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!

Welcome back to another episode of the #squarepizzapod. This week, Greg is in conversation with Dr. Donnell Butler, Founder & President, Prelude. Prelude is a nonprofit organization accelerating students into purpose-filled lives that lead to economic freedom.

In this episode: 

• Deep experience in and around higher education
  • F&M, Princeton
• Opportunity College + Prelude
  • Opportunity College
  • Prelude: “a nonprofit organization accelerating students into purpose-filled lives that lead to economic freedom”
• Insight + Name Change 
• Success metrics
  • How success is measured within the organization
  • Key indicators of impact and outcomes, particularly in terms of student success and career progression
• Observations and insights on Charlotte

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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!

Square Pizza Audience, we have a special episode featuring our family empowerment cohort. Our school leaders and key players in family engagement/empowerment gather quarterly to share insights and best practices about family empowerment at the school level. This round, our focus was on supporting newcomer and multilingual families. You will hear from Ms. Quenesha Pinkey, social worker at Reid Park Academy, on how the school uses one specific annual event to focus on their multilingual learners. You will also hear from Mrs. Michele Mveng-Managa, dean of students at Governors' Village STEM Academy, about how the school launched monthly family empowerment and networking nights to support multilingual families. 

In this episode: 

• Challenges faced by newcomer families
  • Language barriers, unfamiliarity with educational expectations, and cultural differences.
• Strategies for support
  • Building trust, fostering a welcoming environment, and ensuring clear, culturally relevant communication.
• Community resources and networks
  • Tools and resources available to help schools engage and support newcomer families sustainably.

Resources: 

• Quarterly Convening Slide Deck
• Check out our NEW Family Empowerment Toolkit

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!

Welcome back to another episode of the #squarepizzapod. This week, Greg is in conversation with Fontella McKyer, Director of Workforce Development, SchermCo. Fontella has been a part of the team for 6 months now!

In this episode:

• Exciting Updates
  • Welcomed First Grandchild
• Philanthropy & Workforce Development Journey
  • Started in philanthropy with Foundation for the Carolinas, later worked with Dress for Success, which led to her role at SchermCo. Passionate about workforce development and community impact.
• Fear vs. Risk
  • The balance between fear and risk in career decisions, and how hindsight shows that she could have taken bold steps sooner.
• Insights from SchermCo
  • Reflecting on her past 6 months with SchermCo, the impact on workforce development, and how the company is positively influencing the community.
• Holiday Season Excitement
  • Looking forward to the holidays, especially celebrating with family and a special family photo featuring the new grandchild.

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!

Welcome back to another episode of the #squarepizzapod. This week, guest host, Kim Perez is in conversation with Ana Silva Rey – CEO, Charlotte Bilingual Preschool, Anacecilia Liberato – Partnership Manager, SmartStart of Mecklenburg County, and Elisa Benitez – Newcomer Services Site Coordinator, Communities In Schools at PACE A Academy @ E.E. Waddell High School. In this episode, these three amazing women discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by newcomer families in Charlotte, especially in education.

 
In this episode:

• Discussing the challenges and opportunities faced by newcomer families in Charlotte, especially in education.
  • Learn about how different organizations are supporting immigrant and newcomer families.
• Insights on community resources and the work being done to support these families.
• Addressing barriers and how educational spaces in Charlotte are adapting to better accommodate newcomer families.
  • Discover how schools and community organizations are preparing to meet the needs of newcomers.

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!

Welcome back to another episode of the #squarepizzapod. This week, Greg is in conversation with Mario Jovan Shaw, Founder & Coaching Consultant, Messy Roots. Messy Roots is a community that offers services to grow current and aspiring coaches of color.

In this episode:

• Shares his Teach For America experience
• Profound Gentlemen 
  • Building from the Ground Up: Mario reflects on the challenges and lessons learned while creating an impactful organization.
  • Effective Leadership: He discusses the importance of leading with intention and authenticity.
    • 1,000 male educators of color 
    • Multi-million $$$ budget
  • Self-Discovery: Personal experiences reveal the transformative nature of leadership.
• Messy Roots
  • Symbolism of the name
    • The intricate connections between a plant's roots and the complexities of leadership.
  • Designed for coaches and organizations
  • Messy Roota Podcast

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!

Welcome back to another episode of the #squarepizzapod. This week, Greg is in conversation with Demetria Gallagher, VP, Innovation Ecosystems, VentureWell. VentureWell fosters collaboration among the best minds from research labs, classrooms, and beyond to advance innovation and entrepreneurship education and to provide unique opportunities for STEM students and researchers to fully realize their potential to improve the world.

In this episode:

• VentureWell
  • Course & Program (C&P) grants program, which provided over $15.2 million to 275 colleges and universities to further their I&E work. 
• Size + Scope of VentureWell
• Position + Responsibilities
  • VP, Innovation Ecosystems
• Innovation work with HBCUs and MSIs
• FLIPspace Advanced Mobility in NW Arkansas
  •  New pilot program focusing on specifically on addressing the transportation challenges of the region, offering participants the opportunity to develop and commercialize new mobility technologies that will shape the future of transportation.

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!

Welcome back to another episode of the #squarepizzapod. Greg is stepping into the spotlight as the guest of the hour being interviewed by none other than Eric Gorman, the visionary Founder of Wily, as part of their popular Talk Tuesday series. Tune in to this engaging conversation to dive deep into Greg’s professional journey. Discover the behind-the-scenes stories of SchermCo's formative years, including the challenges and triumphs that shaped its evolution, and what is keeping Greg up at night.

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!

The Square Pizza Pod welcomes back a guest who last appeared on July 17, 2020, Mo Green. Mo served as the executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation from 2016-2023. Prior to ZSR, Mo served more than seven years as superintendent of Guilford County Schools – the third largest district in North Carolina. He is now running for NC Superintendent of Public Instruction.

In this episode:

• Reasons for running for the position of NC Superintendent of Public Instruction
  • Current state of North Carolina's public schools
  • Severe underfunding (ranking 48th, 49th, and 46th in various metrics)
• Increased funding for vouchers that divert resources from public education
• His new vision that reveres public educators, enhances parent and community engagement, and addresses systemic challenges like teacher pay and working conditions
• Legal issues affecting education policy in NC
• Personal motivations

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!

Welcome back to another episode of the #squarepizzapod. This week, Greg and Jia are in conversation with Kim Perez, SchermCo, Family Empowerment Associate. Kim has been a part of the team for over 6 months now!

In this episode: 

• Who is Kim Perez
• What brings her to this work
  • K-12 journey
• Why SchermCo
• Surprises about Schermco / being on this side of the work
  • Vulnerability with both school staff and community members
• Lessons learned over the past 6 months

Meet the team :)

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!

Welcome back to another episode of #squarepizzapod. This week, guest host and Associate Director of Family Empowerment, Mathu Gibson, sits down with Cherie Graham (Chief of Instructional Support and Family Engagement) of Sugar Creek Charter School. Sugar Creek Charter School is one of the oldest charter schools in Charlotte, NC. 

Their mission is to eradicate generational poverty in the lives of their students by providing a rigorous education from kindergarten through 12th grade, focusing on academic preparation, college and career readiness, and life skills for success. On this episode, we discuss Graham's journey to education and the work she and Sugar Creek Charter are doing to empower families at their school.

In this episode: 

• Influence and story: 
  • Education journey
• Sugar Creek Charter School and communities 
  • What challenges families at SCCS face, + how is SCCS working to help families overcome them
• Vision and hope 
  • How she sees herself making a difference in the lives of families

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