American Tributaries

Dr. William Richter lives in Manhattan, Kansas, where is a Professor Emeritus at Kansas State University.  He had previously served as, among other things, an Assistant Provost and Head of the Political Science department.

Bill finds hope in the interesting and inspiring people he continues to meet.

You can find more about Kansas Dialogue at www.kansasdialogue.com and Kansas State University’s Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy at www.k-state.edu/media-communication/about/icdd/.

American Tributaries is a podcast sponsored by American Tributaries, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit based in Brooklyn, NY, and dedicated to promoting fellowship and understanding in America through this podcast and through domestic travel for U.S. high school students, practicing core values of curiosity, respect, compassion and humility, unconditionally.  For more information, please visit www.AmericanTributaries.com and, on Instagram, @AmericanTributariesTravel and @AmericanTributariesPodcast.

Dr. Douglass Teschner lives in the area of West Lebanon, New Hampshire.  He is an active member of Braver Angels, founded  his own consultancy called Growing Leadership, was involved with the Peace Corps for more than a decade and was a legislator in the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1988 to 2002.  Doug and host Michael Whidden were connected by prior podcast guest Gabbit Timmis from episode 64.

Doug finds hope in the power of optimism and listening.  You can learn more about Doug at his website www.growingleadershipllc.com and through his writings at www.nhbr.com/author/doug-teschner/.  You can learn more about Braver Angels and their upcoming convention in Kenosha, Wisconsin at www.braverangels.org.

American Tributaries is a podcast sponsored by American Tributaries, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit based in Brooklyn, NY, and dedicated to promoting fellowship and understanding in America through this podcast and through domestic travel for U.S. high school students, practicing core values of curiosity, respect, compassion and humility, unconditionally.  For more information, please visit www.AmericanTributaries.com and, on Instagram, @AmericanTributariesTravel and @AmericanTributariesPodcast.

Dr. Seth D. Kaplan lives in the Baltimore / Washington DC area and is a leading expert on fragile states, lectures at Johns Hopkins University and consults for organizations such as the World Bank and U.S. State Department.  In October 2023, he published an amazingly insightful book, “Fragile Neighborhoods”, about how we can repair American society one ZIP code at a time.

Seth finds hope in all the people he meets that want to step up and do more for their communities and the empowerment that comes from that participation.  You can find more about Seth at www.sethkaplan.org. And please check out his book “Fragile Neighborhoods – Repairing American Society, One ZIP Code at a Time”.

American Tributaries is a podcast sponsored by American Tributaries, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit based in Brooklyn, NY, and dedicated to promoting fellowship and understanding in America through this podcast and through domestic travel for U.S. high school students, practicing core values of curiosity, respect, compassion and humility, unconditionally.  For more information, please visit www.AmericanTributaries.com and, on Instagram, @AmericanTributariesTravel and @AmericanTributariesPodcast.

Greg Gerloff lives in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where he raised his family and pursued a career in healthcare, which concluded with him serving as chief executive officer of Altru Health Systems.  Greg and host Michael Whidden were connected by Greg’s nephew Adam, who was an elementary school teacher for two of Michael’s children.

Greg finds hope in his granddaughter...in his belief that people are basically good people...in the core values of America...and in the centrists that he still sees in politics.

American Tributaries is a podcast sponsored by American Tributaries, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit based in Brooklyn, NY, and dedicated to promoting fellowship and understanding in America through this podcast and through domestic travel for U.S. high school students, practicing core values of curiosity, respect, compassion and humility, unconditionally.  For more information, please visit www.AmericanTributaries.com and, on Instagram, @AmericanTributariesTravel and @AmericanTributariesPodcast.

Aviva Sussman lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she was a scientist for Los Alamos National Laboratories and Sandia National Laboratories involved with, among things, implementation of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and recently started studies of a new, very different topic: the Torah.

Aviva finds hope in stillness and in our common struggles across the broad breadth of time.

American Tributaries is a podcast sponsored by American Tributaries, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit based in Brooklyn, NY, and dedicated to promoting fellowship and understanding in America through this podcast and through domestic travel for U.S. high school students, practicing core values of curiosity, respect, compassion and humility, unconditionally.  Its next trip will be in July 2024 from New York City to South Carolina.  For more information, please visit www.AmericanTributaries.com and,
on Instagram, @AmericanTributariesTravel and @AmericanTributariesPodcast.

Sara Stahl lives in Port Clinton, Ohio, on the southwest shore of Lake Erie, where she is a social worker in the education system.  Sara grew up in Port Clinton and attended The Ohio State University.

Sara finds hope in her work and the youth and what they can offer the country.

American Tributaries is a podcast sponsored by American Tributaries, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit based in Brooklyn, NY, and dedicated to promoting fellowship and understanding in America through this podcast and through domestic travel for U.S. high school students, practicing core values of curiosity, respect, compassion and humility, unconditionally.  Its next trip will be in July 2024 from New York City to South Carolina.  For more information, please visit www.AmericanTributaries.com and, on Instagram, @AmericanTributariesTravel and @AmericanTributariesPodcast.

Vishwesh Bhatt lives in Oxford, Mississippi, where he is executive chef for the city’s acclaimed Snackbar, a Southern brasserie and oyster bar and was recognized, in 2019, as the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef in the South.  In 2022, he published a book of recipes and stories called “I Am From Here” which was designated as one of NPR’s “Books we Love” for 2022 and one of Garden & Gun’s Best Southern Books of 2022 and received a James Beard U.S. Foodways Cookbook award for 2023.

Vishwesh finds hope in conversation.  You can learn more about Vishwesh at www.kissmybhatt.com.

American Tributaries is a podcast sponsored by American Tributaries, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit based in Brooklyn, NY, and dedicated to promoting fellowship and understanding in America through this podcast and through domestic travel for U.S. high school students, practicing core values of curiosity, respect, compassion and humility, unconditionally.  Its next trip will be in July 2024 from New York City to South Carolina.  For more information, please visit www.AmericanTributaries.com and, on Instagram, @AmericanTributariesTravel and @AmericanTributariesPodcast. 

Reverend Mark Genszler lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he is the rector for Christ Church Cobble Hill, an Episcopal parish first organized in 1835.  Rev. Genszler and host Michael Whidden met this past December at the holiday party of mutual friends.

Mark finds hope in the rising generation’s awareness of the world, in the quiet and stillness of nature and in the enduring power of life on Earth.

American Tributaries is a podcast sponsored by American Tributaries, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit based in Brooklyn, NY, and dedicated to promoting fellowship and understanding in America through this podcast and through domestic travel for U.S. high school students, practicing core values of curiosity, respect, compassion and humility, unconditionally.  For more information, please visit www.AmericanTributaries.com and, on Instagram, @AmericanTributariesTravel and @AmericanTributariesPodcast.

Dr. Ed Tomlinson lives in Morgantown, West Virginia, where he is a Professor of Management at the Chambers College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in negotiation and compensation and a Ph.D. seminar on groups and teams.  Dr. Tomlinson is also active with Braver Angels, serving, among other things, as red co-chair of the organization’s West Virginia alliance.

Our discussion covers, among other things:
*the classic notion of liberalism and Francis Fukuyama’s “Liberalism and Its Discontents"
*efforts in the classroom to promote depolarization
*his recreational appreciation for shooting ranges
*Gordon Allport’s “The Contact Hypothesis” and how contact is the antidote to stereotyping
*the unique beauty of West Virginia’s waterfalls

Ed finds hope in the many organizations doing good things to promote depolarization and bridge-building and the many wonderful blessings in the United States.

You can follow Ed’s work at www.edwardctomlinson.com and  westvirginia.braverangels.org.

American Tributaries is a podcast sponsored by American Tributaries, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit based in Brooklyn, NY, and dedicated to promoting fellowship and understanding in America through this podcast and through domestic travel for U.S. high school students, practicing core values of curiosity, respect, compassion and humility, unconditionally.  For more information, please visit www.AmericanTributaries.com and, on Instagram, @AmericanTributariesTravel and @AmericanTributariesPodcast.

Tami Van lives in New York, New York, where she is the Chief Financial Officer of one of New York City’s premier HVAC contractors.

Our discussion covers, among other things:
*her path from Brooklyn Tech High School and New York University into the construction industry
*thoughts on union work
*how she has developed the skills to meticulously manage projects
*the importance of trade work
*shortcomings of a college education
*dining as the best way to explore New York City

Tami finds hope in her amazing mother, someone who may appear small in stature but is gigantic in strength and will.

American Tributaries is a podcast sponsored by American Tributaries, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit based in Brooklyn, NY, and dedicated to promoting fellowship and understanding in America through this podcast and through domestic travel for U.S. high school students, practicing core values of curiosity, respect, compassion and humility, unconditionally.  For more information, please visit www.AmericanTributaries.com and, on Instagram, @AmericanTributariesTravel and @AmericanTributariesPodcast.