The Bazz Show

In this episode, I speak to Anna about the opportunities available through the UNA-USA network. We discuss how college students and young professionals can get involved with the United Nations and work to shape policy on a global level. Anna Mahalak manages youth engagement initiatives for the United Nations Association of the USA, a program of the UN Foundation. 

Her work focuses on elevating youth voices in building public support for the UN through the UNA-USA campus chapter network, the U.S. Youth Observer program, and young professionals programming. Before joining the UN Foundation, Anna worked at The George Washington University in the Division of Student Affairs. She has a master’s in Higher Education Administration/Student Affairs from The George Washington University and a B.A. in Government from The College of William and Mary.

In this episode, I answer a question from the audience on why organizations fail. I highlight four aspects that cause any company, nonprofit or university to become irrelevant and ultimately walk down the path of failure.  

In this episode we discuss the world of university marketing with Amber,  Director of Marketing at the USC to understand the student recruitment process, shifts in higher education and what the future of marketing entails post pandemic.  

Amber Tolan is the Director of Marketing at the USC Rossier School of Education where she leads student recruitment marketing for ten graduate programs. With 14 years of marketing experience across multiple industries and degrees in business, digital art/web design, and marketing, Amber brings a deep understanding of the multiple disciplines of marketing to her work. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband and son.

“I Help Students Get Paid to Go to College” is not just a slogan but a lifestyle for him. He was blessed to earn enough financial aid and scholarships to be paid to go to school. He could do this while being a non-traditional student, father of 4 sons in High School, and an active member of my church.

In this episode, we speak with Stephanie Otero, CEO of Feeding America to discuss the challenging food crisis that took place during the Covid-19 pandemic. We also discuss new opportunities to tackle food waste and innovative approached to solving the hunger crisis.

Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino ("FARSB") began in April 1980 as Survive Food Bank distributing about 10,000 pounds of food per month and partnering with about 20 local nonprofit agencies.   Today, FARSB distributes over 2 million pounds of food per month and partners with over 250 local nonprofit agencies.

FARSB is one of 200 food banks affiliated with Feeding America, the National Food Bank Network.  FARSB serves the Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, aka the Inland Empire.   There are over 800,000 people who live below the poverty line in the Inland Empire and over 400,000 people who are food insecure.  Our food bank is the largest hunger-relief organization in the Inland Empire, with over 100,000 people who rely on us each month.

Today we speak with Dr. Goldston on the new world of Blockchain, AIs, and NFTs! Recently, we've heard all the hype about buying digital art, what does that mean? How are some companies using blockchain to create solutions to social problems? And what does AI have to do with it? Find out all of that on this episode. 

Dr. Goldston shares his vision of this not-to-distant future. Justin Goldston, Ph.D. is a leading expert on blockchain technology and its inclusion in business enterprises. As a certified management consultant, he has worked with leaders of organizations implementing enterprise applications around the world. With his love for technology and his passion to make a positive impact on social change, Dr. Goldston has made it his mission to bring technological knowledge and capabilities to the people. Dr. Goldston is a member of The Blockchain Council, The World Blockchain Association, The Government Blockchain Association, and is currently studying in one of the first Blockchain programs in the country at Cornell University. With a belief that it was his time to pay it forward, 

Dr. Goldston entered into academia teaching both undergraduate and graduate programs at Aurora University, North Carolina Wesleyan College, as well as being a guest lecturer at Rutgers University and Morgan State University . Dr. Goldston was selected to evaluate one of the first doctoral programs in Quality Systems Management for the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. Goldston has shared his research on various technologies at both academic and professional conferences around the world and is the author of the book Critical Success Factors in ERP implementations in Manufacturing Environments.

Today I speak with LinkedIn Top Voice and Co-Host of EdUp Experience Elizabeth about being bold, authentic, and vulnerable on social media. She's grown her social media following to over 40,000 followers in just under a year by speaking her truth and connecting with what people are feeling. We talk about everything from social media growth to young people's authenticity in the workforce. 

Elizabeth Leiba was born in London, England and raised in sunny south Florida. She is a published writer and have had several articles published in the Sun-Sentinel newspaper in Fort Lauderdale. She has also been published in the Seminole Tribune, the official newspaper for the Seminole Tribe of Florida, where she served as the editor for several years. Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL where she majored in journalism with a minor in education.

She also holds a Master of Business Administration with a focus in Global Management from the University of Phoenix and pursued Interdisciplinary Studies at Western New Mexico University. Over the past decade, Elizabeth has worked as an English Professor both face to face and online for various public and private colleges and universities. Most recently, she has worked as an instructional designer for City College, where she develops and deploys online classes for almost 1,000 students across seven campuses in Florida. Elizabeth’s newest adventure has been serving as a co-host on the successful higher education podcast The EdUp Experience.

-Today, I speak with my friend Robert Jackson from the King Center based in Atlanta, Georgia. Over the past couple of years, I've gotten to learn about the important work they are doing in advocating for nonviolence, justice, and preserving Dr. King's legacy.

In this episode, we speak with social entrepreneur and data scientist Mohammed Kuko about the history of food banks in the United States and new technologies we can use to fight hunger. 

In this episode, I share my reflection on Dr. King's legacy and his formula in leading social change and injustice in society.  In life, we all have defining moments that cause us to think much deeper about our existence. One of those moments for me was in high school when I read Dr. King's Letter from Birmingham Jail in my high school English class. His words cause to me think about structural injustices in society and the most effective ways to organize change. His words and teachings are timeless and nourish the hearts of generations.