Jamie Merrill — President & CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida — walked across her college graduation stage six months pregnant, on Medicaid, living paycheck to paycheck. Today she leads 15,500 kids across 40 clubs in five counties and was just named Orlando Magazine's Woman of the Year.

In this conversation, you'll learn:

✅ How Jamie built a leadership identity rooted in calling — not title-chasing — and why that made her more effective as a CEO

✅ The mentorship philosophy that helped a nonverbal child speak for the first time in two years — and how it translates to leading any team

✅ Why the best feedback she ever received came from people who reported to her — and how to create that kind of psychological safety

This episode is for mission-driven leaders who are navigating the tension between who they are personally and who they're becoming professionally — and wondering if they have to choose.

👤 ABOUT JAMIE MERRILL:

Jamie Merrill is the President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida, overseeing 40 clubs across five counties serving 15,500 young people annually. The first female president in the organization's history, Jamie was named one of Orlando Business Journal's Women Who Mean Business and was recently recognized as Orlando Magazine's Woman of the Year. She currently serves on the Boys & Girls Clubs of America President's Advisory Council and National Growth Council.

🔗 Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-merrill-47859067/
🔗 Organization Website: https://bgccf.org

🎙️ ABOUT HART & HUSTLE:

Hart & Hustle brings you weekly conversations with mission-driven leaders solving real problems in healthcare, education, and community services. Every week, host Efrain Lozada sits down with nonprofit executives, operations directors, and innovators to uncover practical strategies you can implement in your organization.

Subscribe for weekly insights on nonprofit leadership, operations, and scaling mission impact.

🔗 CONNECT WITH US:

FRANSiS™ Website: https://fransis.ai
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fromfransis

#NonprofitLeadership #MissionDrivenLeadership #BoysAndGirlsClub

Chris Thomas, VP for Student Affairs at West Texas A&M University, shares how he built a culture of mentorship, belonging, and authentic leadership — sustaining 26 years of mission-driven service without burning out.

In this conversation, you'll learn:
✅ How the internal vs. external locus of control framework develops accountable, resilient teams
✅ Why authentic leadership — not programs or policies — is the real retention lever
✅ How to build layered after-hours support systems so no one falls through the cracks

This episode is for People Ops leaders, HR directors, and mission-driven executives who want to build cultures where people stay, grow, and actually want to show up.

👤 ABOUT CHRIS THOMAS:
Chris Thomas is the Vice President for Student Affairs at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, where he oversees housing, dining, campus health, student activities, Greek life, the rec complex, and more. With 26 years in higher education student affairs — starting as a graduate assistant managing 214 student organizations at Texas State — Chris has built a career on authentic, people-first leadership. He is a participant in the Governor's leadership program as a mentor and is widely known on campus as someone who greets everyone, remembers names, and leads by presence.

🔗 Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-thomas-ed-d-97461b4/
🔗 West Texas A&M University: https://www.wtamu.edu

🎙️ ABOUT HART & HUSTLE:
Hart & Hustle brings you weekly conversations with mission-driven leaders solving real problems in healthcare, education, and community services. 

Every week, host Efrain Lozada sits down with nonprofit executives, operations directors, and innovators to uncover practical strategies you can implement in your organization.

Subscribe for weekly insights on nonprofit leadership, operations, and scaling mission impact.

🔗 CONNECT WITH US:

FRANSiS™ Website: https://fransis.ai
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fromfransis

#NonprofitLeadership #MissionDrivenLeadership #StaffRetention

Katie Condon, VP of Enrollment Management at Eastern Michigan University, shares how a first-generation college student with no family roadmap climbed from temp admissions counselor to vice president — and built a division focused on access, belonging, and saying yes to students others overlook.

In this conversation, you'll learn:
✅ How to advocate for yourself so leaders can actually coach and sponsor you
✅ Why accepting all feedback equally is damaging your mental health — and how to filter it
✅ How AI can extend your team's capacity to serve people 24/7 without replacing human connection

This episode is for mission-driven leaders who want to build organizations rooted in access and purpose — and lead their teams through growth without losing themselves in the process.

👤 ABOUT KATIE CONDON:
Katie Condon is the Vice President of Enrollment Management at Eastern Michigan University. A first-generation college student herself, she began her career as a temporary admissions counselor at West Virginia University and spent over a decade in enrollment and recruitment before reaching the VP level. She is passionate about access, mission-driven higher education, and building teams that lead with curiosity.

🔗 Katie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-condon
🔗 Eastern Michigan University: https://emich.edu

🎙️ ABOUT HART & HUSTLE:
Hart & Hustle brings you weekly conversations with mission-driven leaders solving real problems in healthcare, education, and community services. Every week, host Efrain Lozada sits down with nonprofit executives, operations directors, and innovators to uncover practical strategies you can implement in your organization.

Subscribe for weekly insights on nonprofit leadership, operations, and scaling mission impact.

🔗 CONNECT WITH US:
FRANSiS™ Website: https://fransis.ai
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fromfransis

Meaghan Arena, VP of Enrollment Management at the University of Southern Maine, shares how she grew enrollment year-over-year while institutions nationally are losing ground — and the leadership philosophy that made it possible.

In this conversation, you'll learn:

✅ How to build a culture where frontline staff drive strategic improvement — not just leadership

✅ Why meeting people where they are (in hours, format, and access) is the highest-leverage retention strategy

✅ How to reframe your organization's value when the people you serve are questioning whether they need you at all

This episode is for visionary executive directors and nonprofit CEOs who are fighting declining engagement, justifying mission investment, and building systems that serve everyone — not just the easiest-to-reach.

👤 ABOUT MEAGHAN ARENA:

Meaghan Arena is the Vice President of Enrollment Management, Marketing, and Student Retention at the University of Southern Maine — a public access institution serving traditional and adult learners across two campuses. A first-generation college student herself, she has built her career around expanding access to education for working adults, transfer students, and underserved communities. Under her leadership, USM has grown enrollment year-over-year in a national landscape of demographic decline.

🔗 Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meaghan-arena-ba84097/
🔗 Organization Website: https://usm.maine.edu

🎙️ ABOUT HART & HUSTLE:
Hart & Hustle brings you weekly conversations with mission-driven leaders solving real problems in healthcare, education, and community services. Every week, host Efrain Lozada sits down with nonprofit executives, operations directors, and innovators to uncover practical strategies you can implement in your organization.

Subscribe for weekly insights on nonprofit leadership, operations, and scaling mission impact.

🔗 CONNECT WITH US:
- FRANSiS™ Website: https://fransis.ai
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fromfransis

#NonprofitLeadership #MissionDrivenLeadership #HigherEducation

Pete Vernig, VP of Mental Health Services at Recovery Centers of America, 
breaks down how his team maintains a unified clinical culture across 12 
inpatient programs and 14 outpatient locations — and what every mission 
leader can learn about scaling care without losing their soul.

In this conversation, you'll learn:
✅ How RCA built a unified clinical model across 8 states — and what it 
   took to get staff aligned
✅ Why stigma isn't just a culture problem — it's a life-or-death barrier 
   to care
✅ How telehealth is closing the access gap for communities that can't 
   reach in-person services
✅ Pete's current research: using predictive data to identify relapse risk 
   before it happens
✅ A nuanced expert take on AI in behavioral health — what guardrails are 
   missing and what mission orgs should know

This episode is essential for executive directors, operations leaders, and 
anyone building mission-driven services at scale.

👤 ABOUT PETE VERNIG:
Pete Vernig is VP of Mental Health Services at Recovery Centers of America, 
overseeing clinical programming across 12 inpatient programs, 14 outpatient 
locations, and 8 states. He began his career as a case manager in Denver's 
public mental health system working with individuals facing co-occurring 
disorders — and has spent two decades building clinical programs at the 
highest level of need.

Recovery Centers of America: https://recoverycentersofamerica.com
Crisis & Treatment Line: 1-800-RECOVERY
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988

🎙️ ABOUT HART & HUSTLE:
Hart & Hustle brings you weekly conversations with mission-driven leaders 
solving real problems in healthcare, education, and community services. 
New episodes every Tuesday at 7:00 AM Central.

Subscribe for weekly insights on nonprofit leadership, operations, and 
scaling mission impact.

🔗 CONNECT WITH US:
FRANSiS™ Website: https://fransis.ai
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fromfransis

David Barron, VP of Enrollment Management at the University of Texas at Tyler, has spent 26 years doing what every mission-driven leader is trying to figure out: how do you reach the people who need you most, remove the barriers standing between them and opportunity, and scale that impact — without unlimited resources?

In this conversation, you'll learn:

✅ How a peer mentor model expanded from 4 to 46 communities and more than doubled access for first-generation students

✅ Why removing barriers — not louder outreach — is what actually moves the needle for underserved populations

✅ How to use AI tools to extend your team's capacity without losing the human connection that drives real change

This episode is for mission-driven executives, program directors, and operations leaders who are trying to serve more people with the same — or shrinking — resources.

👤 ABOUT DAVID BARRON:
David Barron is the VP of Enrollment Management at the University of Texas at Tyler, where he has helped transform the institution from a second-choice to a first-choice university in East Texas. Over 26 years, he has led three 
universities to their highest enrollments in history by building community 
partnerships, removing access barriers, and deploying peer mentor models that meet underserved students exactly where they are.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-barron-2720122a/
UT Tyler Website: https://www.uttyler.edu

🎙️ ABOUT HART & HUSTLE:
Hart & Hustle brings you weekly conversations with mission-driven leaders solving real problems in healthcare, education, and community services. Every week, hosts Keenan Hart and Efrain Lozada sit down with nonprofit executives, operations directors, and innovators to uncover practical strategies you can implement in your organization.

Subscribe for weekly insights on nonprofit leadership, operations, and scaling mission impact.

Is your institution — or organization — measuring the wrong definition of success?

Dean Kahler, enrollment leader at the University of Idaho, has spent his career challenging one uncomfortable truth: most institutions celebrate outcomes they should be ashamed of.

In this episode of the Hart & Hustle Podcast, Dean joins Efrain Lozada for a 
candid conversation about what it actually takes to lead a mission-driven 
institution in 2025 — from embedding AI into your strategic plan before your 
competitors do, to building teams so strong that your job becomes serving them instead of directing them.

If you lead a growing organization and you're tired of accepting "good enough," this episode is your playbook.

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🔑 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE
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→ Why 60-70% graduation rates are the nonprofit sector's "mowed 70% of the lawn" problem
→ How the University of Idaho grew enrollment while schools nationwide are shutting down
→ Dean's framework for servant leadership — and why it's the most powerful (not the softest) model
→ The AI adoption mistake most institutions are making right now
→ Why the real cost of college is not what families think — and how leaders can close that gap
→ How to redesign your organization's relationship with industry partners for long-term relevance

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🔗 CONNECT WITH DEAN KAHLER
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🎓 University of Idaho: https://www.uidaho.edu
📘 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deankahler/

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🎙️ ABOUT HART & HUSTLE PODCAST
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Hart & Hustle is the podcast for mission-driven leaders who refuse to choose 
between impact and excellence. Hosted by Efrain Lozada, each episode features 
executives, innovators, and operators from nonprofit, healthcare, and social 
impact sectors sharing the real story behind building organizations that matter.

Brought to you by FRANSiS™ — the SMS-powered conversational AI built 
specifically for mission-based organizations. When your community needs answers at 2am on a Sunday, FRANSiS™ makes sure someone's always there.

🔗 Learn more: https://www.fransis.ai

What if the key to retaining your best people wasn't a better benefits package — but whether they feel truly seen? Javier Flores has spent 30+ years in higher education investing in students others overlooked. As VP of Enrollment Management at Texas Woman's University, he's built a people-first philosophy that nonprofit HR and People Ops leaders need to hear.

In this conversation, you'll learn:
✅ The "backpack framework" — why every employee walks in carrying a history that shapes their performance, and how great leaders work with it instead of around it
✅ Why investing in people before they're "ready" is the retention strategy that actually compounds over time
✅ How to turn the people around your staff (families, mentors, communities) into your most powerful engagement tools
✅ What the mentorship chain looks like in practice — and how to build one inside your own organization
✅ Why people leave mission-driven organizations (hint: it's rarely the mission) and what leaders can do differently

This episode is for HR directors, People Ops leaders, and executive directors who are serious about building a culture where mission-driven staff stay, grow, and give their best.

👤 ABOUT JAVIER FLORES:

Javier Flores is the Vice President of Enrollment Management at Texas Woman's University, the only public, woman-purpose university in the nation. A first-generation college graduate and the first in his family to earn a doctorate degree, Javier has built a 30-year career leading student-centered teams at institutions across Texas and New Mexico. His work with foster care students, first-generation learners, and underrepresented communities has shaped a people-first leadership philosophy that translates directly to how mission-driven organizations retain and develop their best people.

🌐 Texas Woman's University: https://twu.edu

🎙️ ABOUT HART & HUSTLE:
Hart & Hustle brings you weekly conversations with mission-driven leaders solving real problems in healthcare, education, and community services. Every Tuesday, hosts Keenan Hart and Efrain sit down with nonprofit executives, operations directors, and innovators to uncover practical strategies you can implement in your organization.

Subscribe for weekly insights on nonprofit leadership, operations, and scaling mission impact.

🔗 CONNECT WITH US:
- FRANSiS™ Website: https://fransis.ai
- Keenan Hart on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/fromfransis

#NonprofitHR #StaffRetention #MissionDrivenLeadership

David Harris, CEO of Pro-PT Physical Therapy, built a 20-clinic healthcare organization across California's Central Valley — and he'll tell you the growth almost never happened.

In this conversation, David shares the leadership philosophy, communication systems, and people-first culture that took him from PT technician to CEO across a 27-year career — including the moment he almost walked away from it all.

You'll learn:
✅ Why 88% of people who need physical therapy never receive it — and how Pro-PT is closing that gap
✅ The 5-minute monthly podcast that replaced hundreds of daily emails across 20 locations
✅ How David evaluates every hire for culture fit before clinical skill — and why it works
✅ The mentor conversation that convinced him to stop treating patients and start developing leaders
✅ Why David says letting go of good employees is sometimes the greatest win a leader can have

This episode is for healthcare executives, nonprofit leaders, and mission-driven operators who want to scale impact without losing the people-first culture that makes their work matter.

👤 ABOUT DAVID HARRIS:
David Harris is the CEO of Pro-PT Physical Therapy, a 20-clinic (and growing) outpatient physical therapy organization serving communities across California's Central Valley. With 27 years in healthcare — including 20 years with Benchmark Physical Therapy where he witnessed growth from 15 to nearly 1,300 clinics — David leads with a people-first philosophy rooted in mentorship, culture, and mission-driven care. He is also a certified coach through the John Maxwell team.

🔗 Pro-PT Website: https://propt.net
📧 David Harris: [email protected]

🎙️ ABOUT HART & HUSTLE:
Hart & Hustle brings you weekly conversations with mission-driven leaders solving real problems in healthcare, education, and community services. Every Tuesday, hosts Keenan Hart and Efrain sit down with nonprofit executives, operations directors, and innovators to uncover practical strategies you can implement in your organization.

Subscribe for weekly insights on nonprofit leadership, operations, and scaling mission impact.

VP of Marketing at a nonprofit that didn't believe in marketing — here's what he built.

Christopher Lloyd is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Aspire Indiana Health, one of Indiana's largest nonprofit health systems serving 40,000+ patients annually across behavioral health, primary care, addiction recovery, housing, and crisis services.

But when Christopher joined in 2019, the organization had never marketed itself — and they wouldn't even let him use the word "marketing" in his job title.

In this episode of Hart & Hustle, Christopher breaks down what it really takes to build a marketing function from scratch inside a mission-driven organization, how to earn trust with clinician-led leadership, and why every nonprofit needs a marketing voice at the highest level of decision-making.

In this episode:

• Why almost every modern marketing tool was built for wealthy consumers — not the people nonprofits actually serve
• How Aspire grew from 10,000 to 40,000 patients served by investing in brand and communications
• The connected TV experiment that worked — and why Christopher walked away from it anyway
• What Medicaid funding cuts actually mean for safety net health organizations
• The servant leader management model that's reducing turnover in one of healthcare's hardest environments
• Why marketing communications belongs at your executive leadership table

"We serve with compassion. We serve with humility." — Christopher Lloyd

🔗 Connect with Aspire Indiana Health

Website: aspireindiana.org 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/aspire-indiana-health 

Facebook: facebook.com/AspireIndianaHealth 

Instagram: @aspireindianahealth 

Services: Behavioral Health · Primary Care · Addiction Recovery · Crisis Services · Housing & Job Assistance · Pharmacy