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Today’s guest is Dr. Thomas G. Mahnken, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, Senior Research Professor at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, and a scholar and practitioner of strategy and defense policy with extensive experience across academia, the Department of Defense, and the U.S. Navy Reserve. Dr. Mahnken reflects on his personal journey, intellectual influences, and decades of experience at the intersection of academia, defense strategy, and public service. Growing up in Del Mar, California in the shadow of World War II, Mahnken developed an early fascination with history and military affairs, shaped by parents who had both served during the war. Dr. Mahnken describes his career path as a hallway of “doors” that periodically open—opportunities to be accepted or declined, not forced. What unifies his diverse roles is a commitment to public service, research that matters, and decisions grounded in values rather than rigid ideological frameworks. 

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From wrenches to Washington, we trace a general's journey through service, strategy, and change. Today's guest is retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Benjamin Spencer who shares lessons in leadership from the flight line to the Pentagon. We hear about the processes, practices, and people essential to aerospace equipment sustainment and operations in the U.S. Air Force. Retired Brigadier General Spencer leads us through his experiences as a young officer learning from Senior Airmen to being the primary liaison of the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force with the U.S. House of Representatives.

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What is behavior and how does it evolve? What can animal behavior teach us about how we behave? In this episode, we hear from Dr. Marlene Zuk, who is an evolutionary biologist and behavioral ecologist at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Zuk shares her insights regarding how both genetics and environment influence behavior as well as society's tendency to project human characteristics onto animals. Dr. Zuk is a prolific author of numerous publications as well as the books  Paleofantasy, Sex on Six Legs, and Dancing Cockatoos and the Dead Man Test.

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Despite limited resources, the men and women of New Orleans Emergency Medical Services (NOEMS) consistently provide quality emergency medical care through unparalleled professionalism and passion. In this episode we are fortunate to engage with Dr. Meg Marino, the Director of NOEMS since 2021. Dr. Marino has been interested in and dedicated to the development of pre-hospital emergency medical care since her residency. She shares her thoughts regarding the successes, challenges, operations, administration, and, most importantly, personnel of NOEMS.

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In this episode of Brungardt Law's Lagniappe, we review what we have learned from our guests over the past three months. An intermission, if you will. An opportunity to pause and consider common threads which have weaved from one guest to another as we have discussed leadership, decision making, relationships, and organizational cultures. Are there basic ingredients among the recipes for success?

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To serve and to protect. The motto of many law enforcement agencies in the U.S. But what does it take to serve and to protect? Today’s guest is Patrick Baxter who served and protected the residents of New Orleans as a New Orleans Police Department officer for 17 years. Patrick was among the dedicated cohort who remained in the city during and after Hurricane Katrina. A mentor to many in the NOPD, Patrick shares with us his insights and observations developed from routine calls for assistance to literally confronting catastrophe with no end in sight.

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The individuals who serve as intelligence community professionals come from all walks of life. Ilka Rodriguez is an example of such. Fluent in Spanish and French, she joined the ranks of the Central Intelligence Agency soon after graduating from university. From her initial work in technical intelligence she advanced through increasing positions of responsibility achieving the senior intelligence service level. Retired from government service, Ms. Rodriguez now guides others through her consultancy on personal and organizational development.

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As a dairy industry specialist, Ms. Marianne Smukowski knows her cheese. More importantly, she knows what makes Wisconsin successful and an industry leader in the world of cheese. A former president of the American Cheese Society,  previously the Dairy Safety and Quality Coordinator at the Center for Diary Research at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and recipient of the American Cheese Society's 2020 Lifetime Achievement Aware, Ms. Smukowski explains how regulation can actually effectively support industry when implemented through collaboration with stakeholders.

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Today’s guest that we’ll be learning from is Professor Blaine LeCesne. Originally raised and educated in New Orleans, Professor LeCesne pursued his university and law school education in New York where he subsequently worked at a Wall Street law firm. However, Professor LeCesne's roots in the Big Easy were too strong to remain away and he returned home where he ultimately joined the faculty of Loyola University New Orleans College of Law where he has taught since 1991 and is also an Associate Dean transforming students into the advocates of tomorrow. Professor LeCesne has authored various works in the fields of Torts and Louisiana Civil Procedure. 

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There is a house in New Orleans they call Ozanam Inn, and it's been the refuge of many a lost soul, and God, I could be one. Today's guest is Renée Blanche: Ozanam Inn's Chief Executive Officer who leads a team of exceptional individuals committed daily to providing a haven for the unfortunate who are homeless. CEO Blanche takes us to the other side of the tracks highlighting misconceptions, policies, logistics, and challenges regarding this overlooked part of our society. CEO Blanche and her team are a unique breed of warrior whose weapons are compassion, pragmatism, and grit to provide not only a temporary respite to those in need, but also a potential path back home. CEO Blanche and her team, along with their counterparts across the U.S., exemplify leadership on a much different battlefield than we are accustomed to.