Square Pizza

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Laura Demarse has spent nearly 20 years working at the intersection of higher education, workforce development, industry, and philanthropy. Today, as Vice President for Future of Work at the Charles Koch Foundation, she is focused on helping more people connect to purpose, opportunity, and economic mobility.

In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg and Laura explore how higher education is evolving, why workforce development and higher ed should work more closely together, and what employers can do to create stronger pathways into meaningful careers. Laura also shares lessons from her time at Ford Motor Company, how the Charles Koch Foundation approaches partnership and social entrepreneurship, and why skilled trades are experiencing a major resurgence.

The conversation also goes deeper into the Foundation’s work in Charlotte, including why the city became an important place-based investment, what Laura and her team learned from local partners, and how philanthropy can help de-risk new workforce solutions and inspire others to invest alongside them.

In this episode, you’ll learn more about:

• Why a four-year degree should be one signal of potential, but not the only one
• How higher education and workforce development can better learn from one another
• What Laura learned about employer engagement and talent development from her work at Ford
• Why the Charles Koch Foundation is investing in skilled trades, social entrepreneurs, and place-based workforce solutions
• What the Foundation has learned from its workforce investments and partnerships in Charlotte
• How AI could disrupt early-career white-collar jobs while creating new opportunities in skilled trades, entrepreneurship, and emerging industries
• Why Laura now believes scalable change can come from small, innovative organizations—not just large institutions

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1. Dad. Husband. Marathoner.
2. Deputy Chancellor, New York City Department of Education
3. State Superintendent, Louisiana Department of Education
4. Teach For America Board Member
5. Chief Executive Officer, Great Minds

John White has spent his career working at nearly every level of the education system, giving him a unique perspective on leadership, reform, and what it takes to create meaningful change at scale.

In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg and John discuss lessons from Louisiana, the growth and future of Great Minds, the role of artificial intelligence in education, and why strong leadership requires both ambition and trust. John also reflects on how sports shaped his approach to teamwork, how his leadership style has evolved, and why the most important parts of teaching and learning must remain deeply human.

In this episode, you’ll learn more about:

• How John’s experiences across classrooms, districts, states, and organizations shaped his leadership philosophy
• The lessons he took from Louisiana’s education reforms and open-enrollment model
• How Great Minds is balancing rapid growth with quality, implementation, and student outcomes
• Where artificial intelligence can support teachers and students—and where human interaction still matters most
• Why listening, trust, and coalition-building have become increasingly important throughout John’s career
• How sports, running, and team experiences continue to influence the way he leads 

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GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg welcomes Alesha Washington, President and CEO of Seattle Foundation, for a powerful conversation about philanthropy, courage, and what it means to move money like it truly matters. Alesha shares how her experiences across policy, advocacy, economic development, and philanthropy have shaped a leadership philosophy rooted in joy, community voice, and the belief that nonprofit leaders deserve the trust and resources to do their best work.

Alesha also pulls back the curtain on how one of the country’s largest community foundations approaches long-term grantmaking, impact investing, affordable housing, transit, childcare, and the growing pressure on nonprofits in today’s political and economic climate. Along the way, she offers a candid look at courageous leadership, board alignment, risk, and why foundations must be willing to stand firmly in their purpose rather than retreat when the work becomes difficult.

In this episode, you’ll learn more about:

• Why Alesha believes philanthropy should “move the money like it matters”
• How Seattle Foundation centers joy, belonging, and community voice in its work
• Why affordable housing, childcare, and transit are deeply connected to the future of thriving regions
• How impact investing can help foundations take smart risks, unlock capital, and support community-led solutions
• What courageous philanthropy looks like when real money, power, and institutional risk are on the table
• Why strong boards must understand their role, make space to serve, and stay focused on mission rather than management

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GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg welcomes Tahira Stalberte, Assistant Superintendent of Communications and Community Relations at Union County Public Schools, for a thoughtful conversation about leadership, trust, and what it really takes to communicate well in public education. Drawing from more than two decades in communications, from the television newsroom to one of the largest school districts in North Carolina, Tahira shares how relationship-building, consistency, and a willingness to take smart risks have shaped her approach to the work.

Tahira also opens up about the real complexity of leading communications in a modern school district, from crisis response and community trust to family engagement, artificial intelligence, and the everyday challenge of making sure families feel informed, heard, and supported. Along the way, she offers practical insight on why communication and family engagement are not the same thing, what strong two-way communication should look like in schools, and how districts can better connect with families in ways that actually improve outcomes for students.

In this episode, you’ll learn more about:

• What makes a great communicator and why trust, listening, and risk-taking matter so much in leadership
• How Tahira thinks about balancing the many audiences a school district serves, from families and staff to media and community stakeholders
• Why communication and family engagement are distinct, and why both are essential to student success
• What Union County Public Schools has learned about building stronger family engagement systems and two-way communication with parents
• How Tahira and her team are approaching artificial intelligence, crisis communication, and storytelling in a fast-changing school landscape

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GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg welcomes Dan Porterfield, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Aspen Institute, for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership, educational opportunity, and how ideas can scale far beyond a single institution. Drawing from his upbringing in Baltimore, his years leading Georgetown and Franklin & Marshall, and now his work at Aspen, Dan reflects on the experiences that shaped his belief in talent, public service, and the power of institutions to expand opportunity for more people.

Dan also shares why “scaling an idea” can sometimes matter more than scaling an operation, how the Aspen Institute grew from a postwar humanist gathering into a global platform for dialogue and leadership, and why he still believes deeply in the talent that exists in every zip code. Along the way, he offers thoughtful insight on philanthropy, higher education, nonprofit leadership, succession planning, and what it looks like to bend systems toward the public good without losing sight of the people they are meant to serve.

In this episode, you’ll learn more about:

• Why Dan believes scaling ideas can sometimes create more impact than simply scaling operations
• How his work at Franklin & Marshall helped spark the American Talent Initiative and expand opportunity for low-income students across top colleges
• What leaders can learn from the founding story and evolution of the Aspen Institute
• Why partnerships with aligned donors and institutions can be transformative when building enduring change
• How Aspen’s new Center for Rising Generations is rethinking civic dialogue, leadership, and opportunity for young people
• What Dan has learned about board leadership, succession planning, and building strong people-serving institutions

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GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

Shamaiye Haynes is more than a school board member. She is a longtime community leader, family engagement advocate, and one of the voices helping shape the future of a $2 billion public school district. In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, she shares how years of grassroots organizing and showing up for families prepared her to lead at the district level, and why family engagement, advocacy, and community trust are still at the center of meaningful change in education.

In this episode, you’ll learn more about:

• Why Shamaiye believes family engagement is the missing link to stronger student outcomes
• How her journey from active parent advocate to school board member prepared her to lead at the district level
• What it looks like to operationalize family engagement so schools better serve whole families, not just students
• How she thinks about school choice, charter schools, and what a stronger public education ecosystem could look like
• How Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is approaching issues like artificial intelligence, cell phone policy, and support for teachers and families

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GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg welcomes Jacob Adams, Founder and Executive Director of Inner Spark Learning Lab, for a powerful conversation about what happens when schools stop asking students to fit the system and start redesigning the system to fit students. Drawing from his own journey as a first-generation college student, student athlete, Teach For America educator, and nonprofit founder, Jacob shares how his lived experience pushed him to challenge compliance-driven models of education and build something more human, adaptive, and deeply rooted in student voice.

Jacob also opens up about the real work of building Inner Spark from the ground up, from taking the leap on his first school contract to designing learning environments where students help shape curriculum, choose resident teachers, and explore issues that actually matter to them. Along the way, he offers a compelling vision for why belonging, relevance, and flexibility are not extras in education, but essential conditions for real learning and long-term change.

In this episode, you’ll learn more about:

• Why Jacob believes schools should adapt to students more than students should be forced to adapt to school
• How his own experiences as a first-generation college student, athlete, and teacher shaped the vision behind Inner Spark Learning Lab
• What he saw inside high-performing schools that made him question whether test scores alone tell the full story
• How Inner Spark creates learning spaces where students help shape projects, select teachers, and drive more meaningful engagement
• What it looks like to build a nonprofit from scratch while staying focused on depth, belonging, and real systems change 

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GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg sits down with Aneesh Sohoni, Chief Executive Officer of Teach For America, for a candid conversation about leadership, purpose, and why he still believes education can be one of the most unifying forces in the country. From his own path into the classroom to now leading a national organization, Aneesh shares what it means to lead with curiosity, stay close to the front lines, and keep belief alive in a moment when many have lost it.

They also dig into the future of Teach For America, how today’s young leaders are searching for purpose and community, and why artificial intelligence could either deepen learning or weaken it, depending on who shapes it. This episode is a sharp, hopeful, and timely conversation for anyone thinking about education, leadership, and the future of impact.

Support the show

GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg welcomes Corey Carlesimo, CEO of Prospect HQ, and returning guest Dewey Norwood to talk about Prospect HQ, a purpose-driven hiring platform built to connect current and former student athletes with employers who value leadership, resilience, and cultural fit. They break down how Prospect HQ is rethinking the hiring process by helping athletes reflect more deeply on their values, strengths, and long-term purpose while giving employers a more authentic way to identify talent that can strengthen workplace culture.

Cory and Dewey also share why they believe student athletes are uniquely prepared to lead in today’s workforce, how their own experiences in sports and corporate leadership shaped the vision for the platform, and why culture, authenticity, and community matter just as much as credentials in helping people find the right opportunities.

In this episode, you’ll learn more about:

• Why Cory and Dewey believe student athletes are one of the most overlooked and high-impact talent pools in today’s workforce
• How Prospect HQ is helping athletes move beyond just finding a job to discovering a clearer path to purpose
• What makes the platform different from a traditional job board, including its focus on cultural fit, reflection, mentorship, and authentic storytelling
• How sports, coaching, failure, and teamwork prepare student athletes to thrive far beyond the field, court, or diamond

Support the show

GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg welcomes Samantha Lurie Carroll and Sylvester Chisom, co-founders of Show Me The World Project, to share how a single school trip idea grew into a multi-city nonprofit helping high school students from under-resourced communities see – and shape – the world. They walk through the journey from a “show me Costa Rica” classroom project to a yearlong program that blends leadership development, entrepreneurship, workforce skills, and first-time international travel, plus the student-driven coffee business that emerged from a visit to a Costa Rican farm.

Samantha and Sylvester also open up about the real behind-the-scenes work of going from scraping together $2,500 grants to securing six-figure investments, building a trusted brand, and “responsibly replicating” their model beyond St. Louis without losing their roots in student voice and community.

In this episode, you’ll learn more about:

• How students’ reactions to an inequitable “school swap” experience sparked the original vision for Show Me The World Project
• What a yearlong leadership, entrepreneurship, and global learning journey actually looks like for high school students in St. Louis and Kansas City
• How a visit to a coffee farm turned into a student-led social enterprise and the Show Me The Cause fundraising platform
• The mindset shifts and concrete steps that helped Show Me The World move from tiny grassroots grants to major foundation investments
• Why honoring your word, embracing “no” as fuel for innovation, and adding earned revenue are core to building a resilient, mission-driven nonprofit

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