Square Pizza

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In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg welcomes back Taylor James for her fourth appearance on the show and her first since earning her MBA and stepping into the role of Director of Strategic Implementation at SchermCo. In this episode, you’ll learn more about:

• How Taylor’s journey from classroom teacher to Director of Strategic Implementation shapes the way she leads complex strategy and project management work
• How earning her MBA while working full time strengthened her “measurement muscle” and helped her shift from completing tasks to truly owning outcomes for clients
• What it really looks like to design and implement programs like the Flight Forward aviation internship program and She Built This City’s pre-apprenticeship expansion
• How Taylor approaches relaunching programs, managing stakeholders, and moving ideas from concept to execution
• Why time management, trusting the process, and building real relationships remain core to meaningful social impact work

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On this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg sits down with Danielle Frazier, Special Assistant to the City Manager for Workforce Development in the City of Charlotte and longtime girls flag football coach. They talk about what it really takes to build pathways to good jobs, why a one cent sales tax for transportation is actually a mobility and opportunity strategy, and how a career that started in one local organization has grown into national leadership.

From coaching high school flag football and renovating bathrooms with her dad to helping design Charlotte’s first Office of Workforce Development and chairing the United States Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council, Danielle shares a grounded, hopeful view of what is possible when cities, schools, employers, and residents pull in the same direction.

In this episode, you will hear:

• How growing up in a football family and coaching girls flag football shapes Danielle’s leadership with young people and teams
• A clear, accessible definition of workforce development and how Charlotte’s new Office of Workforce Development and strategic plan are bringing that vision to life
• What Charlotte’s historic transportation and mobility investment could mean for thousands of future jobs in construction, skilled trades, professional services, and small businesses
• How the Education to Employment initiative with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools is creating direct pathways from high school graduation into full-time roles with the City of Charlotte
• Why employer engagement and emerging tools like artificial intelligence are becoming essential to a healthy, future-ready workforce ecosystem

If you care about economic mobility, public investment, or connecting young people and adults to meaningful work in growing cities, this is a conversation you will want to hear.

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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 Erica Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer of United Way of Greater Nashville, for a candid conversation about leading regional change at the intersection of poverty, philanthropy, and community power.

From what was supposed to be a two-year stop at United Way to more than fifteen years of growing responsibility, Erica reflects on how the work has evolved as Nashville has exploded in size and complexity. She shares how her team is moving beyond traditional workplace giving to focus on workforce pathways, neighborhood-based partnerships, and efforts like the Fifth Third Neighborhood Initiative in North Nashville that are designed with, not just for, community members.

In this episode, you will hear:

• How a short-term role at United Way became a long-term calling to serve the region
• What it really takes to prevent and alleviate poverty in a fast-growing city
• Lessons from navigating multiple nonprofit mergers—and what leaders often underestimate
• How the merger with Hands On Nashville is reshaping volunteer engagement and community response
• Why affordable child care sits at the center of economic mobility for families
• How Erica approaches leading a one-hundred-person team and a forty-plus-member board
• Why she is cautiously optimistic about artificial intelligence and what questions leaders should be asking now

If you care about community, equity, or building stronger cities through real partnership, this is an episode you will not want to miss.

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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 Shaka Mitchell, educator, policy leader, and advocate for school choice, for an engaging and candid conversation about education, leadership, and civic engagement.

From his early days in Nashville to his current work shaping education policy across Tennessee, Shaka reflects on what’s changed—and what hasn’t—about how we prepare students for the future. Along the way, he shares sharp insights on the role of local leadership, the real stories behind school choice debates, and how families and communities can stay engaged in creating better systems for kids.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why Shaka believes “parents are the most important education reformers”
• How Tennessee’s education landscape is shifting post-pandemic
• Lessons from the charter sector and what traditional districts can learn
• His advice for building civic trust and bridging ideological divides
• How he uses music as a common ground to spark conversation and bridge differences
• A few Nashville stories (and laughs) along the way

If you care about schools, leadership, or the future of public education, this is one you don’t want to miss.

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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 Podcast, host Greg Schermbeck sits down with Rod Banks, long-time community development and philanthropy leader, for a candid conversation on leadership, career growth, and the evolving landscape of corporate social responsibility (CSR). 

Rod reflects on his journey from economic development in Spartanburg to nearly two decades with Wachovia and Wells Fargo, where he has shaped philanthropic investments across housing, small business growth, and financial health. Along the way, he discusses how his calm leadership style—something inherited from his father—has influenced both his personal and professional life, and why open dialogue with nonprofits is critical for long-term community impact. 

In this episode, you’ll hear: 

• Rod’s reflections on family influences, staying grounded, and even his passionate side as a Steelers fan
• The scale of investments in Charlotte and western North Carolina, with a focus on housing, small businesses, and financial mobility
• Lessons from partnering with both established organizations like Gardhouse & Freedom Fighting Missionaries
• Why nonprofit leaders should lean into authenticity and open conversations with funders—even when it means discussing vulnerabilities
• Insights on the growing conversation around nonprofit mergers and acquisitions, and why sustainability must be central to strategic planning
• His hope for Charlotte’s CSR ecosystem: continued collaboration among funders to meet community needs with both rigor and trust

This episode is for nonprofit leaders, funders, and anyone invested in community change. Rod’s steady leadership, deep experience, and practical wisdom offer a grounded perspective on how philanthropy can adapt and thrive in uncertain times.

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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 full-circle episode of the Square Pizza Podcast, host Greg Schermbeck reconnects with Jason Terrell, President of the R. Howard Dobbs Jr. Foundation, for a wide-ranging and insightful conversation on fatherhood, leadership, and the evolving world of philanthropy.

Jason reflects on how his personal and professional journey has shifted since his last appearance in 2020—moving from nonprofit founder to a philanthropic leader with a statewide platform. Along the way, he shares what it means to lead with trust, how his thinking has evolved, and why the future of meaningful giving lies in deeper collaboration and intersectionality.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Jason’s reflections on parenting and how teaching and leadership tools show up at home
• His career shift from Profound Gentlemen to leading a $65M foundation with a two-person team
• Why philanthropy is more fragile than it appears—and what nonprofit leaders need to understand
• The Dobbs Foundation’s approach to funding education, health, and the environment, and how Jason applies a “multi-solving” lens to support holistic change
• The growing role of AI in philanthropy, from data transparency to democratizing access to information
• A call for funders to serve as learning engines, not just check writers, and to prioritize trust and flexibility alongside accountability

This episode is for nonprofit leaders, funders, and anyone navigating the intersections of community work, equity, and innovation. Jason’s honesty and strategic clarity offer a blueprint for how philanthropy can evolve without losing its heart.

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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 Podcast, Greg sits down with Aaron Randolph, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Carolina Youth Coalition (CYC)—an organization supporting over 500 high-achieving, under-resourced students across Charlotte. With warmth and wisdom, Aaron shares how his upbringing in a small Florida town, passion for football, and early exposure to AmeriCorps shaped his path into educational equity.

Key Highlights:

• From Lake City to Leadership: How growing up in rural Florida and attending Cornell shaped Aaron’s core values and his community-first approach to leadership.
• The Power of Athletics: Lessons from the football field that translate into resilience, teamwork, and accountability—essential for building thriving organizations.
• Carolina Youth Coalition’s High-Touch Model: A deep dive into CYC’s mission, growth, and what sets it apart in the college access space—including mentorship, career readiness, and a second campus powered by CPI Security.
• Juggling (Literally & Figuratively): Why Aaron became a “master juggler” in third grade and what the skill teaches him about focus, presence, and leadership.
• AI & The Future of Work: Aaron’s insights on how artificial intelligence is reshaping workforce development—and what that means for the students and families CYC serves.
• Academic Cool Factor: How CYC intentionally makes college and academic success aspirational, especially for first-gen students.

Whether you're a leader, educator, or just curious about what it takes to build pathways for student success in the 21st century, this episode offers fresh perspective, honest storytelling, and practical leadership takeaways.

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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!

Welcome back to another episode of the #squarepizzapod. This week, Greg is in conversation with Christine Edwards Pitkin, Founder & CEO of Civility Localized & Civic Impact Academy. Civility Localized is a minority and woman-owned Community Engagement Consulting Firm with headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In this episode: 

• Civility Localized
  • Minority and woman-owned consulting firm and its mission to help communities grow with dignity through inclusive strategies for local and state government initiatives
  • Community outreach and engagement
• Civic Impact Academy
  • An educational experience that brings local community leaders and government leaders into the same rooms
  • Started in 2024
  • Launching a new cohort in September and applications open in July
• Board Member Experience
  • GenerationNation, Humane Society, and QC Family Tree 
    • Best practices of high-performing boards?
    • What aspiring board members know
    • Be ready and willing to give of yourself - your time, your money, your contacts

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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!

Welcome back to another episode of the #squarepizzapod. This week, Greg is in conversation with Maya Martin Cadogan, Founder & Exec Director of Parents Amplifying Voices in Education. Founded in April 2016 with an all-parent governing board, PAVE is dedicated to creating an environment where the vision for education in DC is created with children and families, not for them. We aim to shift the dynamic so that communities and parents are partners in creating great schools.

In this episode: 

• PAVE
  • Empowering parents as partners in creating a diverse and equitable education system in DC
  • How PAVE is making a difference in education in DC
• LearnDC - Parent Driven selection process 
• Current Administration + Potential Closure of the Department of Education
  • How it will effect their work
  • Potential long-term ramifications
• AI in Education
  • How using AI tools to shape their work and drive change in education

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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 from our family empowerment work. We host quarterly convenings for leaders and key players from our family empowerment cohort to gather and share insights and best practices related to family engagement and empowerment at the school level. This round was focused on Spring Break and Family Learning Time. Jia Lin-Bothe, our Director of Family Empowerment, had a fantastic discussion with our community partners on how to maximize Spring Break for family learning! Guests (panelists) include Stephanie Cales (North Carolina Council on Economic Education), Kaiwen Cheng (Queen City Robotics Alliance), and Patrina Garza (Charlotte Mecklenburg Library); they shared valuable insights on:

• Unique learning experiences available for students during Spring Break
• How programs support academic growth, social-emotional development, and career exploration
• Ways families can create low-cost, meaningful learning experiences at home or in the community
• Resources available to ensure accessibility for all families

Mrs. Cherie Graham (Chief of Instructional Support and Family Engagement at Sugar Creek Charter School) also shared the Spring Break BINGO Activity that the Family Engagement Council came up with a few years back. We hope you enjoy this episode on creating meaningful and accessible learning experiences for families during Spring Break!

Resources: 

• Link to the slide deck
• Resources list shared by our panelists

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