Jason McNamara joins me to talk about his lifelong career in PUBLIC SERVICE/EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT for the US Federal Government. He tells us about his experiences, both good and bad, through some of the nations biggest emergencies from the 1990’s-2025. He tells us his path to his career and has some advice to those interested in serving in public service.

Senior Director of Suicide Grief Support Services at Samaritans in the SOCIAL WORK field, Sissi O’Shaughenessy joins me to talk about her career path and events that led her to work for the Samaritans. Sissi tells us about, as a child, her earliest thoughts about helping people. She also elaborates on the jobs that she had outside of social work that gave her tools that she uses in her work now.

Co-Founder/Growth and Expanding Strategist for The Playmaker Project in the EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT field, Ant Toombs joins me to talk about his job as a Playmaker. Ant educates us with what is most important in a child’s development, especially for children who have experienced tragedy in their lives. He also tells us about the path he took to arrive to where he is and how much he loves what he does.

Chief Development Officer in the ENGINEERING industry, Marc Gagnon joins me to talk about his job materials developing plastics, what his job entails, what his educational and occupational path was, and what advise he has for those who are interested in both plastics engineering and engineering in general..

Handbag Designer in the FASHION/ART industry, Bryant Phelan joins me to talk about his fantastic leather handbags, what it takes to make them, what his learning process was, how his success was achieved, his mindset on art, and what advise he has for those who are interested in both working with leather and accessories.

Product Development Specialist in the FASHION industry, Jen Jagolinzer joins us to talk about her current job as well as other jobs that she has held in the Product Development department at several companies. Her job involves helping in many ways to get garments produced.. In this, the 21st episode, she tells us about her job, what her path to her career was and gives some advice to those interested in pursuing a career in the fashion industry.

Documentary Production Animator in the MEDIA Industry, Alisa Frutman is our guest in the 20th Episode. Her job involves re-creating historic documents, maps and more, then animating them along with text for documentaries. Alisa tells us about her job, what her path to her career was and gives some advice to those interested in pursuing a career in graphic design and/or animation and production.

Here’s a link to Alisa’s demonstration reel: https://www.grow-animation.com/reels?fbclid=IwY2xjawF3nFtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHcEot167z2JIqqy7Lp77K1ztAGq1Vs7J650wlRe0WE8hgdhyByzzhbTjVw_aem_zAl3MVUmvIGsXw0lRVn27g

Principle Engineer for Off-Shore Wind in the ENGINEERING/SUSTAINABLE ENERGY industry, Ruth Heffernan-Marsh joins us for the 19th episode. Her job working with off-shore turbines in the renewable energy field is completely fascinating. Ruth tells us about her path to her career through personal inspirations, through MIT, Stanford, NASA, Google and more.

Documentary about the Makani wind energy kite: https://youtu.be/qd_hEja6bzE?si=2Yr8CXVbwtKQt314

Short clip of the Makani energy kite making the first first-ever flight offshore: https://youtu.be/F6NW0QeKLZA?si=94ymDWTSYomTUXeE

And one more short clip of the energy kite: https://youtu.be/An8vtD1FDqs?si=zUvjpKSpveYEdDyj

Training Programs and Certifications for Offshore Wind

1. Global Wind Organization (GWO) Training Programs:

• Many technical schools and training centers in the U.S. offer GWO-certified courses in safety, working at heights, and other specialized skills required for offshore wind work.

2. Massachusetts Maritime Academy:

• Offers a comprehensive Offshore Wind Training Program that includes courses on safety, project management, and technical skills specific to the offshore wind industry.

3. New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA):

• Provides support for various training programs through partnerships with community colleges and other institutions to prepare workers for careers in offshore wind.

4. National Offshore Wind Training Center (NOWTC):

• Based in Virginia, NOWTC offers training in offshore wind construction, operations, and maintenance, with a focus on developing a local workforce.

5. Rhode Island's Wind Energy Training Programs:

• Institutions like the University of Rhode Island and the Community College of Rhode Island offer specialized training programs in wind energy, including offshore wind.

College Degrees

1. University of Massachusetts Amherst:

• Offers a Graduate Certificate in Wind Power Engineering. This program covers wind energy systems, including offshore wind, with courses in engineering, environmental impacts, and policy.

2. University of Delaware:

• Offers a Master’s Degree in Energy and Environmental Policy with a concentration in offshore wind energy. The program integrates technical, economic, and policy perspectives.

3. Stony Brook University:

• The Offshore Wind Training Institute (OWTI), in partnership with NYSERDA, provides education and research opportunities, including courses that can be part of engineering or environmental science degrees.

4. University of Rhode Island (URI):

• Offers a Bachelor’s Degree in Ocean Engineering with electives and specializations in offshore wind energy. URI also has research initiatives focused on offshore wind technology and policy.

5. Cornell University:

• Through its College of Engineering, Cornell offers courses and research opportunities related to offshore wind energy, particularly in the context of renewable energy systems and environmental impacts.

Workforce Development Programs

1. Building a Better Future Program (BPU):

• Supported by New Jersey’s Board of Public Utilities, this program partners with local community colleges to offer training in offshore wind, targeting workforce development in the state.

2. The Wind Energy Workforce (WEW) Program:

• Hosted by the Texas State Technical College, this program provides technical training specifically focused on wind energy, with modules relevant to offshore wind.

These programs and degrees are part of broader efforts to prepare the workforce needed to support the rapidly growing offshore wind industry in the United States.

Graphic Novel Writer in the COMMUNICATIONS/JOURNALISM industry, Bob Salley has produced several series. He started by producing his first graphic novel on his own, learning the ways of the business, eventually teaming with a publisher. Listen to Episode 18 to learn more about Bob’s journey.

Here’s a link to where you can buy Bob’s graphic novels: https://search.app/7PGVyBbr2UUmWRHX9

Here are some examples of Bob’s work: