This Civic Moment

Lane Koch is a conservative grassroots strategist, writer, speaker, political commentator, and Vice President of C3 Public Strategies. In 2020, Lane founded Grassroots Girl, a consulting brand specializing in providing customized voter-contact platforms, ballot initiatives, and more. In September 2021, Core Strategic Group acquired Grassroots Girl. Passionate about helping all people to fulfill their political aspirations, Lane utilizes social media platforms to educate her audience with daily tips on campaigning and career advice for politicos and new candidates. 

In this episode, Engage Democracy Fellows, Louis Damani Jones and Bethany Copeland, speak with Lane about what happens behind the scenes of a political campaign. From consulting clients to working specifically with Missouri senators, this conversation sheds light on the mechanics of running for political office.  

Ray Boshara is senior advisor for the Institute for Economic Equity at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, where he focuses on building savings and wealth inclusively. He is also a senior fellow in the Financial Security Program at the Aspen Institute.

In this episode of This Civic Moment, our hosts Louis Damani Jones and Bethany Copeland, Engage Democracy Fellows at the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, meet with Ray Boshara to explore his life and upbringing, asset-based social policy, the racial wealth gap, and more.

Caroline Fan is an activist, consultant, and founder and president of the Missouri Asian American Youth Foundation. In this episode of This Civic Moment, Caroline discusses the importance of representation, nuances of language, and the public perception of Asian American identity through stories from her lived experience.

Mike Jones II, Ph.D., is an Associate Director, Community Science with the Race & Opportunity Lab at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University. He is a native Saint Louisan and is passionate about his hometown’s ability to increase our capacity by building the necessary infrastructure and support systems for marginalized populations. 

In this episode, Dr. Jones, a self-declared Imos Pizza-enthusiast, traces his journey growing up in North St. Louis County to Saint Louis University and beyond. The conversation with Engage Democracy Fellows Louis Damani Jones and Bethany Copeland explores the turning points in Dr. Jones' civic journey, racial disparities and the importance of representation in higher education, the influence of faith in civic engagement, and much more.

Ness Sandoval, Ph.D, is associate director of Saint Louis University’s Geospatial Institute (GeoSLU) and an associate professor of sociology at SLU. In this episode, Dr. Sandoval traces his journey from a small town in Nebraska to his current role at Saint Louis University teaching students to leverage data to interrogate and better understand our shared experiences. Dr. Sandvoal and This Civic Moment hosts Louis Damani Jones and Bethany Copeland, Engage Democracy Fellows at the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, explore the confluence of data science and civic engagement and discuss how data science can inform and shape St. Louis' civic future.

Representative Avery Bourne (R-Morrisonville) joins This Civic Moment to discuss her pathway to the Illinois General Assembly, and the lessons learned in public service that continue to shape her leadership and civic engagement journey. Rep. Bourne is joined on the podcast by hosts Louis Damani Jones and Bethany Copeland, Engage Democracy Fellows at the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement at Washington University in St. Louis.

Former Congressman Richard (Dick) A. Gephardt served for 28 years in the United States House of Representatives from 1976 to 2004, representing Missouri's 3rd Congressional District, home to his birthplace St. Louis. He was elected to serve as House Democratic Leader for more than 14 years, as House Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995 and Minority Leader from 1995 to 2003. Mr. Gephardt ran as a Democratic candidate for U.S. President twice, in 1988 and 2004.

Congressman Richard (Dick) A. Gephardt has had a long, storied career in public service including elected local office in St. Louis and serving as a United States House Representative from Missouri from 1977 to 2005. He served as both House Majority and House Minority Leader for the Democrats in Congress. In his role as Leader, Gephardt emerged as one of the leading strategists of the Democratic Party’s platform and chief architect to landmark reforms in healthcare, pensions, education, energy independence, and trade policy. In addition, he is President and CEO of Gephardt Government Affairs.

Dr. Kira Hudson Banks is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Saint Louis University. She is co-founder of the Institute for Healing Justice and Equity at Saint Louis University, and has served as a racial equity consultant for the Ferguson Commission and Racial Equity Catalyst for Forward Through Ferguson. Along with that work, she is co-principal of The Mouse and the Elephant, an innovative diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting firm. She has consulted for numerous organizations and has published over 20 peer-reviewed articles in addition to popular articles in publications such as the Atlantic and the Guardian. You can find her podcast, Raising Equity, anywhere podcasts are found.

Scott Faughn is the editor and founder of the Missouri Times and host of one of the leading shows on Missouri politics, "This Week in Missouri Politics."