Next Generation Leader Podcast

Timothy Head is the executive director for the Faith & Freedom Coalition. The Faith & Freedom Coalition is committed to educating, equipping, and mobilizing people of faith and like-minded individuals to be effective citizens. Our conversation is all about how to have hard conversations in the public sphere using your faith. 

Arnold Punaro is the chief executive officer of The Punaro Group. He consults for a broad array of Fortune 100 companies and has been recognized by Defense News as one of the 100 most influential individuals in U.S. Defense.

A retired U.S. Marine Corps Major General, he served as the Director of the Marine Corps Reserve, Deputy Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command (Mobilization), and for three years as the Commanding General of the 4th Marine Division. Other assignments were Commanding General, Marine Corps Mobilization Command, and Deputy Commander, Marine Forces Reserve. In December 1990, he was mobilized for Operation Desert Shield. In December 1993, he completed a tour of active duty as Commander of Joint Task Force Provide Promise (Forward) in the former Yugoslavia. He was mobilized for a third time in May 2003 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served on active duty as an Infantry Platoon Commander in Vietnam where he was awarded the Bronze Star for valor and the Purple Heart.

Mr. Punaro is the recipient of numerous recognitions including the Secretary of Defense “Medal for Distinguished Public Service” and two awards of the Secretary of Defense “Medal for Exceptional Public Service.” He received the Marine Corps League's "Iron Mike Award” in 1993 for "exceptionally outstanding service" and "unwavering commitment" for over 20 years to "ensuring a strong national defense."

Today's episode is with a citizen of the great country of Ukraine, Yaro Hnatusko. Yaro's family and friends are still on the ground in Ukraine fighting for their freedom against tyranny. The citizens of Ukraine need our help and prayers today, so please check out this website to see how you can donate and help. I am a Ukrainian. Glory to the heroes. 

Article about Yaro and his brother: Ukraine-Born Sullivan Foundation Alumnus Helping Organize Relief Aid for His Country - Sullivan Foundation (sullivanfdn.org)

This is a special edition of the Next Generation Leader Podcast, it is our 100th episode and it is Coop's final episode as our regular co-host. As we say goodbye to such a wonderful season of learning and growth, we wanted to take a quick look back at some of our favorite moments from these incredible 100 episodes.

Today we hear from Shay Robbins, Senator James Lankford, Costi Hinn, Anne Chow, Horst Schulze, and Dr. Ben Carson. This is one you will not want to miss.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us these past 100 episodes. We could not do it without you guys and your constant encouragement. Much love. Keep listening. 

Johnny is a former NFL football player and United States Olympian in the sport of Bobsled. He had the honor of representing the United States of America at the Sochi Olympics in 2014. Now, he is on a mission to deliver thought-provoking and action-packed messages to businesses and organizations of all sizes. Check out his TEDx Talk here. 

Our conversation today is all about the mindest of an olympian. Nothing happens without taking action. Ultra-performers are men and women who find a way to get the job done with the current resources available. Johnny powerfully simplifies the elite action steps he developed in the Olympics and professional football to help everyone in your organization become an ultra-performer and win in the marketplace.

Zac and Coop provide clarity on the future of the Next Generation Leader Podcast, but not before talking about the future of flying cars. 

Everyone go wish Coop a happy birthday and listen to his appeal to young leaders to spend time in God's Word and how it has radically changed his life. 

Kimberly A. Reed served as President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Export- Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) from 2019-2021. She was the first woman to lead EXIM in the agency’s 87-year history and was the first recipient of EXIM’s highest honor, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Award.

Prior to EXIM, Chairman Reed spent her career working at senior levels in both the public and private sectors. Reed served as President of the International Food Information Council (IFIC). At the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Reed headed the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, where she oversaw the award of $4 billion in tax credits, loans, and grants to financial institutions and economic development groups investing in distressed communities across the nation. 

Kimberly is recognized as one of the “100 Women Leaders in STEM,” Washingtonian’s “Most Powerful Women in Washington,” and West Virginia Executive’s “Lawyers and Leaders." 

In today's episode, we talk about EXIM's role in business, Kimberly's leadership of the entire organization, and how faith influences personal leadership. 

"Our country needs better discourse, and religious freedom can help foster it if we continue to protect the rights of students to live out their faith."

Keisha Russell is Counsel with First Liberty Institute, concentrating on religious liberty matters and First Amendment rights. Prior to joining First Liberty, Keisha was a 2011 Teach For America corps member in Atlanta Public Schools. As an elementary special education teacher, she taught students with ADD, emotional behavioral disorders, and learning disabilities. Keisha is most passionate about protecting religious freedom for children in America’s schools.

From calling out discrimination against faith-based businesses such as Chick-fil-A, to denouncing the bigotry against the Orthodox Jewish community in Airmont, NY, Keisha is fierce in her conviction and isn’t afraid to expose religious animosity.

You will not want to miss this fascinating and helpful conversation.  

Evelyn Lim is the Director of Policy and Research at the American Cornerstone Institute.  She was most recently the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Regional Administrator for Region 8. 

Ms. Lim began her public service career in 2003 at DHS shortly after its creation at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), then at DHS headquarters. From 2005 – 2007, Ms. Lim served in the White House under President George W. Bush as the Director of Transportation Security Policy.  In 2008, she served as the personal aide to the U.S. Ambassador to Finland in Helsinki.

Policy decisions can sometimes be clouded by vague statistics and/or intense emotions. Today's conversation is based around the idea that citizens of the United States are real people, these people are facing real problems, but these problems have nuanced solutions. How can we break through the partisan divide of our nation and achieve life-changing solutions?