Welcome to the SnackWalls Podcast's 15th Episode.

My guest for this episode has deep expertise in the STEM and research space.

Maynard believes that we don’t have a pipeline problem. Instead, the challenge is more of an unconscious and conscious bias problem. Without a formal degree, we just saw a 17-year-old take down a bunch of twitter accounts, so formal degrees may not be needed for all roles. While Maynard was working in the defense department he implemented a program that sought to create a revolving door between industry, government, and academia where each domain would learn from the other ie. the latest software development practices and DevOps.

Former SES Presidential Appointee in the role of Senior Technical Advisor to the longest-serving Undersecretary of Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (AT&L) in the history of the Pentagon. Maynard is currently working in the Global Talent Research group within the Engineering and Applied Sciences organization @ RAND in San Francisco CA. His current research interests include autonomous vehicles, swarm robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, counter-drone technology, and defense innovation. Leading joint RAND/AAA NCNU ODD Study and working on High Stakes AI Bias.

• RAND: https://www.rand.org/
• Maynard Holliday: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maynard-holliday-a47125/
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1280951

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Welcome to the 14th episode of SnackWalls. We are almost a week 👊🏾 into this party.

Rob is a product marketing guru at Lyft and a Golden Gopher. It was interesting hearing about the solid work happening within the shops he has been at.

Rob points out the paradox that you need more diversity in leadership to influence hiring, but how do you get more diversity in leadership if diverse candidates aren't being hired in the first place? Rob shares his experience and exposure to various employee resource groups that take a step in the right direction towards successful inclusion programs. At Lyft, there are many younger folks. They have one such employee resource group called uplift parents that focuses on helping folks that are new to parenthood.

Rob is Head of Driver & Lyft Business Partnership Marketing. Rob has over 14 years of experience in marketing and technology. He is driven by a belief in continuous learning and finding ways to make a positive impact on not only the business but also the workplace environment. A veteran of FANDOM and Yahoo, he is outstanding at leading go-to-market strategies.

• Lyft lyft.com
• Rob Johnstone: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobstone33/
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1280951

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Welcome to SnackWalls episode lucky number 13. Oh... this was a good one, so much great content.

Taryell is my go-to guy for all things workforce-related in San Diego. This was an epic convo and you'll find a lot to take away from it.

After chatting with Taryell it is clear that if you are operating under the current systems in place you are going to have a hard time finding diverse talent. Leadership is a good reflection, in terms of diversity, of how well a company is doing. They should reflect what the customer base looks like. Skills are where the emphasis should be, not degrees. Keep an eye out for Taryells podcast which will be coming out soon.

Taryell is the co-founder of Culture Cocina a space for breaking bread while learning about the history of the community through art, food, and small business. A long time workforce development consultant with deep experience in public speaking, HR, workforce development, and education. Taryell's strongest assets are the connections he makes with those around him and the way he is able to unite others around a common cause.

• Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun, ChangeWork, 2001 https://www.dismantlingracism.org/
• Taryell Simmons https://www.linkedin.com/in/taryell-simmons/
• Sage Business & Education https://www.sagesandiego.com/
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1280951

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Welcome to SnackWalls episode 12.

Jon and I vibed on being self-taught. Super smart guy. A whole lot of lived experience in this episode.

John believes there is an ample supply of diverse talent in the pipeline - he identifies the challenge of diversity and inclusion in hiring stemming from the need to build and maintain more diverse networks. John firmly believes the problem needs to be addressed from the top down. Top leadership needs to be open to frequent conversations, but more importantly, willing to be accountable for an action plan.

John Capecelatro is the Director of Operations at Nava, where they provide access to better healthcare at lower prices. Prior to Nava, John spent over 5 years working across engineering, analytics, and operations helping scale online pharmacy PillPack through its acquisition by Amazon. John loves building things at the intersection of healthcare & tech. 

• Nava: https://nava.io
• John Capecelarto: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncapecelatro/
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1280951

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...And now we are bringing you daily updates. Let's keep on a roll with Episode number 11.

I really enjoyed chatting with Ray, an entrepreneur like myself.

Ray knows that diverse talent is available to those willing to look for it. Organizations need to rethink the traditional sourcing approach, and he practices a skills-focused approach to hiring. Listen in as he breaks down a simple approach to finding the individuals who will thrive in and bring long-term value to your organization.

Ray is the Founder of both StartingPoint Technologies and Red Beach Advisors. He is an Executive consultant specializing in strategy, digital transformation, operational excellence and performance management, driving efficiency in all areas of business. 

• StartingPoint Technologies: www.startingpoint.ai
• Ray McKenzie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymondmckenzie
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1280951

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Raise both hands and give me a double high five! Episode number 10 here 🙌🏾

We go super deep and cover a lot of ground.

Listen in as Isha Edwards shares her thoughts on diversity, equity and inclusion--through the lens of marketing communications management. Folks are spending a lot of money to get a degree and Isha believes that career management departments, at colleges and universities, can help fill the need for diverse talent.

Isha Edwards is a brand-driven marketing professional and owner of EPiC Measures. She
has extensive experience in marketing and communications, coupled with business management and data analytics acumen. As an undergraduate student, Isha garnered fundamental business management training from matrix organizations like GE Transportation and Northern Trust Company. GE is where Isha first practiced the diversity principles she has modeled throughout her career and as an entrepreneur.

• Isha Edwards www.linkedin.com/in/ishaedwards
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1280951

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Welcome to SnackWalls episode number 9, my favorite number!

I spoke to a podcasting pro, super heavy hitter here folks!

Fatima brings her executive experience and passion for tech diversity to this episode by providing actionable steps for companies looking to make a change. From encouraging individual reflection to suggesting staffing changes, Fatima has several suggestions for how you and your team can prioritize diversity in hiring.

Fatima is the co-founder of Quill, the world’s first one-stop marketplace where podcasters can find vetted expert freelancers who will save them time, improve their podcast quality, and help grow their audience. She comes with over a decade of experience in scaling startups.

As a member of the National Speakers Bureau, Fatima has spoken at various events around the world on hacking outbound sales in any industry, leading her to keynote on world stages alongside speakers like Gary Vaynerchuk, Arlene Dickenson, and most recently, Richard Branson.

• Fatima Zaidi www.linkedin.com/in/fatima-zaidi-6a6b844b
• Quill: www.quillit.io
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1280951

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Welcome to the 8th episode of the SnackWalls Podcast.

As a kind host, I try not to shock my guests, but after this interview, I dropped a bomb on Stehpond. Turns out we are long lost... cousins!?

While Stephond agrees there is a challenge surrounding diversity in the workplace, he doesn’t believe it would be difficult to FIND the talent if the recruiting process was adjusted. He proposes diversity and inclusion education as the first step in addressing the issue. Stephon is not all seriousness, he has produced about 10 shows in the Boston area including two block parties and two outdoor festivals.

Stephond Golar is an operations professional with ten years of experience. He has been providing strategy, training, context, assets and data to global sales organizations as well as implementing automated solutions to increase efficiencies. Stephond also plans and produces live events and performs as an artist. Stephond Golar and his wife are also involved in philanthropy; They are currently fundraising to have a primary school built on the premises of an orphanage in West Africa.

• Stephond Golar: www.linkedin.com/in/stephondgoler
• Acquia: www.acquia.com
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1280951

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Welcome to episode SIX, this is a big one!

Tom Cohan came on the program and talked about making $$$ by having the right mix of talent.

Tom talks about the benefits of hiring diverse talent and what his company is doing to improve at it. His experience has shown him that organizations must be intentional about fostering diversity, as diverse companies outperform less diverse companies. There's a real business impact and importance as well as human responsibility.

Tom is the Co-founder and CEO of Cohley. Cohley is a two-sided marketplace that helps the world’s best brands generate the content that they need through vetted 3rd party creators, allowing those brands to generate high volumes of diverse, actionable content for a fraction of the cost. Tom is also a philanthropist and member of the Founders Pledge community.

• Tom Cohan: linkedin.com/in/tdlogan
• Cohley: www.cohley.com
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1280951

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Welcome to episode number SIX!

My special guest Luis is a phenomenal community organizer.

Luis is always candid in his thoughts and believes that companies know where they need to go to find talent and it includes local workforce development boards nonprofits, etc. Companies are not investing enough money in talent development. They should adopt a model like in youth sports and start grooming talent early around the middle and highschool age like how we start with sports.

Luis Martinez is the founder of We Tha Plug a global community. He is also a veteran and former pro athlete. His work involves fostering entrepreneurial success for Pan-African and Latinx Founders, angel investors, and venture capitalists in the underserved communities across the world. Luis is committed to helping community members reach their potential through entrepreneur management training such as Lean Innovation Principals and providing professional development resources for successful business growth within those communities.

• WeThaPlug: www.wethaplug.com
• Luis Martínez, MSOL: www.linkedin.com/in/luis-mart%C3%ADnez-msol-1245033a
• More episodes of the SnackWalls Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1280951

SnackWalls is powered by San Diego Code School: https://sdcs.io

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