The field of human resource management is growing faster than the national average. It’s easy to understand why. As job markets evolve and companies innovate to recruit the best talent, a competent, trained HR manager is critical to helping employers navigate what can be a complicated area.

We’re joined today by Senior Lecturer Cheryl Hughes, who specializes in human resource management in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Prior to coming to the O’Neill School, she built a career in human resources and is an expert in both the theory and practice of HR. We’re also thrilled to welcome Savier Ramirez, who is a senior pursuing his bachelor’s degree with a dual major in Law and Public Policy and Human Resources Management. Savier has been a part of the O’Neill School’s Washington Leadership Program and has served internships with the U.S. Department of State, the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, and is an instructional assistant in O’Neill’s human resources management program.

O’Neill Speaks is the official podcast of the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. All opinions and comments on O’Neill Speaks belong to the host and guest of the O’Neill School and don’t necessarily reflect those of the school itself. Music for O’Neill Speaks is by Manos Mars.

What is the path to a rewarding career in public service for young people who have a passion for serving but don’t know where to get started? Show up. It’s as simple as that according to Brian Payne, the new executive in residence at the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

Payne joins us to talk about his career, why he was drawn to the O'Neill School, and how his relationship with students is a two-way street.

O’Neill Speaks is the official podcast of the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. All opinions and comments on O’Neill Speaks belong to the host and guest of the O’Neill School and don’t necessarily reflect those of the school itself. Music for O’Neill Speaks is by Manos Mars.

The mercury has been soaring for weeks now as summer temperatures have reached record-breaking levels throughout the United States and the world. For many, staying cool isn’t a luxury. It’s a matter of life and death. And, of course, staying cool doesn’t come for free. Rising temperatures lead to skyrocketing energy bills for consumers, and when those bills aren’t paid, utility companies are disconnecting service, putting customers at risk.

It’s a bigger problem than you may think. Researchers at the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs have been studying the issue of energy insecurity by tracking disconnections utility by utility across the country, and what they found is that one-quarter of Americans experience energy insecurity each year. Three million Americans have their electricity shut off annually because they can’t afford to pay their bills.

We’re joined by Lynton K. Caldwell Professor David Konisky, whose research focuses on U.S. environmental policy and politics, with particular emphasis on environmental and energy justice, regulation, federalism, and public opinion. He also is the co-director of IU’s Energy Justice Lab and helped develop a dashboard at utilitydisconnections.org that tracks the growing crisis of energy insecurity.

O’Neill Speaks is the official podcast of the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. All opinions and comments on O’Neill Speaks belong to the host and guest of the O’Neill School and don’t necessarily reflect those of the school itself. Music for O’Neill Speaks is by Manos Mars.

The issue of climate change is considered by many to be THE most critical issue of our time, and extreme weather-related disasters continue to stack up week after week. Combating climate change will require a number of strategies, the most critical of which is the drastic reduction of fossil fuel emissions. But another key strategy is the use of nature-based climate solutions that allow the use and enhancement of existing natural resources to help remove carbon emissions from the air.

Two researchers from the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Assistant Professor Mallory Barnes and Professor Kim Novick, were recently awarded a three-year, $950,000 grant from NASA’s Carbon Monitoring System Program to propel innovative research into nature-based climate solutions focused on enhancing the precision of carbon sequestration estimates and bolstering our strategies to combat climate change.

We’re joined by Mallory Barnes, an expert in quantitative analysis and integration of ecological data across spatial and temporal scales. Barnes’s research and teaching focuses on environmental informatics, remote sensing, ecohydrology, natural resource management, ecological analytics, and geographic information systems.

O’Neill Speaks is the official podcast of the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. All opinions and comments on O’Neill Speaks belong to the host and guest of the O’Neill School and don’t necessarily reflect those of the school itself. Music for O’Neill Speaks is by Manos Mars.

The news was splashed across the country May 31 when police in Atlanta arrested three leaders of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund, which supported protesters of the city’s proposed police and fire training center. Investigators from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation say they found evidence linking the trio of leaders to financial crimes, including money laundering and charity fraud. That’s how the story was presented in most news outlets.

However, this is more than just a simple arrest. A SWAT team was deployed to arrest and jail the board members of a charity, leadership positions that come with distinct legal protections. Also, it’s unusual for a state Bureau of Investigation to head the prosecution of charity fraud as a criminal matter. Instead, this is coming across as an effort of a state to stifle protest by going against a group’s financial supporters.

We’re joined by Professor Beth Gazley, who is a world-renowned expert in U.S. nonprofit management and civil society policy. She has published more than 85 research articles, books, and commentary addressing intersectoral collaboration, volunteerism, nonprofit governance, public service coproduction, association management, disaster response, and other topics.

O’Neill Speaks is the official podcast of the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. All opinions and comments on O’Neill Speaks belong to the host and guest of the O’Neill School and don’t necessarily reflect those of the school itself. Music for O’Neill Speaks is by Manos Mars. Be sure to subscribe to O’Neill Speaks on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcatcher app so you don’t miss an episode.

For more than a year, Ukraine has been defending itself from the invading Russian army, and the world has been watching to see what happens next. The outcome of the war is in doubt, but Bob Kravchuk, a professor at the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and a world-renowned expert in Ukrainian-Russian relations, says that the very survival of Russia may be at stake in the conflict.

O’Neill Speaks is the official podcast of the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. All opinions and comments on O’Neill Speaks belong to the host and guest of the O’Neill School and don’t necessarily reflect those of the school itself. Music for O’Neill Speaks is by Manos Mars.

Replacing traditional combustion engine vehicles with electric vehicles is seen as a critical component of transitioning away from a fossil fuel-based economy, but recent proposals for adoption will be difficult if not impossible to reach unless price barriers are lowered for consumers. We're joined by Professor John Graham, who outlines some of the challenges EVs present and what it will take for consumers to fully embrace EVs and their possibilities.

O’Neill Speaks is the official podcast of the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. All opinions and comments on O’Neill Speaks belong to the host and guest of the O’Neill School and don’t necessarily reflect those of the school itself. Music for O’Neill Speaks is by Manos Mars.

The scenes of the fire that destroyed a plastic recycling warehouse in Richmond, Indiana have been stunning, but the impact of the disaster will be felt long after the rubble cools. We're joined by Assistant Professor Marta Venier to discuss the short- and long-term effects of the fire, the health hazards associated with the chemicals that were released, and what can be done to avoid such disasters in the future.

O’Neill Speaks is the official podcast of the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. All opinions and comments on O’Neill Speaks belong to the host and guest of the O’Neill School and don’t necessarily reflect those of the school itself. Music for O’Neill Speaks is by Manos Mars.

Joining us for the debut episode of O'Neill Speaks is dean of the Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Sian Mooney. Mooney details her path to becoming dean of the O'Neill School, how the nuclear explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant changed her life, her career as a Nordic skiier, how she envisions the future of the O'Neill School, and much, much more.

O’Neill Speaks is the official podcast of the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. All opinions and comments on O’Neill Speaks belong to the host and guest of the O’Neill School and don’t necessarily reflect those of the school itself. Music for O’Neill Speaks is by Manos Mars.