, I didn't want to take a role to take a role, you know, I wanted to take a role or I could make a difference. And I feel like you know, being able to get media coverage of the ITRC and our services and our reports and our data and all this stuff in return helps get more, you know, help to these victims who need it again, whether or not that means it leads to more government assistance, government programs, whether it means that they find the ITRC and we're able to help them whatever it might be they know that's something that I'm that I'm definitely passionate about. So it has been it has been a great four years working with the communications team at the ICRC   Michael Hingson ** 39:23 well tell me a little bit more about what the ITRC is what it does and and all that kind of stuff. Yeah, the   Alex Achten ** 39:29 I didn't have resource center there. It's a national nonprofit. And it really is and I won't sit here and you know, read off I'm not gonna I won't go into Mr. PR and read off the mission statement and do all that. I'll say the thought of that. But I but I will say it's a national nonprofit that works in the in the identity crime space. The only national nonprofit that has free remediation services for for victims of victims can call us or live chat with us for free and we can help I help them with their identity crime case. Or we can help. Even if you're not a, you know, a victim of identity theft, you know, you can always message us if you have a question or you know, something that's preventative, you can message us about anything. And we are advisors will, will work with people on whatever the issue is toll free. And it's not like you just call one time or message one time, and then we're like, well, there's a fee, the second or third time No, it's, you know, you can, however, many times you need to reach out to us however long you need to talk to us, we'll do it, we'll do it. And that is something that we do. And we also work with, we also work a lot in the research side of things, we do a lot of research. When it comes to identity crimes, right now we're doing a lot of research in the identity crime landscape, in particular in the black communities, and how they're impacted by any crime. So that's something that we're working on right now. We track data breaches, and we report our findings and our trends and what they mean and, and we do things to try to see, you know, try to get additional support for victims. So you know, we'll work we'll work with the, with other organizations, and you know, the government, we have a lot of federal federal grants, and we'll we'll work to try to get more resources for victims add that as part of it as well. And then, you know, we obviously provide education, we'll provide education to businesses, and things of that nature. So there's a lot of different things that we do. But ultimately, you know, the goal is to, is to help reduce identity crime, and, and really to be able to educate people on what's going on in cybersecurity,   Michael Hingson ** 41:36 privacy. So somebody, so somebody calls and says, you know, my identity has been stolen, I've had 10,000 or $50,000, in lost credit card charges, and so on. How do you guys help? What is it that the senator does?   Alex Achten ** 41:51 Yeah, so the senator, what we do is we ultimately can help somebody create a resolution plan with, okay, you know, here's what you need to do next. In regards to steps, who, here's who you need to call, here's what you need to tell them. Here's what you need to get from them. And then here's the steps that you need to take to protect yourself. So we're not there actually doing all of these things for the victims, but we are there to help provide them a resolution plan. And to really guide them through this process that is so tricky, and so difficult, especially people are so vulnerable at those moments. And it's hard. I mean, look, I mean, I mean, a lot of us are the victims of identity crimes, and we know how it can play on your emotions. And you may not be thinking in your proper state of mind at that time, you know, well, we can we can help you in that moment. Walk you walk you through that process, and make sure that you're able to take the appropriate steps to keep yourself as as safe as possible. So that's really, really our role in that. And again, you know, we're there to always provide support.   Michael Hingson ** 42:58 One of the things that we did I have a niece who had she and her family had their identity stolen, gosh, it's gotta be close to 10 years now. And one of the things that we did was we signed up with LifeLock obviously gives some protection and so on. But that's a different kind of an entity that does sort of different things than what you do, right.   Alex Achten ** 43:24 Yeah, yeah, exactly. You're You're right that there, that's more identity theft, protection. Talking about that, and look, you know, I Norton, Norton LifeLock is one of our is one of our supporters. So we work with them on certain things, but But you're right, that that is that is more service based. And we, you know, we're really, we're really not service based, you know, we're just some things in the works that that will roll out at a later time, but, but we're really not.   Michael Hingson ** 43:54 You help people and you help give people perspective and you help give guidance in some way.   Alex Achten ** 43:59 Exactly. We're there to provide guidance for people that help help victims and, and be able to help businesses and and again, get and do the research and figure out what's going on what are the trends and that really could help guide us and what needs to be done next in the space to to help reduce the number of data breaches or identity crimes or whatever it may be. And so again, there's so many layers to what we do, but at the core, again, it comes back to the victims and being able to help those help those victims and provide them the best resources that we can.   Michael Hingson ** 44:38 And really, again, help them get back to having some perspective because you are in a very traumatized situation when you discover something like this has happened. And sample. Generally, it's like being a reporter. They don't know how to step back like most reporters can do and you're probably in theory, a little bit better position. Shouldn't if identity were to be stolen from you, because you can learn to step back, but I'll bet even then you are going to have to deal with it with the emotions. And so it's a challenge for you to.   Alex Achten ** 45:09 I'm glad you brought that up. Because recently that did happen to be where I was targeted, I won't get into the details of it, but I was targeted with with a particular scam, and even knowing exactly what scam there, I could I could have told you the name of the scam, I could have told you what exactly their tactics were, I could have told you everything. But when you hear it, it's still scary. And it still can, you know, make you paranoid, and you can freeze and you know, I froze for a brief, you know, brief minute in that situation. And again, that's with a background is being a reporter and working in this space and all these different things and knowing what scams are talking about and knowing that they're they're literally following a playbook knowing all this, it's still hard for me to pull myself back. So I can't even imagine someone who may not have that type of knowledge. And you know, it can there's so many identity criminals out there. And it's really, it can just be really difficult. And I think the emotional impacts is again, you know, people talk about identity crimes and financial losses. And yeah, you know, financial losses are really, really sad seeing some of them. But I think one of the things that people don't talk about enough as the the emotional impacts of those crying, we ever we do a report that's strictly on that, because it's such a such an important piece. But, um, but it's just, you know, that's something that I don't think people think about is just that, you know, yeah, physical physical abuse, you can see, right, you can you can see the marks from the emotional abuse, you can't, you can't see it. And so, you know, it's harder sometimes to to get people to take it seriously, they can't actually see the, you know, the physical marks of what you've gone through, you know, because it's something that's emotional.   Michael Hingson ** 47:05 One of the challenges that happened with my niece was, for a while even law enforcement was not convinced that she wasn't doing this to herself, or perpetrating and in some way, and she said, look, here's all the evidence, and it was still hard for people to accept that this really occurred, which is so unfortunate   Alex Achten ** 47:29 why and unfortunately, it's not surprising. Yeah, I've heard that story so many times, too. And the crazy thing is, I've had, again, working in media relations. I've had reporters who I'll work with who work, maybe a cybersecurity beat, or a consumer reporter beat reach out to me and say, Oh, my gosh, I'm a victim. Can I talk with one of your advisors like that? Or, you know, this horrible thing is happening to me, I need your help. That is absolutely, I've had a handful reach out like that. It is just so hard to to escape it. I really, really is. And I tell people I said I think this just made me a little more of a cynic now because I feel like I'm questioning everything. My mom will it's funny. I'll use this example. She so I'm still on my parents family plan for our phone because we're all on the family plan together. But my brother and I, we have to pay right? You know, so yeah, Your Honor family pay up you have to pay. So we Venmo my mom every month she'll sit she'll send us like the transaction saying this is how much you owe. And you know, we'll we'll pay through Venmo I am such a cynic. Now that I text my mom every time even though I know it's coming. And it says it says the amount it says it's from her it says what it's for, but I'll still text her and say did you just spend money for this this much money for the phone bill? Then yeah, she'll say yep. And I'll be I'll go, Okay, I'll pay it now. I mean, that is like, that is where my brain is, because of where I work, but, but they're just they're just, you know, there's so many, again, identity criminals out there and, and you have to you have to keep an eye on them. But the good news is, the good news is there are things you can do to protect yourself. And that's the great thing. And, you know, again, we're about education. So you know, we'll try to educate people the best we can, so they can be as safe as possible. So hopefully they don't fall victim.   Michael Hingson ** 49:17 Yeah, and it is it is so easy. I've seen some really good email scams that I almost fell for until I really looked carefully at where the mail came from and all the stuff in the header. I went Wait a minute and chose correctly I know not to do anything with it, but you've got to watch 24 hours a day. Because it is so scary that they're they're getting so clever about what they do much less all the robo calls on the scams that come from that   Alex Achten ** 49:53 100% and and you know, again, this gets back to BBA probably being a little bit of a cynic, but this is this is it definitely something that we put in all of our content. We always tell people, if you get a message or someone you're not expecting, don't respond to it, you know, reach out directly to the person they claimed to be, or the sword, you know, the company they claimed to be from and say, did you send this? And if they did, then you're going to respond? And if they didn't, you know, that it's a scam? And, and again, it's crazy that it's like, oh, I have to I really have to, like, go to the source every time I receive a message where Yep, for somebody I didn't, didn't expect. And I'm gonna say, Yeah, I mean, that that would be my that would be what I would encourage you to do.   Michael Hingson ** 50:32 I do it from people where I'm expecting a message. And this is this comes through. And I haven't had a problem that is I haven't, like you with Venmo haven't had one where it wasn't true. But I still check. Because I've seen some really good texts, too. I got a message about a month ago, from Walmart. And it said that there was a charge for $124 or $184, or something like that. And I forget what it wanted me to do to verify it or whatever. But Amelia, I'm going, Wait a minute. First of all, I didn't spend any money at Walmart. Yeah, of course, the scammer wouldn't know that. But you know, I wasn't even going to respond to the message because of that kind of thing. I didn't expect it. It couldn't have possibly been true. But unfortunately, things happen. I've done credit card charges somewhere, like buying gas. And a day or so later, suddenly, the bank calls and said, we've got these other charges that we don't know about how in the heck, they got the credit card. Info. I mean, this is a long time ago. So I don't think that they even had the ways of sticking the credit card tracker inside of the reader. But nevertheless, somehow people got charged information and used it. And you got to watch everything that goes on. You've got to monitor it all.   Alex Achten ** 52:01 Yeah, it's a scary world. It's a scary world. And unfortunately, people are going to continue to try to find ways to to get Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 52:08 yeah, it is. It is really too bad. Well, what are some things that you would advise people to do to protect themselves?   Alex Achten ** 52:19 I, you know, yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 52:21 Obviously, one is, is what we just talked about, what kinds of things would you advise people?   Alex Achten ** 52:27 Yeah, you know, I'll go back to our default messaging that we have at the ITRC, which really is gets back to kind of what we would call I know, we, you know, preventative tips, some of you could call it cyber hygiene. But really, it gets back down to not over sharing information. I think that's yeah, that's one we always talk about, you know, not over sharing personal information, using unique passwords on all your accounts. So essentially, using a different password on every account, in particular passphrase is that's actually something that's more effective passphrase is that we say, are usually at least 12 characters long. So some sort of saying that you'll remember. So that way, if somebody may get into one account, they won't get into all your accounts. So that's, that's one of the common ones we give. And then we always encourage people to use multi factor authentication with an app if possible, because text messages can get spoofed. But But user acquisition is an added layer of security that people have to go through to get into an account. So if you have that, that's just going to, you know, make it make your accounts that much safer. So those are some of the basics. And we always tell people freeze their credit, if you there's no reason for your, you know, if you don't have, you know, a loan out or anything like that, you know, we always tell people that or I shouldn't say tell we don't tell people anything, we encourage people to freeze your credit, if it's something that they may not need at that time, because, again, you know, a criminal can't access credit that's frozen. So that what does that mean, exactly? Here? You know, I have to be 100% honest, it's hard for me to get into the specifics, because I tell people all the time, I'm not going to act like I'm an expert in identity theft.   Michael Hingson ** 54:10 But if you talk about freezing freezing credit, what does that mean?   Alex Achten ** 54:14 Yeah, so freezing credit, essentially, that means that you can't have your credit taken by somebody else. I mean, that that you can do there's you can get your credit frozen by the credit reporting agencies. And essentially, they can't, uh, you know, they can't happen to that they can't get that credit and use it against you and commit identity crimes. That is because that's again, you can there's credit monitoring, right that we were you can monitor your credit, but it's just, you know, it's something that we always tell people it's not necessarily as effective because you can monitor it but once something happens to us, something happened to it. If your credit if your credit is frozen, you know, nothing. Again, nothing can happen to it because it is frozen, and then you can unfreeze it. We especially tell people who have who have children to freeze their credit, reduces child identity theft, because a child's not going to be using their credit, no, that's not you, they don't, they're not going to have their child's not going to go get an apartment tomorrow, you know, go buy a car and get a loan. That's not something that's going to happen. So that's something that we encourage, too. But, but yeah, so that's just a good universal tip. But again, you just take those tips, typically, it it does indeed, help bring someone   Michael Hingson ** 55:25 at risk. If someone freezes their credit, does that mean then that nothing can be charged, or you have to verify it before a charge can be made?   Alex Achten ** 55:33 Well, essentially, freezing the credit. So do that you can't do again, like if you've got a loan out or something like that, that's not something that you can that you can do, I that more really applies to and again, I won't get too too much in the weeds, you don't want to act like I'm the expert on it. But, um, but that is something that it can't be you, right? You can't like if your credit is frozen, you can't necessarily use that if you need to use it for something you will have to go thaw that credit or unfreeze it. And then you can use that credit again, if you want again, you go in, I'm ready to go buy a car, you know, how to get a loan? Well, you can unfreeze that credit, and then you can use it for for that purpose.   Michael Hingson ** 56:13 Freeze credit again, so that nothing else can be done.   Alex Achten ** 56:16 Exactly that you can think of when you're when you're not using it again. So that is it. And I think there's a misconception people think if I freeze it, I can't unfreeze it when you can't, I   Michael Hingson ** 56:23 am That was why I was asking. Well, you minored in Leadership Studies and you just got a certificate. Tell us about that?   Alex Achten ** 56:32 Yes, I did. So I am a Leadership Studies minor. And you know, my passion for leadership studies, actually, I think came in high school, where I was involved in the Student Leadership Institute at Kansas Christian, where I, where I graduated high school. And I actually got a scholarship to leadership, the School of Leadership Studies at Kent State. And so, you know, I was I can't, you know, this is this is interesting. And let me let me, you know, obviously, what this is about, and I got into it, and, you know, I was captivated. I was captivated immediately, in my introduction class. And, and we learned about so many different things. So many different leadership styles, you know, culture and context, adaptive leadership, a bunch of different types of leadership practices that can be implemented. And by the way, people, people think about leadership, and they think, oh, you know, that just means you're a good leader here. You're a good leader there. But there are so many, I mean, there's so much, there's so much leaders that people don't understand. But it really hooked me and, and I learned a ton about being a good leader, being an effective leader. And our, our mission statement, which is something that I really believed was becoming, I'm gonna blank on it now that I'm on the spot, but it was becoming more it was becoming. I see I rattle off time all i rattle it off all the time. And now I'm on here, and I'm freezing when I'm trying to think of it, but the crux of it is to become knowledgeable, ethical, caring, inclusive leaders for a diverse and changing world. knowledgeable and knowledgeable, ethical, knowledgeable, ethical, caring, inclusive. I'm missing one, I'm missing one or two. But everywhere people get the point of that. So the cool, knowledgeable, ethical, caring, caring giver, yes. And in inclusive. Yeah, exactly. Because you haven't. And I think it is something that is really, really true. Because, you know, the world is constantly changing. And to be a good leader, you have to be able to evolve and adapt with what is changing in the world. And so it's something that has been really helpful to me, I've been able to apply it to my jobs, I was able to, again, apply a lot of that a lot of those things as a reporter. And then in the role now I'm able to apply it as a manager as a director as a leader. And you mentioned that I just got done. Taking a about a four month course, that on coaching, coaching as a leadership tool, and it was through the fieldstone fields Student Leadership Network, in San Diego, through the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. And it was really, really a beneficial course and it really kind of reinforced kind of reinforced a lot of the things that I really tried to implement, which is the first thing you have to do as a leader is you have to look at yourself and who like who are you what are your values, what do you stand for, and we talk about being like the self aware leader, you know, you have to be a self aware of the type of leader that you are. Once you're aware of that then you can dive into you know, the other aspects of being able to be a good coach. And, you know, we talk about one thing we talked about a lot was was, was these different models that you can use, and one is the is the GROW Model, which can apply to many different leadership, leadership situations where you're able to kind of objectively look at these situations and say, you know, what's the goal, you know, what are some realistic opportunities here. And, you know, what's next, and when, and, and it's really, really an impactful model, that that you can apply. So I, that was a very, very helpful course and being able to look at that, you know, being able to be a good leader includes so many things, and you have to be authentic, you have to be empathetic, you have t

Bruce Chladny, executive director of the Kansas Association of Counties, and Miami County Commissioner Rob Roberts say the Local Ad Valorem Tax Reduction Fund would reduce residential property tax bills. But the Legislature hasn't funded the program since 2003, and Republican leaders have no interest in reviving it now.

Police officers are seldom asked to respond to something positive. The nature of their jobs is to assist when things go wrong. Vehicle accidents, crime, and death are part of the job description for the average law enforcement officer. They are trained to run toward danger rather than away from it.   Yet when it comes to managing their mental health, the general practice is to bury those emotions and “just do your job.” Join us as Sheriff Jay Armbrister shares why this practice must change for not only officer safety but public safety as well. To learn more -- or read the transcript -- please visit the show's official episode page. Guest Bio Sheriff Jay Armbrister has served the Douglas County Sheriff's Office for 24 years as a law enforcement officer, and he was elected Sheriff and took office in January 2021. As Sheriff, Jay has committed to ensuring the long-term success of the Sheriff's Office and improving outcomes for residents with behavioral health needs and public safety in the community. Sheriff Armbrister, who serves on the Board of Directors of the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, has worked with community leaders from many sectors to develop a continuum of behavioral health crisis services to serve the right person in the right place at the right time. This includes the development of the Treatment and Recovery Campus of Douglas County that provide services and housing for individuals with serious mental illness, substance use disorders, and addiction challenges. As Sheriff, he has also made it a priority to support the mental health of law enforcement officers and all first responders, by giving DGSO employees access to a culturally competent clinician. The agency's Peer Support team members are trained to offer support individually and to conduct critical incident debriefings for those who responded to a difficult call. At the state level, he has testified before the Kansas Senate Commerce Committee in favor of a bill that would secure workers' compensation benefits for first responders with PTSD. Armbrister is involved in numerous community organizations in Douglas County and has received the Sheriff's Office Medal of Bravery and a Silver Life Saving award from the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police for his responses to the 2005 Boardwalk Apartments fire in Lawrence and an Operations Commendation Award and Silver Valor Award for rescuing a driver involved in a rollover crash. Armbrister is a graduate of Pittsburg State University as well as numerous law enforcement leadership programs, including the University of Kansas Certified Public Manager (CPM) program. Inside Mental Health Podcast Host Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. Gabe makes his home in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. He lives with his supportive wife, Kendall, and a Miniature Schnauzer dog that he never wanted, but now can't imagine life without. To book Gabe for your next event or learn more about him, please visit gabehoward.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian Jordan, of the Kansas Association of School boards, joins Brenden Wirth and Joel Leftwich, both of the Kansas Farm Bureau, to talk about Engaged Kansas — a new effort to encourage civic-minded folks to enter public life through service on the 6,000 positions on city councils, county commissions and school boards. The nonpartisan, nonpolicy coalition involved also includes the Kansas Association of Counties, League of Kansas Municipalities, Kansas Chamber and Kansas Leadership Center.

Learn more about a new opportunity through the Kansas Association of Community Foundation from its Executive Director. Lori Huber.  She and KACF Board Member, Marla Brandon, of the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation, describe a matching grant program for rural community foundations in Kansas and Eastern Missouri from the Patterson Family Foundation.  The matching grants are available on a first come first serve basis....so apply now at kansascfs.org!kansascfs.org  mcfks.org#foundations #matchinggrants #GMCF #KACF GMCFCFAs

In this episode host Burke Jones, FMP is joined by Chris Crockett the Director of Facilities for USD 202 Turner and current President of the Kansas Association of Directors and Plant Facilities.  Chris and I really covered the topics for this podcast, and had a great conversation! Tune in to the School Facilities and Operations interview to hear: - Top Leadership Book recommendations - Fitness and Self Care for Facility Managers - Use multiple funding sources to stretch out those bond issue funds --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/schoolfacilities/message

This episode covers the growing investment opportunities and latest market happenings in tertiary markets with Ben Gartner, Associate at J.P. Weigand & Sons.The Crexi Podcast explores various aspects of the commercial real estate industry in conversation with some of the top CRE professionals in the space. In each episode, we feature different guests to tap into their wealth of CRE expertise and explore the latest trends and updates from the world of commercial real estate. In this episode, Crexi's Yannis Papadakis sits down with Ben to discuss all things industrial and office in tertiary Midwest markets, critical career moves that help new brokers become  top performers, and how to capitalize on traditionally undersaturated investment markets. Their wide-ranging conversation includes:Introductions, career paths, and how one becomes a top performerThe importance of mentors on a broker's career path and how new professionals can attract solid mentors.What's happening with industrial/office assets in tertiary markets like Wichita, Kansas City, and Oklahoma CityCurrent investment activity in the Midwest market, where capital is coming from, and untapped investment opportunities.And much more!If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our newsletter to receive the very next one delivered straight to your inbox. For show notes, past guests, and more CRE content, please check out Crexi Insights.Ready to find your next CRE property? Visit Crexi and immediately browse hundreds of thousands of available commercial properties.Follow Crexi:https://www.crexi.com/​ https://www.crexi.com/instagram​ https://www.crexi.com/facebook​ https://www.crexi.com/twitter​ https://www.crexi.com/linkedin​ https://www.youtube.com/crexiAbout Ben Gartner:Ben joined J.P. Weigand & Sons, Inc. in early 2017 and quickly became a top producer at the company. Focused on bringing his clients true expertise, he continues his education by regularly attending real estate seminars through SIOR, CCIM, and NAIOP. To keep his clients ahead of the market, Ben combines thorough market knowledge and analysis with frequent communication.Ben's sales and leasing activity includes:Coverage in the commercial and industrial real estate sectors throughout KS and the Midwest, representing sellers, landlords, buyers, and tenants.Over 330 career deals as of Q4 2022Status as a Top 5 producing broker by transaction volume and #1 producing broker by deal count at Weigand, 2021Winning RSCK Master's Circle award (over $5M in transaction volume) every year since 2018Ben earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and International Business from Wichita State University. He has been a CCIM Designee since 2019 and is an SIOR Member Associate. Other memberships include the Kansas Association of Realtors (KAR), the National Association of Realtors (NAR), and the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP).Ben is a happily married father of two children, who enjoys skiing, mountain climbing, soccer, competitive shooting, and obstacle course running, among other activities. Originally from Michigan, Ben lived in Taiwan from 2012-2013 and speaks Mandarin Chinese. He moved to Wichita in 2007, where he's actively involved in local groups.

Marcus Baltzell, spokesman for the Kansas National Education Association, and Leah Fliter, a lobbyist for the Kansas Association of School Boards, talk about legislative attempts to undermine K-12 education.

20230209-2 SAGEBRUSH 2024 20230209-2 Awards Luncheon and Afternoon Session Day 4 SAGEBRUSH 2023 CELEBRATING OVER FIFTY YEARS OF ACHIEVEMENT AND ADVOCACY BETTING ON A BETTER Future RSVA® Sagebrush Awards luncheon: Moderator: Scott Eggen (MN), RSVA® President Motivational speaker: Michael Byington (KS), Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist and President Kansas Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired Presenting "Terry Camardelle and Charlie Carroll Advocacy Scholarship Award and Warren Toyama and George Arsnow Scholarship Award o Herbert Reado (LA), RSVA® Awards Chair American Council of the Blind Updates and activities o Eric Bridges (VA), Executive Director, American Council of the Blind Eric shared programs and services provided by the ACB and conference information for upcoming conferences and explained educational opportunities. Questions and Answers How to advocate about the Randolph-Sheppard Program with political officials and others? o Jeff Thom (CA), RSVA® Advocate and retired attorney o Randall Crosby (FL), FL vendor Participants learned the best ways to share experiences about the importance of the program, the necessity of working together to foster change, and when and how to move issues forward. Attendees also learned one way to make outsiders aware of the program. Questions and Answers Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. Presentation o Shauna Jatho RN BSN, Clinical Nurse Educator Participants learned how Non24 could affect them and what resources are available. Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

Leah Fliter and Scott Rothschild of the Kansas Association of School Boards dive into K-12 education issues likely to be on the agenda during the 2023 legislative session.

Utilization and Marketing specialist Dave Bruton joins us this month to discuss selection and care of Christmas trees from local growers. Christmas tree growers are an important aspect of the forestry market in Kansas and they provide a fun agro-tourism experience for visitors. Kansas Association of Christmas Tree Growers Kansas Forest Service Events

In this episode of the podcast we visit with Dan Meyerhoff, Executive Director of the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts about the role the association plays in helping Kansas farmers and ranchers protect the state's natural resources.  We also discuss the ongoing drought and their new Kansas Climate Smart Ag initiative that helps producers undertake soil health practices on their land. 

20220924-2 Kansas Association of Blind and Visually Impaired 102nd Annual Convention 20220924-2 General Session Day 2 ACB special-interest affiliates VIVA - Tyson Ernst ACBDA - Tom Tobyn AAVL - Doug Powell BRL - Denise Colley FIA - Mike Mandel ACBNG - Kristen Kelling ACB Students - CCLVI - Zelda Gebhart LUA - Judy Wilkinson Early History of Braille from BRL presentation at ACB this past summer Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

20220924-1 Kansas Association of Blind and Visually Impaired 102nd Annual Convention 20220924-1 General Session Day 2 Zoom instructions, review agenda, door price. “Not Your Mother's Library” Brian Charlson Nancy Johnson Ann Byington Guidelights and Gadgets - Barry Scheur Accessible Pharmacy Services for the Blind- Andy Burstein Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

20220923-1 Kansas Association of Blind and Visually Impaired 102nd Annual Convention 20220923-1 General Session Day 1 20220923-1 General Session Day 1 Housekeeping: Review Zoom and phone-in instructions. Review program schedule Thank you Audio-Reader Radio Reading Service - Lori Kesinger - Outreach Coordinator Kansas State School for the Blind John Harding, Superintendent Kansas Talking Books Program - Michael Lang Kansas Older Blind Program - Mandy Smith Computers for the Blind - Marci Duty Employment Opportunities - Ed Henkler, Founder of The Blind Guide Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

20220923-2 Kansas Association of Blind and Visually Impaired 102nd Annual Convention 20220923-2 General Session Day 1 Kansas Youth Empowerment Academy - Carrie Greenwood Assistive Technology for Kansas - Mikel McCary Business Meeting/elections Michael Byington President Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

20220923-3 Kansas Association of Blind and Visually Impaired 102nd Annual Convention 20220923-3 Banquet Day 1 Banquet - Michael Byington, Emcee Kathy Dawson Awards Nomination Award Recipient- Hermine Moore Banquet Speaker - Ashley Mizell Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

Come join us at the 2022 Wichita Business Expo at Century II on Thursday, September 29!  This is the premiere business-to-business trade show in Wichita.  No matter what you are looking for, you will find it at the Expo! Learn more now!It's been 4 years since there was an air show at McConnell AFB, but now Frontiers in Flight is back!  So we thought this would be a great time to highlight that event and share about the economic impact of McConnell AFB on our local community.  Don and Ebony are joined by Mike Heldstab and Capt. Ryan “Sugar” Shieve.  On this episode we discuss: How does McConnell AFB impact our local community economically? What is “Friends of McConnell” and how does it work? Keeping military talent in Wichita How pilots get their call signs Partnerships with the W young professionals organization through Mission Wichita All the airshow events and static displays that you can check out (there is a lot) The parking situation What to bring / leave at home Oh yeah, did we mention that the air show is FREE!?!?!?! Learn moreabout Friends of McConnell / Frontiers in Flight:https://www.friendsofmcconnell.org https://www.frontiersinflight.com/Facebook ProfileMike has brought years of experience in working with our nation's military and McConnell Air Force Base as he previously served as State Military Liaison for United States Senator Jerry Moran. During his time working for Senator Moran, Mike worked diligently to connect with each Kansas military  installation and its leaders. His experience in this area and others will allow the Chamber to continue in  its long-standing partnership with McConnell Air Force Base and the military units based there, as well  as reinforce the base's economic impact on our region. Mike is currently an Honorary Commander for the 22nd Communications Squadron. He has volunteered  with the Kansas National Guard Foundation, Humanities Kansas, the Kansas Association for Youth, and  the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. Mike is an alumnus of the Chamber Leadership Academy,  Mission Wichita and Leadership Wichita.Originally oraganized in the 1960's to provide financial support for a  variety of non-budgeted items, the group initially consisted of ten non-budgeted items, the group  initially consisted of ten civic leaders who each stepped forward with a $1,000 donation. During the  1990s the Friends of McConnell's visibility on Base increased and it became the key link for the Wichita  and Derby for Base commanders – active duty, reserve and guard. More recently the organization  expanded to encompass Andover, Haysville, and Mulvane and became the vital link between regional  business and military. The group supports activities and programs on Base which expands awareness of  the local military asset throughout the region and state. The Friends of McConnell is a select group of area business leaders and citizens dedicated to developing  a strong social and economic link between McConnell's senior military leaders and their civilian  counterparts. The Friends of McConnell expresses both pride and appreciation for Team McConnell by  providing organization and financial support for Base programs that directly benefit airmen and their  families. Other Resources:Join the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce! This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy.  To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail communications@wichitachamber.org. This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.  For more information visit ictpod.net

Derek visits with Max Blaske about the Sunflower State Radio website, and the 1st Place award from the Kansas Association of Broadcasters. 

On this episode of the Post Podcast, Hays Chamber president and CEO Sarah Wasinger discusses how the Chamber works to serve area businesses. Transcript: EDITORS NOTE: Transcripts are provided by an automated service and are not verified for accuracy.   James Bell  The Hays Chamber continues to be a champion for area businesses, President and CEO Sarah Wasinger stops by to share some of the details of benefits of membership on this episode of the Post Podcast.   Sarah Wasinger  Very often we talk about the different activities or events that we have going on. There's always a ton of those, there's always a ton of those Exactly. But kind of getting back to the meat and potatoes of what we as a chamber do to support our businesses and nonprofit organizations. Because I know we talk a lot about, it's not just businesses that can benefit but our nonprofits to have a lot to gain from being a vested member in our chamber. So one of the big things, obviously, that we've been talking about this last year has been the chamber blue of Kansas Association health plan. And so our Chamber members that are at the connector level or higher, actually have the ability to access that plan. A little bit later, we'll talk about one of our newer chamber member levels for childcare providers, they actually can access that plan too. So that's kind of kind of be a new benefit that we're going to be able to give to our childcare providers that might be listening. Oh, very cool. Yes. One of the other things that we talked about so much her businesses is workforce, and that job attraction is just really challenging and competitive right now. And so a back end, the end of June this year, we actually added the ability for businesses that are Chamber members to post their weekend job positions on our chambers website. So they can actually log into their account, copy and paste, whatever job posting, they already have available. It's not really recreating the wheel, if they're advertising that job in other places, why not do it on the Chamber's website, too. And we know that there's a lot of folks when they're considering moving to Hayes and Ellis County, that their first stop is actually our chamber website. And so if we had those jobs available on the website, that might be a good place for people to have additional visibility.   James Bell  Yeah, and I would think anybody right now looking for help, probably any little bit of assistance they can get is much appreciated.   Sarah Wasinger  Absolutely. And you can be as thorough with those job postings as you want to be or as minimal. You know, if you want to get your benefits package and things of that nature in there, you can also select a date range for when you want that job to be open. And then if for any reason, you get very lucky and you find that perfect person sooner than later, we can manually take down the job listing. So it's not being advertised past. It's needed a timeline. Very cool, very cool. One of the things that we also talk about on a regular basis is our hot deals. And so this is something the end of the year that we're always reminding our members, you know, make sure you use up those benefits that are a part of your membership package before you lose them by the end of the year. And so hot deals are a way for businesses to upload different savings or maybe tickets for an event that they're trying to sell. Or maybe just a new product or service that they're trying to get off the ground and running, all those different types of things. Maybe you're a nonprofit, and you're just looking to have board members, and you want that extra place to advertise that you're seeking board members, it doesn't necessarily have to be something that you're selling, it could just be another advertising tool, essentially, that you're already paying for within your membership. And if you look at his chamber.com, and then you look at the top right hand side of the page, there's going to be a hot deals logo. And so you literally just click on that, and you'll be able to access all of the hot deals that we currently have for our members.   James Bell  Very cool. I like going in there and I was clicking while you were talking. I didn't get there fast enough to see what you have out there. Because I always like to go and see because there's always some really cool stuff going on there. And oh, yeah, I don't want to I don't want to spoil it. But I wish it's mentioned this the like, pays Public Library wine and cheese fundraiser. We were just talking about this a little bit earlier. Yes, that's on there.   Sarah Wasinger  Absolutely. So it's like I said, it's a great way to just kind of talk about events, sell tickets, and things of that nature. Another thing that we'd love to do, and we talked a little bit about this a few weeks ago was our Community Guide. And so that is a piece that we utilize as a Chamber of Commerce to really market Hayes. We worked very closely with our Hayes Convention and Visitor's Bureau to put that piece together every year, we only feature Chamber members. That's a very big important thing for folks to remember. Because we'll actually have some people call and say, Hey, we want to be in the Cirrus Community Guide. Well, let's talk membership. First, we want to feature as many businesses as possible. But really at the end of the day, we are funded by our membership dues and non dues revenue. So that is why we solely focus on, you know, connecting our Chamber members to our community.   James Bell  Yeah, absolutely. I'm sure you would do it for free, if you could, but that's just not realistic.   Sarah Wasinger  It's not realistic. That's right. So we we in general love and want to support the entire business community. But at the end of the day, you have to take care of the hand that feeds you. And so that's kind of how we reserve that right for that.   James Bell  Absolutely. And, you know, speaking of that, yeah, I think a lot of times those Chamber members, they can kind of help each other out but just because of the commute already kind of sense of it all.   Sarah Wasinger  Yes, that's one thing that we actually talked about at the office that we've really been seeing a lot of lately, James is, you know, when we have members that are hosting a chamber chat or ribbon cutting, we are finding out that they're utilizing other Chamber members, when they're, you know, scheduling people to help, you know, have their food and beverages ready for their events and things like that. And we love that. It's really just a cross support of those who are, you know, there to invest their time with one another. So, speaking of events, that's obviously another huge benefit for our members, is our chamber will come in into whether it'd be a chamber chat, or ribbon cutting a groundbreaking for a new project, perhaps you are just needing to, you know, talk about an anniversary that you're celebrating and things of that nature, we want to come in and celebrate those big, special events with you as a chamber. Obviously, our group of ambassadors is a group of 50 men and women who it's their job to come to those events, and to learn about the products and services, or just in general more about what that business has to offer our community. And then they become the word of mouth advertising arm as well as our staff. And because they've gone to that event, they've learned about what your business can do. And they'll start being that referral system for you in the community. And there's nothing more powerful than that. And really, at the end of the day, some of our events and just getting more intimate with our members, by understanding everything that they have to offer, that's one of the largest benefits of membership is because we've now connected you to the rest of the business community that kind of is buying into and believing in the fact that we are stronger when we work together.   James Bell  Absolutely. You know, we talk about all day tech, get social media and all that kind of stuff interjecting into our lives. But a lot of times that old school, just kind of classic networking, that the big shaken palms, and having the face to face time really is what matters to   Sarah Wasinger  folks, really, it is so important. And, you know, I still think that we value the old way of doing things here in Ellis County. And like you said, just breaking bread with people, you know, spending intentional time with folks. There's nothing better than that. And quite frankly, it's probably the most rewarding part of our jobs is because we get to then celebrate the successes of our members and what's going on in our community.   James Bell  Very cool. To me, like going on in the community, you guys are always I see out and about, or almost every meeting, there's somebody there, it's usually you. But yeah, like sitting meetings, county meetings, you guys are also dialed in to all of those kinds of happenings as well.   Sarah Wasinger  Absolutely. So from an advocacy standpoint, you know, we talked about the things that happen in the background that maybe aren't quite as visible. And so us attending those meetings just really makes sure that we as an organization are plugged into the different projects and things going on. And so you know, for our members that do construction or things like that, you know, that gives us the option to say, Hey, have you seen the project that's going on here? Do you know that there's a bid going on over on this side of things. So again, just making sure that our government entities, they do a really good job, I believe, for the most part in choosing local contractors and things like that, to so long as they're available to do the work. I know that they were very cognizant about keeping our money local. So we very much appreciate and value that as well.   James Bell  Very cool. You know, there are some, also some tangible, I think financial benefits to being a chamber member, especially when you talk about some of the events that you guys do down there.   Sarah Wasinger  Yes, so we do offer discounts to several of our members for some of our kind of professional development programming. Um, so obviously, we partner very well with our Fort Hays State University Management Development Center. And so you can get a 15% discount by doing the programs through them. And there are a few throughout the year that that does not apply to you. But in general, you can get a discount, or bulk mail stamp for people who still want to do a traditional mail service for advertising or marketing. And sometimes that can be enough to pay for the membership itself. And if you're just even doing one mailing   James Bell  mailing gets ridiculously expensive, if you're a business owner out there, and you've never had to bike mail, things like the bill just it just you just watch it rack up, it's ding ding, ding, ding, ding. Oh, my goodness, one, how much am I spending on shipping out things?   Sarah Wasinger  Come see us. Dale Carnegie's another one of those great, you know, partnerships that we have our members receive a 15% discount for that. And then even Eagle meds flight service for if you need to be airlifted. You know, if the end for seeable should happen. You know, that's a good discount that you can access to so just a lot of different things that you can take advantage of. And we have discounts on the Community Guide, you know, that we were talking about, depending on the different level of membership that you have to   James Bell  Yeah, very cool. Very cool. Well, we got just a few minutes left and I want to hear more about this thing we talked about we stopped if I can get it out. The thing we started this segment with Yes. I want to hear more. You wanna hear more? I want to hear more about the gosh, now I've drawn a blank on the name of it is hoping you'd have it The membership packet. Yes, yes, the membership.   Sarah Wasinger  So the membership packet can currently be found on the Hayes chamber website. And you'll see it broken down into two different ways. We have a packet that describes and outlines our current levels for 2022. And then we also have a packet for 2023. So if you're maybe planning on membership for next year, but don't really know where to start, I would just encourage folks to go look at that membership packet there, the childcare level of membership is what you will see that's new. And then we have that community level that are new. And we really wanted to do a benefit that was good for our providers. And so we want to elevate how they're seen across the community, and really bring them into the business community as well. So that's kind of why our board has approved a special level for them. And that gives them unique benefits. And then our community level, should you not be a business per se, but you're just out there and you want to support what the chamber has going on. There's a level there for you too. And that gets you communication from the form of our weekly news blasts, as well as hard newsletter, and just in general, any text notifications or things that go out for events and stuff like that. So it's a great way to stay involved and still support the things we have going on.   James Bell  Very cool. Very cool. And you mentioned the events, we got to talk about this. You've got a good number of them going on again this week, right? We do   Sarah Wasinger   so our hy IPS will have an opportunity to learn about how to do grocery planning, reducing waste and saving money at their x y p event today. And that'll be at 4:30pm at the Hayes Public Library. And Natalie Clemmer on one of our committee chairs is going to be hosting that. And then we also have today, or excuse me Thursday, I think I had a typo there. We're going to be celebrating a another groundbreaking at the Ark Park with the Wonder Woman link. They have a new security project that they're going to be unveiling that day. So very excited. Please come out for that. It's a wonderful park. And this project is going to make sure that it's accessible for folks for years to come. Love that.   James Bell  Yeah, well, if you haven't, if you just haven't been down there yet, go by and check it out. Even if you don't, you know, get out and get into the splashpad. It's really cool just to see the work they did down there.   Sarah Wasinger  It's an amazing opportunity to enjoy our community that much more, that's for sure. And then Thursday as well. We have our H yp Third Thursday social that will be held at the Paisley pear, wine bar bistro and market that starts at 515. And then we finished the week off Friday with our chamber chat with DSN Wk is custom creations. And then at noon, we'll have our ambassador lunch at the Rose Garden banquet home catering on Friday. Very cool,   James Bell  very cool. I love the DSW case custom creations. I've been in there a few times. And I'm always so excited to see the products but then I want to spend more money than I actually should. Well, I   Sarah Wasinger  think the thing that's unique about them is every piece is original, it celebrates a good cause and it gives a different population the chance to hone in on some of their skills that they've got tapped away. So what's better? It's just lets us see something different every time

MHK: Wyatt Thompson gets elected to go in the Kansas Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in the state of Kansas "Class of 2022"!

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with Joshua Goodman, Director of Business Development for the Kansas Big I. Episode Highlights: Josh shares his background and what led him to his position at the Kansas Association of Insurance Agents (KAIA). (4:22) Josh explains that the reason he decided to leave State Farm was because he would not have been able to take over his father's book of business when that time came. (8:38) Josh shares how he started his own agency from scratch in 2010. (13:42) Josh shares how they explain to a client that your agency is no longer the best fit for their needs. (18:21) Josh explains that there is an art to communicating with your referral partners to get the types of referrals that you are looking for. (23:48) Josh shares the factors that led to his decision to sell the agency. (24:41)  Josh explains automation is one of the biggest differences in how things used to be done and how they are done now. (34:41) Josh shares that there is always this difficulty in hiring great talent, and it is one of the challenges he hears a lot from his members. (40:47) Josh discusses that one thing that agency owners should focus on is the claims experience and management of the claims. (43:42) Josh advises all agency owners, especially aspiring ones, to operate their business from an entrepreneurial perspective. (46:22) Key Quotes: "I had the entrepreneurial spirit, I wanted to work for myself and be my owner and State Farm agents are able to do that to a certain degree." - Josh Goodman "The agency owners that are going to win in the short term and long term are going to be digitally data-driven, and run their business as an entrepreneur, in my opinion." - Josh Goodman "If you're an agency owner or aspiring agency owner, operate your business more from an entrepreneur's perspective than an insurance agent who owns a small business and employs producers and a service team." - Josh Goodman Resources Mentioned: To learn more about the KAIA, visit their website at https://www.kaia.com/. -- Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with Joshua Goodman, Director of Business Development for the Kansas Big I. Episode Highlights: Josh shares his background and what led him to his position at the Kansas Association of Insurance Agents (KAIA). (4:22) Josh explains that the reason he decided to leave State Farm was because he would not have been able to take over his father's book of business when that time came. (8:38) Josh shares how he started his own agency from scratch in 2010. (13:42) Josh shares how they explain to a client that your agency is no longer the best fit for their needs. (18:21) Josh explains that there is an art to communicating with your referral partners to get the types of referrals that you are looking for. (23:48) Josh shares the factors that led to his decision to sell the agency. (24:41)  Josh explains automation is one of the biggest differences in how things used to be done and how they are done now. (34:41) Josh shares that there is always this difficulty in hiring great talent, and it is one of the challenges he hears a lot from his members. (40:47) Josh discusses that one thing that agency owners should focus on is the claims experience and management of the claims. (43:42) Josh advises all agency owners, especially aspiring ones, to operate their business from an entrepreneurial perspective. (46:22) Key Quotes: "I had the entrepreneurial spirit, I wanted to work for myself and be my owner and State Farm agents are able to do that to a certain degree." - Josh Goodman "The agency owners that are going to win in the short term and long term are going to be digitally data-driven, and run their business as an entrepreneur, in my opinion." - Josh Goodman "If you're an agency owner or aspiring agency owner, operate your business more from an entrepreneur's perspective than an insurance agent who owns a small business and employs producers and a service team." - Josh Goodman Resources Mentioned: To learn more about the KAIA, visit their website at https://www.kaia.com/. -- Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe.

On this episode of the Post Podcast Hays USD 489 Superintendent Ron Wilson recaps this week's Board of Education meeting.   Transcript: EDITORS NOTE: Transcripts are provided by an automated service and are not verified for accuracy.   James Bell  The Hays Board of Education voted this week to allow Russell to join their Special Education Cooperative superintendent Ron Wilson chats with us about that. And more as we recap, this week's Board of Education meeting on this episode of the Post Podcast.   Ron Wilson  Hays is the host district for a special edcooperative, which is a combination of school districts of LaCrosse, Ellis, Victoria and Hays. And we we provide special ed services for all kids in this area. And provide services at all those all those other districts as well as Hays. I think we've we've entered we have we've started this conversation probably, I would say over two years ago with the Russell School District, their unique to the in the state of Kansas is that they are a kind of a standalone Special Ed service in their own just district. And that's pretty rare in the state of Kansas. Usually, there's cooperatives that are established in different regions. And so they reached out to us we've had conversation for two years, of course, there's lots of things that you have to consider, you know, when when inviting someone into a cooperative, because, of course, there's additional costs that will come with that. But also, we felt like it also gives us some additional stability, Russell would be the second largest other than Hayes in that cooperative once they join ours. So it does give us some stability in terms of just kind of spreading the cost out across to everybody, and maybe reducing some risk for some of our smaller districts. So through those conversations, that's where we have proceeded we now have finalized all the districts have agreed for Russell to enter the cooperative. And now it's just kind of a in a sense of three year plan to finally get full implementation. We'll start adding pieces in every year. different pieces we've we've been working with them in the from providing gifted services for the last few years. So we've already kind of started that those steps, but we'll continue to add pieces each year. So we're excited about the possibility of adding Russell on I think it's good for the cooperative, it's good for our district in terms of, of just not just being the big guy on the block and taking on all the risks sometimes.   James Bell  Sure. You know, and I was actually because I do cover the Ellis Board of Education meeting and I was there when they voted on on this measure as well. And one of the things the the big concerns that I heard there was was exactly that is the cost what if Russell has a particularly as a student in and particularly that that requires a lot of funding? And exactly that they came to the conclusion that yes, maybe that would hurt them in a short term, but the long term, everybody will kind of benefit from this partnership.   Ron Wilson  Sure. And I think it's also just being able to provide those kinds of services that sometimes we don't necessarily need that that one service in a particular district all the time we can, we can spread those services across all districts and with some travel, and those kinds of things. And the location is close enough, it gives us those abilities to do that.   James Bell  Yeah, I was gonna say historically, this this program has been or this coop has been relatively enjoyed by the districts. I don't know that there's been any real concerns in the years that I've been covering the school board. And I   Ron Wilson  think our history is we've had a very strong Special Ed cooperative, who have provided some great service to our kids who have some disabilities. And so I think we can be proud of that. I think Kyle Carlin the director has done a really good job and in continuing that tradition. So what we're we feel very fortunate, and we're really excited to have Russell be joining us here and in full, full implementation here in a few years.   James Bell  Good. And I look forward to hearing some more updates is that partnership comes to fruition. Moving on here, the we did talk or they did speak about some other things last night, one of the things that I thought everybody would like to know about is they are adding in some security cameras. I think this is maybe the last piece of upgrading those security at some of the entrances at our schools here, right.   Ron Wilson  Yeah, this is and this you know, that's the world we live in, we just expect to have video of almost everything that that happens. And I think that's important. And so we started an upgrade last year, we did three buildings last year we did the high school, the middle school, and Roosevelt Elementary. This is the last piece we will be adding in all the remaining schools in our in our district to have cameras. That would be Wilson, a Laughlin Lincoln and west side. And so of course, you know, we have cameras currently in all those locations but they're are approximately and we don't really know. But they're, they're pushing upwards to 20 years old, forever when he asked about something like, yeah, technology has really improved. And so we found that out just this year with putting in the new cameras that haze high haze, middle and Roosevelt, just the improvements that have been made. So this is just the last piece. And we think it'll always it's always helpful to have cameras to, it's not necessarily always to protect against crime, sometimes it just helps us be aware of where everyone's at, and what's needed at certain times. So   James Bell  yeah, and that was I thought it was really interesting from the the tech director for the district, he was there speaking about these cameras, and was talking about that resolution, that clarity. And I was just imagining situations where, you know, not necessarily thinking about worrying about people coming in. But that situation where it's two kids and they're picking on each other, or whatever it might be having that resource there, I just, I imagine is super helpful to help clarify the situation and address it correctly.   Ron Wilson  It really is. It's kind of it's, it's really amazing how we've been able to sometimes we might get reports about something happening. Many times, we're able to look at cameras, and we can say a lot of times we can verify that it has happened. But then sometimes we can say, well, this is what we're seeing. And we're not seeing that. And sometimes that also clears up so it sort of works both ways. Definitely. And like you mentioned, the clarity is just unbelievable. With some of this new technology that they've put into surveillance cameras. Very cool.   James Bell  There was something else last night that I thought was kind of interesting. And there was a the board kind of talked about and clarified their position on therapy dogs in the district. I imagine that's probably not an everyday occurrence that we were having to deal with something like that. But I thought it was pretty cool that they were able to clarify that situation and talk a little bit about that. You bet.   Ron Wilson  That is something that I think, you know, it's not necessarily new, I think we've had animals in our schools for various reasons. But what we're seeing is more requests for actual therapy animals that provide a lot, not necessarily in terms of they of course, they provide comfort for an individual, but they also provide some stability in terms of when the maybe they become dysregulated, and things like that. And so we've had some requests here in the district recently, and then it seems to be increasing. And as we looked into our board policy, in terms of how to handle therapy, animals, we didn't really have a distinct policy that really kind of clarified some of the things that are important in terms of making sure an animal who comes into our building is vaccinated and, and has some training and things of that nature. So last night, we just visited with the board about putting in a policy that will just help us kind of guide us through how we how we can handle and administer the use of therapy dogs in our school setting.   James Bell  Very cool. Then I think the last thing we want to talk about today you are the board brother voted to re up into the Kansas Association of School Boards, they they went through with our annual membership. And then they also that provides legal services to the district. And I thought this was kind of a part of a bigger conversation during the meeting about the the lawyer for the district and how that all works. I thought maybe you wanted to clarify because one of the comments that was made, I think last night, but maybe even by a community member was Why pay for a lawyer if you're going to join this legal membership group? And I don't know, I maybe want to clarify all that.   Ron Wilson  Well, I think yeah, that was that was a public comment. But on the on the Kansas Association for school board, we we do pay a fee $2,300 for the Legal Assistance Fund. And that's, you'd be surprised how many times we did call them specifically just on school related matters. Now, when we call them we're not getting in depth lawyer work. It's not they're not reviewing contracts and things of that nature. And sometimes, that's where, you know, having our own school lawyer and with what the district has had in place for many years. Were a lot of times we're utilizing those more for contract language, working on specific personnel issues that our district may deal with from time to time that sometimes need some legal assistance. So there is the need for both. And I think that's important to understand. It's it's worked well for the district. I think it's kept us out of legal issues that have cost the district in the long term. So I think it's something that I'm happy that the Board approve the KSP and we do appreciate what Mr. Jeter who works has worked for the day st for many years and what he does his service to the district. Very good.   James Bell  You know, I thought about I frequently get into a conversation. My wife, she's an educator and I college educator. So I always tease her about well, you know, you're really only on campus three hours a day. And that was kind of the same tone that was was discussed with Mr. Jeter was, well, you really only at the meetings a couple hours a month, but really the work, the time invested. That's happening behind the scenes, right. It's not just going to the meetings.   Ron Wilson  No, absolutely not. He we, as as a district administrator, I'm visiting with him many times on issues throughout the app the month and, of course, many times I've sent him documents that I've asked him to weigh in on and he's helped us in numerous times to just help us navigate through some things and our world has become very legal. And so we it's definitely a benefit to our district. Very good.   James Bell  Oh, well, sir. We've got just a few seconds left. Any other last thoughts or anything you want to hit on before we go?   Ron Wilson  No, just early voting started yesterday and then we continue to ask people to get out vote, bond issue. Final bond, election day is May 10. Looking forward to the results that come from

Welcome back to Soil Solutions with Jessica Gnad.  This is the first of three episodes highlighting the Kansas Dept. of Agriculture's Division of Conservation. Rod Vorhees and Daryl Donohue are KDA Divison of Conservation representatives for the Eastern and Southeastern regions of the state of Kansas. In this episode, they share their thoughts on the importance soil conservation and conservation partnerships, and the unique needs and challenges for soil health and conservation in their part of the state.  For nearly three decades, awareness of soil health and of implementing conservation practices to encourage healthier soil have been promoted at both the local and the state level by Rod Vorhees.  Vorhees is the chairman of the Wilson County Conservation District, and he serves as the chairman of the Kansas Department of Agriculture's State Conservation Commission (SCC). He has provided leadership, and first-hand knowledge of working on the land, during sessions with soil carbon organization representatives and through contact with soil health organizations at forage plots and land health monitoring locations.  Rod Vorhees' family's ranching operation, Lazy VJ Farms, located near Coyville, was recognized with the 2017 Kansas Leopold Conservation Award.   A native of Fredonia, Kansas, Daryl Donohue serves as treasurer of the Wilson County Conservation District Board of Supervisors.  He serves as Kansas Association of Conservation Districts (KACD) Area V Director.  Donohue is a rancher in northern Wilson County, Kansas, and he has been utilizing growing season burns, or “summer” burns, as a management practice for about many years.  He actively promotes the use of prescribed burning to prevent cedar tree encroachment and to assist landowners and producers in recovering land invaded by cedar trees and, while doing so, encouraging native grasses and forbs to repopulate and thrive.

Rosemary Dorsa stops by to discuss the KACF Growing Community Foundation Conference, her career in the field, her affection for the Beatles, and a new book she's reading.  Eric stumbles around where Wichita is in proximity to the midwest.The podcast concludes with a news quickfire from around the field.Special thanks to Andy Eppler (Ando) for "Nothing to Lose" as our Intro.  "Nothing to Lose" is from his Album Lonely Disco: Lust Letters to My Friends.  Check out more of Andy's music at  andyeppler.comMentions include:Kansas Association of Community FoundationsIndiana Philanthropy AllianceTrust Based PhilanthropyThe BeatlesAgents of InfluenceEvents/LearningAdNet Summit - September 15 in ChicagoGrowing CF Conference, October, 2022 Wichita, KSCharitable Gift Planners - October 2022, Reno NVExponent Philanthropy - October, 2022 Minneapolis, MNAssociationsAdvancement Network (AdNet)CEONetProNetCommACouncil on Foundations

This year's Kansas Association of REALTORS® President is a fellow Kansas City REALTOR®! You may recognize Andrew Mall's voice from a previous episode of the show, but he's back to share his plans and hopes for the future of the Kansas state association. Bobbi's Book Bit: Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono

Come join us at the 2022 Wichita Business Expo at Century II on Thursday, September 29!  This is the premiere business-to-business trade show in Wichita.  No matter what you are looking for, you will find it at the Expo! Learn more now!For many years, it didn't even dawn on Robert Moody that he could become a lawyer, but at the age of 35 he went back to school and now finds himself as a partner at Martin Pringle.  He talks with Don and Ebony about his Leadership Wichita experience and how he is pulling others up to give them hope through our justice system.  On this episode we discuss: Moving from Montgomery, Alabama to Kansas An accidental start in the legal profession Not realizing it was possible to become a lawyer, but then achieving partner Encouraging diversity in the legal profession in Wichita How a hip-hop guy fits in as a lawyer Breaking down barriers for others, giving them hope Record expungement What impacted him most from Leadership Wichita Learn more about Robert Moody:https://www.martinpringle.com/attorneys/robert-j-moodyFacebook ProfileLinkedIn Profile​Robert Moody was born in Montgomery, Alabama, and lived there for the first ten years of his life. To thisday, he remains a rabid Auburn fan. When he was in grade school, Robert and his family moved toProtection, Kansas, a little town full of friendly people.Robert's first job in the legal field was working as a runner. After graduating from Wichita State University'slegal assistant program, Robert began working as a legal assistant in a small and bustling general litigationfirm in Wichita, Kansas. Seven years later, Robert applied for a position in the clerk's office of the UnitedStates District Court for the District of Kansas. He thrived in this competitive environment, and was selectedfor the job from a large pool of candidates. After three years in the clerk's office, Robert accepted a positionas the courtroom deputy for the Honorable Monti Belot, United States District Court Judge.Robert's experiences in these positions stimulated his keen intellect and inspired him to attend law school.After observing lawyers and legal proceedings from these distinctly different angles, Robert realized that hecould handle the pressures and challenges of practicing law. More importantly, he realized he wanted tobecome a lawyer. Taking on more responsibility, and having a greater impact on the outcome of contestedmatters, appealed to Robert. He wanted to be a direct advocate for his clients, and he wanted to help themachieve favorable resolutions to their legal problems.Robert's practice focuses on general civil & commercial litigation, insurance defense, DUI defense, as well asdivorce and family law. He is a member of many professional and civic organizations, including UrbanProfessionals of Wichita, Community Operations Recovery Empowerment, the Kansas Association of DefenseCounsel, and the Defense Research Institute.Other Resources:Survival Series: Interview with Robert Moody (video)2017 Leaders in Diversity (article)Join the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce! This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy.  To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail communications@wichitachamber.org. This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.  For more information visit ictpod.net

Kansas Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired (KABVI) 2022 Virtual Convention Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022 Zoom reminders, introduce ACB host and thank-you, discuss door-prize awards, review program schedule for the day En-vision America, Sharla Glass Public Policy and Community Outreach Liaison “Hands-Free Health”, Janice Washeleski, Chief Commercial Sales and Marketing Officer Literacy Project, Pat Tussing, Project Co-ordinator Lions' Club projects including White Cane Repair, Kathy Dawson, Topeka Sunflower Lions Audio-Reader Radio Reading Service, Lori Kesinger, Outreach Coordinator (Kansas was one of the first states to offer this service and Audio Reader celebrated it's fiftieth anniversary.) Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-af0929 for 40% off for 4 months, and support ACB Events.

Kansas Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired 2022 Virtual Convention Friday, Jan. 21, 2022 Zoom reminders, introduce ACB host and thank-you, discuss door-prize awards, review program schedule for the day Mikel McCary Assistive Technology for Kansas Review of current activities at KS Assistance Dogs, KSDS as impacted by Covid, Kelly Meyer, CEO and Deb Tegedoff, Guide Dog Instructor and Puppy-Raiser Do-ordinator Kansas State School for the Blind, John Harding, Superintendent Envision Introduction/Overview Michael Monteferrante – President/CEO, Employment, Workforce Development, & College Success Program Karyn Page – Vice President, Innovation Self-Introduction & Overview Next Segment Noreen Carrocci – Sr. Vice President, Foundation & Mission Services Early Childhood Activities & Curriculum, Teresa Houston, Director, Cathy G. Hudson Envision Child Development Center Programs for Youth, Hannah Christenson, Director, Community Programs Sarah Kephart, Envision Arts Program Manager Talking Books and braille E-reader, Michael Lang, Director Treasurer's report, Bob Chaffin Bob will be announcing door prize winners with registration numbers chosen by Alexa. NanoPac, Vince Cianfrone Legislative report/other KABVI business Michael Byington and other officers Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-af0929 for 40% off for 4 months, and support ACB Events.

Kansas Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired (KABVI) 2022 Virtual Convention Saturday Jan. 22, 2022 Zoom Reminders,, ACB host intro. And thank-you, sponsors, door-prizes AT Guys, J.J. Meddaugh GoodMaps, videos and Mike May, Chief Evangelist Setting up a “How-To” user's group, fund-raising, membership items, Carolyn Thomasin, Membership Secretary, Ann Byington, Membership participants White Cane Users Alerting Drivers, ♣ Rev. Dr. Gene Bourquin, Pedestrian Control Over Drivers' Yielding: All pedestrians are reliant on drivers to yield when they share spaces like crosswalks with vehicles. Many variables affect drivers' behaviors. This presentation reviewed factors that affect the behaviors, emphasizing the principles and techniques pedestrian can use to increase the likelihood of drivers yielding. Presenters: Guidelights and Gadgets Barry Scheurer White Cane Safety Day, KS State School for the Blind presentation Meet the KS Author of Dust and roses: losing everything is only the beginning ...Wes Brummer, DBC08678 1930's Kansas. Sara McGurk has a comfortable life: an exciting boyfriend, a good home, and a responsible job. She answers the fan mail for her father's radio show. And a broadcasting network has just picked Pastor's program for a national debut. Sam McGurk is about to become a celebrity. But Sara gets some unexpected news. She is with child. The fa©ʹade of her easy life is about to implode. Some violence. And he has a new book out! Finish KABVI business Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-af0929 for 40% off for 4 months, and support ACB Events.

Kansas Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired (KABVI) 2022 Virtual Convention Saturday Jan. 22, 2022 Zoom Reminders,, ACB host intro. And thank-you, sponsors, door-prizes AT Guys, J.J. Meddaugh GoodMaps, videos and Mike May, Chief Evangelist Setting up a “How-To” user's group, fund-raising, membership items, Carolyn Thomasin, Membership Secretary, Ann Byington, Membership participants White Cane Users Alerting Drivers, ♣ Rev. Dr. Gene Bourquin, Pedestrian Control Over Drivers' Yielding: All pedestrians are reliant on drivers to yield when they share spaces like crosswalks with vehicles. Many variables affect drivers' behaviors. This presentation reviewed factors that affect the behaviors, emphasizing the principles and techniques pedestrian can use to increase the likelihood of drivers yielding. Presenters: Guidelights and Gadgets Barry Scheurer White Cane Safety Day, KS State School for the Blind presentation Meet the KS Author of Dust and roses: losing everything is only the beginning ...Wes Brummer, DBC08678 1930's Kansas. Sara McGurk has a comfortable life: an exciting boyfriend, a good home, and a responsible job. She answers the fan mail for her father's radio show. And a broadcasting network has just picked Pastor's program for a national debut. Sam McGurk is about to become a celebrity. But Sara gets some unexpected news. She is with child. The fa©ʹade of her easy life is about to implode. Some violence. And he has a new book out! Finish KABVI business Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-af0929 for 40% off for 4 months, and support ACB Events.

Kansas Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired (KABVI) 2022 Virtual Convention Friday, Jan. 21, 2022 Zoom reminders, introduce ACB host and thank-you, discuss door-prize awards, review program schedule for the day Mikel McCary Assistive Technology for Kansas Review of current activities at KS Assistance Dogs, KSDS as impacted by Covid, Kelly Meyer, CEO and Deb Tegedoff, Guide Dog Instructor and Puppy-Raiser Do-ordinator Kansas State School for the Blind, John Harding, Superintendent Envision Introduction/Overview Michael Monteferrante – President/CEO, Employment, Workforce Development, & College Success Program Karyn Page – Vice President, Innovation Self-Introduction & Overview Next Segment Noreen Carrocci – Sr. Vice President, Foundation & Mission Services Early Childhood Activities & Curriculum, Teresa Houston, Director, Cathy G. Hudson Envision Child Development Center Programs for Youth, Hannah Christenson, Director, Community Programs Sarah Kephart, Envision Arts Program Manager Talking Books and braille E-reader, Michael Lang, Director Treasurer's report, Bob Chaffin Bob will be announcing door prize winners with registration numbers chosen by Alexa. NanoPac, Vince Cianfrone Legislative report/other KABVI business Michael Byington and other officers Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-af0929 for 40% off for 4 months, and support ACB Events.

Dr. Kristy Custer is the Vice President of Educational Innovation at High School Esports League where she is helping guide the worldwide esports phenomena with an educator's lens. Over the past 24 years, she has been a public school educator and champion for at-risk youth leading her team at Complete High School Maize to a Crystal Star Award for Dropout Prevention, Civic Advocacy Award, Promising Practice Award, and twice being named a National School of Character. Dr. Custer is a leader in character education and civic advocacy. The Kansas Health Foundation named her a Civic Health Hero, and the Kansas Association of Secondary School Principals named her the 2018 Principal of the Year. Show Highlights Student Privacy & Data Alternative High School Education Failing Forward ESports Gaming Gaming Concepts Curriculum Engagement & Connection to School Social-Emotional Learning Mental Health #showupforkids Kristy Custer's Contact Info: Twitter 1: @kgcuster Website: https://www.highschoolesportsleague.com/gaming-concepts Book: Gaming Concepts 1.1 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristy-custer-94a4b290/ Additional Resources: Houghton Lake Resorter https://www.houghtonlakeresorter.com/articles/cha-students-take-part-in-tech-course-that-focuses-on-video-games/ School Library Journal https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=middle-school-esports-teams-offer-sel-communication-computer-and-career-skills-more Esports Insider https://esportsinsider.com/2018/09/high-school-esports-league-partners-with-kansas-school-district/ National School Board Association https://www.nsba.org/ASBJ/2020/February/esports The Journal https://thejournal.com/articles/2019/09/13/free-esports-curriculum-contains-full-lesson-plans.aspx Tech Raptor https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/new-games-based-curriculum-offered-by-high-school-esports-league-and-microsoft Efuse https://efuse.gg/news/other/esports-is-inclusive

Dr. Britton Hart shares 4 Key Roles of Highly Effective Leadership for EDU Leaders.  Britton is an award winning 2017 Principal of the Year and the current Director of Leadership Services at the Kansas Association of School Boards. 

Dr. Britton Hart is the Director of Leadership Services at the Kansas Association of School Boards  Dr. Hart is also a NASSP 2016 Kansas Principal of the Year  Follow Britton on Twitter

Natalie Moyer is the president of the Kansas Association of REALTORS®, and she joined Bobbi and Alex on Zoom to talk about her history in real estate as well as her plans for her term. Bobbi's Book Bit: Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William Ury We will be donating $1 to Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City for every new rating we receive on Apple Podcasts through April 30, 2021, so give us a rating to help a great cause!

Vicki Worrell began her career teaching elementary physical education in Kansas for 19 years. While teaching in public schools she was a high school volleyball and track coach and also coached a jump rope team for 12 years. She has made 400+ presentations at international, national, regional, state and local conventions and workshops and has co-authored nine books and has published numerous articles in various professional journals. Her professional involvement includes having served as President of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD, now named SHAPE America), President of the Central District Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, and President of the Kansas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Dr. Worrell also served for MANY years as the Executive Director of KAHPERD. Vicki is a great leader and has impacted many throughout her career!

No Kansas legislative session is without a debate about the academics, leadership and financing of Kansas public education. This session is no exception. The conversations are made more compelling by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is interrupted in-class teaching, much to the dismay of lawmakers who questioned the wisdom of teaching the state's 400,000 or so public school students through online alternatives. Mark Desetti, of the Kansas National Education Association, and Mark Tallman, of the Kansas Association of School Boards, join the Kansas Reflector Podcast to dive into the nuts and bolts of the legislative intrigue.

Eric De La Rosa is a Technology Integration Specialist in Bonner Springs, Kansas. Google Educator, Flipgrid-Wakelet-Genially Ambassador, and a consultant with Educational Collaborators. Helped develop Wyandotte County's first ever #WyCoEdCamp. Presentations on state, regional and national levels, KSU (EdCat EdFest 2017), KASBO 2016, 2017, 2018 (Kansas Association of School Business Officials), KSDE Annual Conference 2017-18 (Kansas Department of Education), MACE 2018-20 (Mid-America Association for Computers in Education) and TCEA 2018 (Texas Computer Education Association). OCIC (Osage County Interlocal Community) Conference 2019. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/untitledpc/message

In today's episode, Deborah Thompson talks with Matt Wyant of Pottawattamie County Public Health (Iowa), Iowa State Senator Amanda Ragan, and Dennis Kriesel from the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments about the need for increased funding for local public health and how to get it. Visit our podcast webpage for more information, a transcript, and an evaluation.

After the Great Recession in 2008, community colleges nationwide saw an influx of nontraditional students and an increase in overall enrollment. Amid COVID-19, the opposite has occurred, and Kansas community colleges are facing a 14.1% decline in enrollment since last fall. Carter File, Hutchinson Community College President, has seen a 3.6% decrease in overall enrollment this fall, on the high end for enrollment this year. Brian Inbody, Neosho Community College President, said his college is facing enrollment losses across the board, from technical education programs to concurrent high school programs. Despite these losses, Heather Morgan, executive director of the Kansas Association of Community College Trustees, said Kansas community colleges are well-positioned to rebound when the pandemic subsides.

Welcome to The Storm Report Podcast, part of The Storm Report Radio Network!   We are back with a brand new episode, of our roundtable discussion program about weather and lifestyle.  President of The Storm Report Radio Network, Meteorologist Dan Holiday is your host and he's joined by Tommy Castor this week along with very special guest, Meteorologist Rodney Price. Rodney is a life-long Kansan, growing up outside of Topeka in the small town of Harveyville. From an early age, severe weather has intrigued Rodney. He wrote his first report on tornadoes in 5th grade but recalls collecting maps prior to that time. Rodney is a proud graduate of the University of Kansas and spent 22 years in television on KTKA in Topeka, along with KSNW and most recently KWCH in Wichita. He was the station's Storm Coordinator, directing their storm chasers around the state. Rodney was part of the team that won the Kansas Association of Broadcasters' First place award in 2015 for Best Weathercast for coverage of the May 9th tornadoes in western Kansas. Rodney holds the American Meteorological Society's Certified Broadcast Meteorologist designation and the National Weather Association's TV Seal of Approval. Rodney is happily married with two children and two dogs. He is a huge Jayhawks, Royals and NASCAR fan. In his spare time, you can find him on a different part of the radio spectrum as an amateur radio operator. Join the discussion this week about Rodney's career in weather, how new technology has changed the weather industry and our first ever "Lightning Round" where we rapid fire ask Rodney 5 random questions. You can find Rodney on Twitter @1LightningRod. Don't forget to subscribe to The Storm Report Podcast so you never miss an episode.  You can find us on all major podcast platforms (iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, etc).  Visit our website at www.thestormreport.com follow us on Facebook at The Storm Report Radio Network and follow us on Twitter @TheStormReport.    

Believe it or not, gaming is gaining popularity in schools, not just as a pastime, but as part of curriculum. Dr. Kristy Custer is one of the pioneers of the video gaming movement in schools. Now is a great time to investigate esports as an extra-curricular activity that students can enjoy and remain at a distance. www.coolcatteacher.com/e694  Sponsor: This show is sponsored by Advancement Courses. Advancement Courses is a leader in online professional development, with over 280 courses in 20 different subjects, including topics like online instruction, social-emotional learning, and diversity, equity and inclusion. This back to school season, they’re partnering with DonorsChoose and donating 10% of all sales to help fund projects every day until September 25. Visit advancementcourses.com/give to learn more and submit your project for a chance to get funded.When you purchase your PD from Advancement Courses use the code COOL20 to receive 20% off your course. Dr. Kristy Custer - Bio as Submitted Dr. Kristy Custer has been a public educator for almost 25 years. She is currently the principal at Complete High School Maize in Kansas. Over the past 20 years, she has helped lead the CHSM team to state and national honors including a Crystal Star Award for Dropout Prevention Schools, Civic Advocacy Award, Promising Practice Award, and being named a National School of Character. Dr. Custer is a leader in character education and civic advocacy. The Kansas Health Foundation named her a Civic Health Hero, and the Kansas Association of Secondary School Principals named her the 2018 Principal of the Year. Dr. Custer, has written multiple curriculum guides including:186 Days of Character, Gaming Concepts, and most recently she was part of the team called upon by the Kansas State Department of Education that helped write Kansas’ Continuation Learning Plan during the Covid-19 school shutdown. Website: www.usd266.com/chsm  Twitter: @CompleteHSM  Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

John Brocker has been a businessman and realtor in Iola for 45 years. He served as president of the Kansas Association of Realtors in 2012. This year, he's running for a seat on the Allen County commission, the same seat he briefly held until losing to Bruce Symes, the District 3 incumbent, in 2018. In today's episode, the fifth in our series covering local candidates, we speak with Brocker about what's motivating him to run again, his priorities if he wins the Aug 4 Republican primary against Symes, and how his business background would guide his decisions as commissioner.

Kansas Association of School Boards advocacy director Mark Tallman reviews five top issues in K-12 education for candidates and voters in the 2020 election.

Kansas Association of School Board's Mark Tallman explores the data about Kansas educational outcomes by race.

This episode of the Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast with host Jim Hunt talks to Mike Conduff, former City Manager and consultant about finances for cities and towns after COVID. NLC research shows virtual all cities surveyed expect a shortfall in revenue due to COVID Ad valorem taxes and the impact of the sudden drop off How rainy day funds can impact bond rating and much more How the City Manager, Finance Director and Elected Officials work together to get through to the other side What is the best way to deal with staffing, hiring freezes and current staff What is the most important role of city government? How decisions can impact union contracts, employee handbooks and other commitments of the city/town Utilize colleagues to help if you're in a difficult situation (NLC, ICMA or State Municipal League) The importance of establishing relationships before the need arises National League of Cities, Cities Are Essential Program  Special Mentions: International City Manager Association (ICMA) National League of Cities (NLC) Clarence Anthony, CEO & Executive Director of NLC 7 Steps to an Amazing City: Attitude Motivation Attention to Detail Zing Inclusiveness Neighborhood Empowerment Green Awareness Thanks for listening and look forward to having you join us for the next episode. Links Mentions During Show: On Target Board Member: https://www.amazon.com/OnTarget-Board-Member-Indisputable-Behaviors/dp/097948751X NLC Cities are Essential Program: https://www.nlc.org/article/cities-are-essential-new-campaign-calls-for-immediate-direct-funding-to-support-local-covid http://TheElimGroup.com/ AmazingCities.org LocalGovPodcasts.com  About Mike Conduff:  Michael A. (Mike) Conduff is the President & CEO of The Elim Group, a motivational speaking and organizational consulting firm. Mike has extensive leadership, management and governance experience, having served as the City Manager of four different University communities, and most recently as the City Manager of Denton, Texas. Denton is the home of The University of North Texas and Texas Woman's University. Located in the dynamic North Texas Corridor, Denton is an innovative and rapidly growing community of 110,000. Prior to assuming the City Manager's position in Denton in May 2001, Mike was a nine-year City Manager of Bryan, Texas, a 1998 & 1999 All-America City Finalist and the birthplace of Texas A&M University. Before he came to Texas, Mike served as City Manager in Manhattan, Kansas, home of Kansas State University, for five years. He also served as City Manager of Pittsburg, Kansas, home of Pittsburg State University, for 5½ years.   Mr. Conduff earned his B.S. in civil engineering at the University of New Hampshire, graduating Cum Laude. His M.B.A. is from Pittsburg State University. He is also a charter graduate of the Carver Policy Governance® Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, and serves on the Board of Directors and as Secretary of the International Policy Governance® Association. Mike's clients have included the International City Management Association, The National League of Cities Leadership Training Institute, The National Council on Planned Giving, The Community Associations Institute and many cities, associations, and other non-profit and for-profit corporations. He is the co-author of The OnTarget Board Member – 8 Indisputable Behaviors a book about highly effective board members, and The Policy Governance® Fieldbook, a book on the practical applications of Policy Governance®. He is a frequent keynote speaker at professional and civic events. His is working on another book, Democracy at the Doorstep – True Stories from the Green Beret of Public Administrators. He has published numerous articles in national publications on topics as diverse as neighborhood empowerment to citizen linkages in the governance process.   Mr. Conduff is a Fellow of the prestigious National Academy of Public Administration, a member of Who's Who Worldwide, and a Paul Harris Fellow in Rotary International. He has been honored with the prestigious 2004 Award for Career Development in Memory of L. P. Cookingham from ICMA. The Center for Digital Government (a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local governments) has awarded Mike their coveted “Best of Texas 2004 Visionary Award.”   A fourth generation Native American, Mike grew up on stories of his Cherokee ancestry, and attributes his love of speaking and telling stories to his grandmothers. A graduate of the 1988 Leadership Kansas Class, Mr. Conduff is active in a number of professional and civic organizations. He serves on the Athletic Council for the University of North Texas. He is a full member and Past President of the Texas City Management Association. He is a fully credentialed member of the International City/County Management Association, and serves on its International Board. He also served six years on the Board of Directors of the Kansas Association of City/County Management, chairing the Ethics Committee and holding all of the statewide offices including President of the Association. He is a Past President of the Kansas Engineering Society; a charter member of the Board of Directors of the Kansas Entrepreneurial Center, located at Kansas State University; and a past member of the Board of Directors of the League of Kansas Municipalities Governing Body. Mr. Conduff is licensed as a Professional Engineer and a Registered Land Surveyor in the State of Kansas. About Your Host, Jim Hunt: Welcome to the “Building Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast” … The podcast for Mayors, Council Members, Managers, Staff and anyone who is interested in building an Amazing City.   Your host is Jim Hunt, the author of “Bottom Line Green, How American Cities are Saving the Planet and Money Too” and his latest book, “The Amazing City - 7 Steps to Creating an Amazing City”   Jim is also the former President of the National League of Cities, 27 year Mayor, Council Member and 2006 Municipal Leader of the Year by American City and County Magazine.   Today, Jim speaks to 1000's of local government officials each year in the US and abroad.   Jim also consults with businesses that are bringing technology and innovation to local government.   Amazing City Resources:   Buy Jim's Popular Books: The Amazing City: 7 Steps to Creating an Amazing City: https://www.amazingcities.org/product-page/the-amazing-city-7-steps-to-creating-an-amazing-city   Bottom Line Green: How America's Cities and Saving the Planet (And Money Too) https://www.amazingcities.org/product-page/bottom-line-green-how-america-s-cities-are-saving-the-planet-and-money-too   FREE White Paper: “10 Steps to Revitalize Your Downtown” AmazingCities.org/10-Steps   Hire Jim to Speak at Your Next Event: Tell us about your event and see if dates are available at AmazingCities.org/Speaking   Hire Jim to Consult with Your City or Town: Discover more details at https://www.amazingcities.org/consulting   Discuss Your Business Opportunity/Product to Help Amazing Cities: Complete the form at https://www.amazingcities.org/business-development   Develop a Podcast for Your Amazing City: Discover more at LocalGovPodcasts.com Request a Podcast Needs Analysis at LocalGovPodcasts.com/Podcasts

This episode of the Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast with host Jim Hunt talks to Mike Conduff, former City Manager and consultant about Improving City Council - City Manager Relations   Why Mike loves the Amazing City of Denton, Texas in North Texas Mike's book, “The On Target Board Member; 8 Indisputable Behaviors,” “Making it Work, the Essentials of Council Relationships,” “Bottom Line Green; Saving the Planet and Money Too” “The Policy Governance Fieldbook: Practical Lessons, Tips, and Tools from the Experiences of Real-World Boards” The difference between non-profit, boards, city councils and corporate boards. How to build productive Council - Manager relationships How to handle different visions in local government How to answer the question; “What do our citizens really want?” Number one objective as a City Manager The power of “Predictability Trust” What is “Vulnerability Trust” and how to use it in building relationships? Why Mike utilized the “Faux Pas of the Year” with his senior staff in his former organizations? A preview of Mike and Jim's NLC University Session at the Congressional City Conference on March 7th in DC   Special Mentions:   NLC University at the Congressional City Conference in Washington DC, March 7th Denton, Texas Clarksburg, West Virginia   7 Steps to an Amazing City: Attitude Motivation Attention to Detail Zing Inclusiveness Neighborhood Empowerment Green Awareness   Thanks for listening and look forward to having you join us for the next episode.   Links Mentions During Show:   On Target Board Member: https://www.amazon.com/OnTarget-Board-Member-Indisputable-Behaviors/dp/097948751X   Making It Work: The Essentials of Council-Manager Relations: https://icma.org/publications/making-it-work-essentials-council-manager-relations-pdf   Bottom Line Green: https://www.amazon.com/Bottom-Green-Americas-Cities-Saving/dp/0979487536   NLC University at the Congressional City Conference:  https://www.nlc.org/event/congressional-city-conference   Mike Conduff and Jim Hunts Session at NLC coming up in DC on March 7th:   LEADING TOGETHER BOOT CAMP: DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS – HOW TO RECOGNIZE THEM AND HOW TO HAVE THEM:  https://ccc.nlc.org/seminar/leading-together-boot-camp-difficult-conversations-how-to-recognize-them-and-how-to-have-them/   LEADING TOGETHER BOOT CAMP: CONFLICT RESOLUTION:  https://ccc.nlc.org/seminar/leading-together-boot-camp-conflict-resolution/   http://TheElimGroup.com/ AmazingCities.org LocalGovPodcasts.com   About Mike Conduff:   Michael A. (Mike) Conduff is the President & CEO of The Elim Group, a motivational speaking and organizational consulting firm. Mike has extensive leadership, management and governance experience, having served as the City Manager of four different University communities, and most recently as the City Manager of Denton, Texas. Denton is the home of The University of North Texas and Texas Woman's University. Located in the dynamic North Texas Corridor, Denton is an innovative and rapidly growing community of 110,000. Prior to assuming the City Manager's position in Denton in May 2001, Mike was a nine-year City Manager of Bryan, Texas, a 1998 & 1999 All-America City Finalist and the birthplace of Texas A&M University. Before he came to Texas, Mike served as City Manager in Manhattan, Kansas, home of Kansas State University, for five years. He also served as City Manager of Pittsburg, Kansas, home of Pittsburg State University, for 5½ years.   Mr. Conduff earned his B.S. in civil engineering at the University of New Hampshire, graduating Cum Laude. His M.B.A. is from Pittsburg State University. He is also a charter graduate of the Carver Policy Governance® Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, and serves on the Board of Directors and as Secretary of the International Policy Governance® Association. Mike's clients have included the International City Management Association, The National League of Cities Leadership Training Institute, The National Council on Planned Giving, The Community Associations Institute and many cities, associations, and other non-profit and for-profit corporations. He is the co-author of The OnTarget Board Member – 8 Indisputable Behaviors a book about highly effective board members, and The Policy Governance® Fieldbook, a book on the practical applications of Policy Governance®. He is a frequent keynote speaker at professional and civic events. His is working on another book, Democracy at the Doorstep – True Stories from the Green Beret of Public Administrators. He has published numerous articles in national publications on topics as diverse as neighborhood empowerment to citizen linkages in the governance process.   Mr. Conduff is a Fellow of the prestigious National Academy of Public Administration, a member of Who's Who Worldwide, and a Paul Harris Fellow in Rotary International. He has been honored with the prestigious 2004 Award for Career Development in Memory of L. P. Cookingham from ICMA. The Center for Digital Government (a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local governments) has awarded Mike their coveted “Best of Texas 2004 Visionary Award.”   A fourth generation Native American, Mike grew up on stories of his Cherokee ancestry, and attributes his love of speaking and telling stories to his grandmothers. A graduate of the 1988 Leadership Kansas Class, Mr. Conduff is active in a number of professional and civic organizations. He serves on the Athletic Council for the University of North Texas. He is a full member and Past President of the Texas City Management Association. He is a fully credentialed member of the International City/County Management Association, and serves on its International Board. He also served six years on the Board of Directors of the Kansas Association of City/County Management, chairing the Ethics Committee and holding all of the statewide offices including President of the Association. He is a Past President of the Kansas Engineering Society; a charter member of the Board of Directors of the Kansas Entrepreneurial Center, located at Kansas State University; and a past member of the Board of Directors of the League of Kansas Municipalities Governing Body. Mr. Conduff is licensed as a Professional Engineer and a Registered Land Surveyor in the State of Kansas. About Your Host, Jim Hunt: Welcome to the “Building Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast” … The podcast for Mayors, Council Members, Managers, Staff and anyone who is interested in building an Amazing City.   Your host is Jim Hunt, the author of “Bottom Line Green, How American Cities are Saving the Planet and Money Too” and his latest book, “The Amazing City - 7 Steps to Creating an Amazing City”   Jim is also the former President of the National League of Cities, 27 year Mayor, Council Member and 2006 Municipal Leader of the Year by American City and County Magazine.   Today, Jim speaks to 1000's of local government officials each year in the US and abroad.   Jim also consults with businesses that are bringing technology and innovation to local government.   Amazing City Resources:   Buy Jim's Popular Books: The Amazing City: 7 Steps to Creating an Amazing City: https://www.amazingcities.org/product-page/the-amazing-city-7-steps-to-creating-an-amazing-city   Bottom Line Green: How America's Cities and Saving the Planet (And Money Too) https://www.amazingcities.org/product-page/bottom-line-green-how-america-s-cities-are-saving-the-planet-and-money-too   FREE White Paper: “10 Steps to Revitalize Your Downtown” AmazingCities.org/10-Steps   Hire Jim to Speak at Your Next Event: Tell us about your event and see if dates are available at AmazingCities.org/Speaking   Hire Jim to Consult with Your City or Town: Discover more details at https://www.amazingcities.org/consulting   Discuss Your Business Opportunity/Product to Help Amazing Cities: Complete the form at https://www.amazingcities.org/business-development   Develop a Podcast for Your Amazing City: Discover more at LocalGovPodcasts.com Request a Podcast Needs Analysis at LocalGovPodcasts.com/Podcasts

Q&A With Foundation CEOsThe Annual National Conference for Growing Community Foundations is a dynamic 12-year running conference held each October and is an outgrowth of the Kansas Association of Community Foundations. This gathering is not only national in scope, but international.   https://kacf-annual-conference.com/home.html   Questions and answers were graciously given from these participants in order of appearance.Jamie Schlogel, LaCrosse Community Foundation, LaCrosse, WI Bonnie Gettys, Barry Community Foundation, Hastings, MILiza Janssen Petra, Branford & Guilford Community Foundations, Branford and Guilford, CTJoshua Gibb, Galesburg Community Foundation, Galesburg, IL  Morris Engle, Phillips County Community Foundation, Phillipsburg, KS  Eric Hozempa, Longmont Community Foundation, Longmont, CO For more information on simplifying your fundraising success, visit https://www.dawngabel.com/ For an amazing software that will keep you making more money and give you the tools you need to simplify your work life, visit https://bloomerang.co/partners/you-got-this-fundraising/

Randy Weseman, assistant executive director of the Kansas Association of School Boards and a former school superintendent, said high-tech security equipment should be paired with development of a positive school climate that encourages gathering of information of student threats and evaluation of potential violence by a team trained in methods endorsed by the U.S. Secret Service.

Susan Sherman Susan Sherman is the Assistant City Manager for the City of Olathe, Kansas where she has served since 1989. She is responsible for the day to day operations of the police, fire, parks and recreation, municipal court, and information technology departments. Susan earned a Bachelor’s degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and a Master of Public Administration from the Edwin O. Stene Public Affairs and Administration School at the University of Kansas. She is an International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Credentialed Manager. Susan has been awarded the Assistant Excellence in Leadership Award in honor of Buford Watson Jr. by the ICMA and the ICMA Career Development Award. Susan co-chaired the ICMA Task Force on Leadership, and currently serves on the ICMA Leadership Advisory Board. She has previously served on the Board of the Kansas Association of City/County Management and as ICMA Mountain Plains Regional Vice President for the ICMA Executive Board. Susan is married to Fred Sherman and they have two college-aged children.

Ann Mah, a Topeka member of the Kansas State Board of Education, Mark Desetti, a representative of the Kansas-National Education Association, and Mark Tallman, of the Kansas Association of School Boards, said on the Capitol Insider podcast they were optimistic tangible benefits would arise from approval of a five-year, $525 million increase in state funding by the 2018 Legislature and Gov. Jeff Colyer.

Kelly Kluthe is a Biology teacher at Olathe West High School in Olathe, Kansas. She also recently accepted a position to teach biology classes at Baker University. Kelly has present at both state and national biology meetings including the 2017 NABT National Conference where she presented “Project-Based Learning in the NGSS Biology Classroom” along with Camden Hanzlick-Burton and Andrew Davis. Kelley was the 2016 recipient of the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award for the state of Kansas. She has held many roles within the Kansas Association of Biology Teachers including OBTA director and secretary. You can follow her on twitter @KlutheScience

Carson and Jake visit with Mark Tallman, Associate Executive Director of the Kansas Association of School Boards, about the statewide "New Day in Kansas Education" advocacy tour, in addition to updates on school funding, college and career readiness, and the newly announced Mercury and Gemini school redesign effort.

Fally Afani is an award-winning journalist with a career spanning more than 15 years in media. She has worked extensively in radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and more. Fally's work has been featured in magazines, newspapers, and television stations across Kansas. She has received several Kansas Association of Broadcasters awards as well as an Edward R. Murrow award for her online work in journalism. Currently, she resides in Lawrence, Kansas, where she reports on local and touring musicians. She enjoys photographing live events and concerts, with a focus on how they affect the community. www.iheartlocalmusic.com https://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/a-moving-tribute-to-motherhood-and-music-shot-one-second-a-d The Rolling Wave theme music by OILS oilsoilsoils.bandcamp.com

Better Leaders Better Schools guest Paul Erickson is the proud principal of Union Valley Elementary School in Hutchinson, KS. This is Paul’s seventh year as a building principal and 12th year in education. Paul has always summed up quality school leadership the same way he has summed up quality classroom teaching–if what you do is all about kids and taking them to unprecedented levels of learning, then you can do NO WRONG! He is passionate about creating and sustaining positive school cultures, maximizing collaborative opportunities for teachers, integrating technology, and helping others harness the power of Professional Learning Networks.    LeadUpNow is at the heart of his own PLN. Paul has led staff development on the concepts of Technology Leadership and Professional Learning Communities. He also has organized and led the Beginning Principals Workshop for the Kansas Association of Elementary School Principals from 2012-present. In 2014, he was recognized as KAESP’s National Distinguished Principal.   Outside of education, Paul enjoys spending time with family and friends. Paul and his wife, Tasha, have a three-year-old daughter, Stelli. He is also a Big Brother via Big Brothers/Big Sisters and coaches a 5th Grade Dodge Ball team each year at his school through the local YMCA.   In this episode you will learn: How to build great relationships through 2 key tips When to use humor in your leadership Why you should extend the benefit of the doubt to everyone Paul’s use of a daily morning assembly How being “connected” helped develop his leadership style Why failing to disperse leadership is a key mistake The power of taking risks The power of planning each day How to create a mobile office What is group capital and why you need to know   Resources:   The Principal by Michael Fullan   iPad   Voxer   Connect with Paul   Paul's blog   Do you need accountability? Text BETTERMASTERMIND to 33444 Daniel wants to work with you and help you accelerate your leadership development and increase your impact.   DID YOU LIKE THE SHOW?  iTunes SUBSCRIBE HERE! SHOW SOME LOVE: PLEASE LEAVE A 5-STAR RATING AND REVIEW Website :: Facebook :: Twitter :: LinkedIn Grad your FREE 15 Phrases of Effective School Leaders  Text PHRASES to 33444 or click the link above.   BECOME A PATRON OF THE SHOW FOR AS LITTLE AS $1/MONTH

Recently, I made a trip to Kansas to speak to the Kansas Association of Broadcasters.  I spent three hours speaking with radio programmers and brand managers throughout all of Kansas.  And while we spent a lot of time talking about the great things happening with podcasting and digital in radio, what I left there with was an understanding of the pride these people had in their stations. And I couldn't help but think of how that correlates into pride into your individual podcasts. Thanks for downloading...hope you enjoy!

Vicki Voisin interviews Andi Elmore from the Kansas Association of Legal Assistants and Paralegals (KALA), Tove Sebring from the Capital Area Paralegal Association (CAPA), and June Brown from the Tulsa Area Paralegal Association (TAPA) about being members of paralegal associations affiliated with NALA. Together they discuss benefits including networking opportunities, leadership communication and education, and certification opportunities.

What is poverty and how does it affect women in Kansas? The post Kansas Association of Community Action Programs appeared first on KKFI.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/remarkablechatter/jttg_3.mp3 Angie Stallbaumer Policy Specialist/Staff Attorney at Kansas Association of School Boards KASB Legal Services  Kay Tibbs  Kay is the[...] The post FERPA – Family Education Rights and Privacy Act With Angie Stallbaumer (Jerry The Tech Guy #3) appeared first on Remarkable Chatter.

Dr. John Heim  Dr. John Heim is executive director of the Kansas Association of School Boards.  Dr. Heim came to KASB after serving as the superintendent for the Emporia Public Schools for 13 years.  Prior to that he was the executive director of the Educational Services and Staff Development Association of Central Kansas (ESSDACK) in [...] The post Dr John Heim – Executive Director Kansas Association of School Boards (KSSA Talk #14) appeared first on KSSA Talk. The post Dr John Heim – Executive Director Kansas Association of School Boards (KSSA Talk #14) appeared first on Remarkable Chatter.

Gary Sechrist Superintendent Gary Sechrist has announced his intent to take early retirement affective June 30th.  He tendered his resignation to the USD 405 Board of Education at the January BOE meeting. Sechrist has accepted a position with the Kansas Association of School Boards in their leadership division.   “I was not looking for a new […] The post 12 WBC Gary Sechrist – School Leadership appeared first on Remarkable Chatter.

Dr. John Heim Dr. Heim is executive director of the Kansas Association of School Boards.  Dr. Heim came to KASB[...] The post John Heim Interview, Play Of The Week: Student Statutory Rape and Nude Teacher Photos (Remarkable Principal #5) appeared first on Remarkable Chatter.

Dr. John Heim, Executive Director, Kansas Association of School Board.     KASB KASB is a not-for-profit organization located in Topeka, Kansas and dedicated to serving members of governing boards for unified school districts, community colleges, area vocational-technical schools and cooperatives, interlocals and regional service centers. KASB will… Provide a culture of collaboration and service. […] The post 10 WBC John Heim, Kansas Association of School Boards appeared first on Remarkable Chatter.

Today’s interview is with Kansas Association of Secondary School Principals (KASSP) Assistant Principal of the year Tom Albers … Tom[...] The post The Remarkable Assistant Principal Tom Albers and Rosary Beads as Gang Symbol (Remarkable Principal #2) appeared first on Remarkable Chatter.

This is an interview I held with Julie Rhodes last October at the annual conference of the Kansas Association for Gifted, Talented, and Creative. Julie and I took some of our Master's classes together and our paths have begun to widen. She's now teaching pre-service teachers at Cowley County; let's see what she has to say about these students' tech readiness to teach our future generation.