From his youth in Cameroon to building a career in the United States as a nurse practitioner, school board trustee, and entrepreneur, Marty Cho's journey reflects a powerful throughline: well-being is foundational to learning, leadership, and community.

As CEO and Co-founder of Mechi and a former trustee of the Jefferson Union High School District Board, Marty connects his clinical experience with his work in governance—advancing a clear idea he calls "Movement as Medicine," and showing how physical health, emotional awareness, and prevention directly influence performance, decision-making, and outcomes in public systems.

In this conversation, he invites leaders to see wellness not as an add-on, but as a practical strategy for stronger schools, better decisions, and more connected communities.

LINKS

Marty Cho: https://www.mechi.app/about

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Produced by Social Prosperity Partners

What does local responsibility look like in places where communities aren't connected by roads, where fuel arrives once a year, and where distance shapes every decision?

In this episode, Nils Andreassen of the Alaska Municipal League shares how cities and towns across Alaska meet the demands of governing in some of the most remote conditions in the country. Supporting communities that are often isolated yet deeply interdependent, the League helps ensure that essential services continue, even when capacity is limited and the margin for error is small.

This conversation offers a rare perspective on local leadership where the stakes are immediate and the work is unmistakably real—and a reminder that, even in less extreme settings, responsibility still requires clarity, connection, and follow-through.

LINKS

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Produced by Social Prosperity Partners

Jennifer Hall Lee's approach to public leadership is rooted in a story that began with her mother. As a social worker at Willowbrook State School—once one of the nation's largest institutions for people with disabilities—her mother helped expose conditions of overcrowding, neglect, and abuse that had been hidden from public view. That work, which Jennifer witnessed firsthand, contributed to a national reckoning that reshaped how people are treated, educated, and included in American society.

Now serving on the Pasadena Unified School Board, Jennifer carries forward a belief shaped by that legacy: systems only work when they serve everyone. In a community where public education must compete to be chosen and operate under constant strain, her leadership reflects a commitment to ensuring that no student is treated as separate or secondary.

From her local service to her work with women's rights advocates in Pakistan, Jennifer returns to the same core principle: when we divide people into categories, we weaken the whole. This conversation offers a moving reminder that the strength of a community is measured by how fully it includes everyone within it.

LINKS

Jennifer Hall Lee: jenniferhalllee.com

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Produced by Social Prosperity Partners

Derrick Wood didn't set out to become Mayor. He was selling barbecue in a parking lot when a cease-and-desist order pushed him into a council meeting he didn't even know existed. Years later, he was leading the town.

What he discovered along the way is a lesson many leaders learn the hard way: being right isn't enough. If people don't see the impact on their lives, they won't support the outcome.

In this candid conversation, Mayor Wood reflects on early missteps, hard-earned credibility, and the shift from pushing ideas to helping people see what he sees. That lesson came into sharp focus as he led one of the most controversial decisions his town had faced—transforming a long-troubled landfill into a destination that brought jobs, revenue, and a new identity to the community.

The resistance was real. So was the risk. What made the difference was not proving he was right, but helping others understand how the decision affected them—and why it mattered.

This episode is a reminder that leadership isn't about winning the argument. It's about doing the work to build understanding—so a community can move forward together.

LINKS

Mayor Derrick R. Wood: DerickRWood.com

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Produced by Social Prosperity Partners

Many local leaders have given up on the idea that meaningful civic dialogue can happen on social media, a space many experience as deeply toxic. Sam Toles says the problem isn't social media as a whole, but the ways local governments often choose to show up there—approaches that can unintentionally fuel outrage rather than connection.

A former media executive, city council member, and founder of CiviSocial, Sam explains how the architecture of different platforms shapes online behavior—and what local leaders can do differently. Drawing on his work with local governments across the country, he outlines a practical playbook built on authenticity, human storytelling, and choosing the right platforms so communities can see government for what it truly is: neighbors serving neighbors.

LINKS

Sam Toles: CiviSocial

Sam's demographic slide

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Produced by Social Prosperity Partners

When elections work well, most people never think about them. When something goes wrong, the entire system is suddenly under a microscope.

Dana Lewis, Recorder and Officer in Charge of Elections for Pinal County, speaks candidly about what it means to carry that responsibility. From chaotic election-day failures to rebuilding systems designed to prevent a single point of breakdown, Dana describes the pressure, precision, and teamwork required to run elections in today's climate.

Her story offers a vivid look inside the invisible infrastructure of public life—and the people whose steady work keeps it functioning when the stakes are highest.

LINKS

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Produced by Social Prosperity Partners

Optimism is not the first quality many people associate with public office. It is, however, the quality that defines Trustee Maiaika Velazquez.

Elected in lieu of opposition just minutes before the filing deadline, Maiaika stepped into school board service carrying lived experience shaped by poverty, special needs advocacy, and firsthand encounters with bureaucracy. She knows what it feels like to sit across the table and say, "We're not just a file."

This conversation explores governance shaped by lived experience—the discipline of representing an entire district while remembering families who often feel unseen. Maiaika reflects on imposter syndrome, growing fluency in board leadership, and the responsibility of decisions that affect real lives.

Her leadership is grounded, resilient, and forward moving. It is a reminder that public service can still be hopeful, even in complex times.

LINKS

MPUSD Prom Drive

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Produced by Social Prosperity Partners

What does it look like to shift from hands-on service to public stewardship? In Fallbrook, California—a rural community shaped by agriculture, military families, and economic challenge—that question takes on real meaning. Tauna Rodarte reflects on moving from decades of volunteer nonprofit leadership into the disciplined role of school board governance, where impact is measured less by direct action and more by steady oversight and long-term direction.

Our conversation explores the difference between service and governance, the importance of civility and consensus in public leadership, and the clarity that comes from understanding the proper role of an elected board. Along the way, Tauna shares hard-earned insights about building trust, exercising restraint, and strengthening the systems that allow students and communities to thrive.

LINKS

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Produced by Social Prosperity Partners

Policy choices shape communities—but values shape policy.

Chairman Jeffrey McKay reflects on leading Fairfax County through economic disruption while also advancing One Fairfax, a countywide framework that requires leaders to examine how decisions affect opportunity, access, and long-term outcomes across communities.

He discusses what it takes to hold together short-term crisis response and long-term institutional change—and why leadership at the local level must operate at multiple altitudes at once.

This episode is part of a monthly series sponsored by RELI – the Regional Elected Leaders Initiative at George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government.

LINKS

One Fairfax: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/topics/one-fairfax

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Produced by Social Prosperity Partners

Strong governance begins, not with agreement, but with shared purpose.

When governing bodies struggle, it's rarely about policy alone. It's about how leaders manage disagreement, use their limited public time, and stay focused on what matters most. Drawing on her work with school boards across Oregon, Kristen Miles explains why those dynamics directly shape outcomes—and how boards can govern more effectively even when consensus is hard to reach.

Kristen explores the difference between power over and power with, showing why legitimacy, judgment, and collaboration matter more than ideology. She offers practical insight into navigating conflict, grounding difficult conversations in student success, and leading in ways that earn credibility rather than erode it.

LINKS

OSBA Board Development Resources: https://www.osba.org/board-development/

Ask a Question or Leave a Comment: 602-688-2724

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Produced by Social Prosperity Partners