The Bazz Show

In this episode, I discuss the growing challenges in higher education with Dr. Brownlee. We talk about student success, innovation and doing things differently after the pandemic. 

Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee currently serves as the Vice President for Student Success at St. Philip’s College. Effective July 15, 2021, he will serve as President of the Community College of Aurora (Aurora, Colorado) within the Colorado Community College System.

Dr. Mordecai's mission as an educator is to work collectively with all stakeholders to create a safe and equitable learning environment that promotes student inclusion, student engagement, and student success.

Julie Margretta Wilson is a coach and advisor to school leaders, educational institutions, and foundations whose mission is to shape the future of K–12 education. She has over fifteen years’ experience building effective learning environments that unlock human potential and enable organizational culture to adapt and grow during times of change. She is the founder and executive director of Institute for the Future of Learning, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping transform the 'one size does not fit all' model of education. The Institute works with a diverse range of clients including public schools, independent schools, public charter schools, and educational philanthropic organizations.

Recent speaking engagements include TEDx, fuse, the Center for Transformational Leadership, and the Science of Teaching and Leadership Academy. Julie graduated from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education with a master’s degree in technology, innovation, and education, and a bachelor’s of arts in business administration and French from Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland. During her time as a staff member at Harvard, Julie was the recipient of the Harvard Hero award for outstanding contributions to the University.

Phillip Raub is Chief Executive Officer of Model No., the first custom furniture brand that operates at the intersection of technology, design, and sustainability. Raub joins Model No. from b8ta, where he served as President and Co-Founder of the software- powered retailer. In this role, he pioneered the retail-as-a-service concept which leverages data analytics to provide brand partners with consumer products engagement and feedback data in real-time. He was also integral in expanding the brand to new markets domestically and internationally. Additionally, he served as Co-CEO of Toy Retail Showrooms, the operator of Toys “R” Us® stores in the U.S., where he led the vision to evolve the iconic toy store into an experiential retail brand. Prior to b8ta, he served as Head of Global Channel Marketing for Nest at Google. Over the years, Raub has proven to be a true innovator operating at the intersection of commerce and technology and distinctly poised to position Model No. as the category leader in the furniture industry at the cross section of technology and sustainability.

College is here to stay and is going to be more relevant more than ever for people who want to educate themselves and grow in their careers. I totally disagree with the way college is described by Gary Vee I think the pandemic is going to change the way colleges function. But the data doesn’t lie, college does lead to economic empowerment. What are your thoughts?

in this episode, I talk with Global Branding Expert Rana Mouawad about the secrets of branding that lead to becoming an influencer. We discuss the challenges of gaining followers but losing your personal brand. She wants to help you build a healthy business mindset, curiosity around creating a business and life you desire, provoke change, calculated risks and growth.

In this episode, I answer the question "What's the number one skill post-pandemic?" Although there are thousands of important skills but most importantly this skill is what people are going to need in 2021 to survive. 

A committed water quality and compliance professional, Gracie Torres joined Western’s Board of Directors in December 2018 and now serves as Vice President. She  represents Division 2, which includes portions of the City of Riverside located southeast of the 91 Freeway and west of the 215 Freeway, portions of Lake Mathews, March Air Reserve Base, and Woodcrest.

Vice President Torres is a previous recipient of the Western - Lois B. Krieger Endowed Scholarship. She received the award while attending California State University San Bernardino. In 2019, Gracie was awarded an “IMPACT Award” by the Pick Group of Riverside for Civic Impact and recognized as “35 under 35” in 2020 by Young Elected Officials Network.

Gracie Torres is a longtime Riverside resident and a proud product of Riverside Unified School District schools as well as Riverside Community College. Her passion for water quality and environmental science developed when she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry/Biochemistry and a Master's in Earth and Environmental Sciences from California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). She is currently working on a Doctorate in Public Administration at Cal Baptist University (CBU).  Professionally, she is a water chemist and water quality compliance planner with Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District and is an adjunct chemistry professor at CSUSB.

Director Torres serves on Western's Executive Ad Hoc Committee.  She also sits on the board for Western's Engineering, Operations and Water Resources and Community and Government Affairs Committees. She also serves on the joint committees for the City of Riverside, Eastern and Rancho California Water Districts and the Riverside Advisory Council. In addition, Director Torres is Western’s representative for the March Joint Powers Authority Successor Agency Oversight Committee, the Chino Desalter Authority, the Association of California Water Agencies Joint Powers Insurance Authority and the Woodcrest Municipal Advisory Council. Director Torres is the District’s alternate representative for the Western Riverside County Regional Wastewater Authority and the Highgrove Municipal Advisory Council.

Gracie Torres and her husband live in Riverside with their three children. Her current term on the Western Board of Directors expires in December 2022.

In this episode, I speak with Stacey about the process of finding a job that aligns with your values. We discuss all the hurdles that one has to go through from discrimination all the way to beating the applicant system. Stacey A. Gordon is a Diversity, Inclusion, and Career Strategist who works to reduce bias in recruiting and barriers to hiring. Leading at the intersection of recruiting, career development, diversity and workplace culture, Stacey has delivered keynote speeches globally and developed educational content that has engaged professionals both in-person and in a virtual environment. She focuses on reworking how companies work. That includes how they recruit, hire and engage women and professionals of color.

In this episode, I answer "How to get views?" Everyone struggles with figuring out how to generate traffic and create content that resonates with their audience. People want leads, sales, and a community but time and time again people fail to get what they are looking for because their audience is limited and they don't know how to grow.