PODCAST · business
FutureMakers Talent Talk
by Tessa Lesage
FutureMakers Talent Talk
Episodes
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A Decade of Impact: Reflecting on 10 Years of FutureMakers
In this special episode of Talent Talk, we celebrate 10 years of FutureMakers Coalition—a regional movement dedicated to transforming education and workforce outcomes in Southwest Florida. Join us as we reflect on a decade of progress, partnerships, and lessons learned in the pursuit of a more...
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Rethinking Recruitment: Building Smarter Talent Pipelines in Southwest Florida
In this episode of Talent Talk, we sit down with Blanca Beauchamp, Human Resources leader at Conditioned Air, to explore how one of Southwest Florida’s top employers is transforming its approach to hiring and retention. Blanca shares how their partnership with FutureMakers Coalition helped...
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Unlocking Talent with Unique Abilities — Expanding Opportunities and Building Stronger Career Pathways
In this episode, we speak with Christian Zimmerman, a national leader in education and workforce development, about how individuals with unique abilities are redefining talent in today’s job market. Drawing on his experience at the Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities and his work on...
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The Future of Work: Resilience in Design, Construction, and Community
In this episode of Talent Talk, we sit down with Jeff Carney, Director of the Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience (FIBER) at the University of Florida, to explore how the concepts of resilience are reshaping careers in design, construction, and planning. From shifting skill sets…
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Second Chances and New Foundations: Paul’s Story
In this powerful episode, we sit down with Paul, a resilient entrepreneur and tradesman whose journey from addiction and incarceration to owning a growing plumbing and contracting business is nothing short of inspiring. Paul opens up about the struggles he faced, the turning point that changed...
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Weathering the Storm: Building Workforce Resilience and Community Empathy
When disaster strikes, it doesn’t just impact buildings — it shakes the very foundation of our communities and workplaces. In this episode, we sit down with Chapman Insurance Group to explore how organizations can foster employee resilience and strengthen community empathy in the face of storms…
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Workforce Development: Barriers to training don't have to prevent you from starting a great career
April Mesa and Africa Newby are Navigators within the FutureMakers Coalition. As Navigators, Mesa and Newby work with adults who want to gain new job skills and expand their career possibilities, assisting with everything from exploring options to completing degrees. On today’s episode of Talent...
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Workforce Development: Building rural learning systems in Hendry County
Michael Swindle is the Superintendent of Hendry County Schools, a rural school district serving over 13,000 students. On this episode of Talent Talk, we discuss the areas Swindell is working to grow in Hendry County, namely early learning, graduation rates, transportation and housing. We discuss...
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Student Voices: Reconnecting with education to achieve a dream
24-year-old Junson Francois is a first-generation Haitian American who was born in Miami, Florida and raised in Lee County. Junson, who worked with a FutureMakers Navigator to reconnect with education to get into the career of his dreams, is currently a probationary firefighter with North Fort...
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Workforce Development: Giving second chancers an opportunity to succeed
Neil Volz is the Deputy Director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC). On this episode of Talent Talk, we discuss the importance of helping individuals who have been previously incarcerated to find meaningful careers and to help educate employers on the benefits and practical...
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Student Voices: Using second changes to help the next generation
William Stewart is the owner of Stewart & Sons Electric, an all-inclusive electrical contracting company. A Southwest Florida native, William graduated from the Tri-County Apprenticeship Program after being formerly incarcerated. He went on to start his own business and now serves as the…
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Workforce Development: Rural work and thoughts on why developing expertise in rural communities is important
Dakota Pawlicki is the Director of Talent Hubs with CivicLab. Talent Hubs are designated exemplars that stand out for their efforts to ensure that residents of all backgrounds receive education and training after high school. On this episode of Talent Talk, we discuss rural work, the importance…
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Workforce Development: Helping the future workforce reach their potential
Jamaree Jones and Quay Longs are co-founders of Strive Hall, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering under-resourced youth. On this episode of Talent Talk, Jamaree (President) and Quay (CEO) share about their work as it relates to building the local workforce. Recent graduates of FGCU’s...
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Workforce Development: Educating Future Developers
Joe Bonora is the founder and president of Catalyst Asset Management and Catalyst Community Capital, Inc. The nonprofit works to provide investment for small businesses and project development with a concentration on multifamily properties. This includes mentorship, coaching, and technical...
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Workforce Development: Scaling Talent
In this episode we hear from Dakota Pawlicki, the Director of Talent Hubs at Civic Lab. He was also our guest in Season 2. Dakota believes that the greatest change happens at the local and regional level. This is significant when it comes to systems change for students who are disadvantaged. He...
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Workforce Development: Strengthening Rural Communities
Michael Swindle was our first guest in the first season of Talent Talk. He discusses his vision as the current Superintendent of Hendry County Schools with a workforce-oriented approach. Mike started his position during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which presented several unique challenges...
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Workforce Development: Translating Liberal Arts Education
Dr. Glenn Whitehouse is the Associate Dean of College of Arts & Sciences at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) and Director of the PAGES program. Glenn earned his Philosophy degree at the New College of Florida. He worked over the summer at a tech firm and completed a research report for the...
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Adult learners: Stopping Out Is Not Dropping Out
In this episode of Talent Talk, we hear from Jason Powella on his experience as an adult learner that returned to the classroom after stopping out. Many students in his situation were only a few credits short of earning their credential but faced uncontrollable life circumstances. Jason is the...
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Higher Education: Prioritizing Returning Students
Shasta College is a community college that serves the three counties of Shasta, Tehama, and Trinity in Northern California. In this episode of Talent Talk, Kate Mahar discusses the significant role the college has had on the surrounding rural community it serves. Kate is the Dean of Innovation…
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Workforce Development: Accelerating College Readiness
Roberto Sanchez is the Director of Secondary Education in Hendry County Schools and serves a diverse school district. He was born in Mexico and immigrated with his family to the United States at the early age of two. Roberto grew up in Arcadia, FL and moved to Hendry County in 2005. He touches on...
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Workforce Development: Building Trust
Growing up in Immokalee, home to many agricultural workers and their families, presents many challenges as students juggle life outside of the classroom. Noemi Perez is the President & CEO of the Immokalee Foundation and speaks on these circumstances. She discusses her personal journey growing up...
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Student Voices: Prioritizing your needs
Our guest this episode is Carlos Mendez, a first-generation college student in his third year at Florida Gulf Coast University. Carlos is a full-time student majoring in Anthropology, but he is also working full-time as a Graphic Designer. He shares with us what it is like to work full-time while...
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Workforce Development: It starts before Kindergarten
From New York to Florida, Susan Block has always known she has had a passion for early childhood education. Susan is our guest on this episode of Talent Talk, and she is the CEO of Early Learning Coalition here in Southwest Florida. She shares her work history and the journey that led her to her...
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Workforce Development: Career in a year
In this episode of Talent Talk we hear all about career and technical education from Yolanda Flores. Yolanda currently works at Lorenzo Walker Technical College as the Administrative Director. She explains to us what exactly technical colleges are and the benefits they have for students in the...
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Higher Education: Being a student ally
Our guest this episode is Jenna Rytlewski, a student success advisor at Florida Southwestern State College. Jenna tells us all about FSW and some of the programs this regionally accredited institution is currently offering. She also shares with us the journey that led her to her current career…
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Student Voices: Finding Inspiration
In recent years, the student population has become much more diverse in terms of race, socioeconomic status, and age, meaning that the term “traditional student” no longer applies to the majority of the student population. Adrian Surratt is one member of the student population that has led to the...
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Workforce Development: Bold Goals
Building a skilled workforce has been an important focus for not only FutureMakers Coalition, but businesses and organizations across the country, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Talented workforce is just one of the topics our guest Dakota Pawlicki discusses in this episode of Talent...
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Workforce Development: Building upon skills
Mike Boose is the Senior Director of Human Resources and Organization Development at Arthrex, a company based in Naples, Florida. In this Talent Talk episode, Mike shares his professional background in manufacturing and leadership, leading him to his career in Human Resources at Arthrex. He also...
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Student Voices: Finishing what you started
Around 20% of the working-age adults in Southwest Florida who do not have a credential beyond a high school diploma started college but did not complete their degree. Many of these students stop-out of college because of financial barriers or other responsibilities that prohibit them from...
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Adult learners: Adapting for success
In this episode of the FutureMakers Coalition Talent Talk we hear from Kristen Vanselow, the Director of Operations for FGCU Complete. Kristen describes what the FGCU Complete program is and their goal of welcoming back adult-learners, removing barriers to degree completion, being more inclusive...
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Student Voices: Finding your passion
Meet Paul Volperian, an adult learner at Florida Gulf Coast University. After many years of dedication and hard work, Paul will be graduating in the fall with a degree in Integrated Studies and a minor in Education! In this episode of the FutureMakers Coalition Talent Talk, he shares his...
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Chambers of Commerce: Business as un-usual
Southwest Florida has seen sustainable growth and measurable impact in recent years despite barriers pertaining to the environment, equality, and COVID-19. In this session, Colleen DePasquale tells us about The Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce, of which she is the President and CEO, and how...
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Student Voices: When life happens
In this episode of the FutureMakers Coalition Talent Talk we hear from Alissa Perry, an adult learner at Florida Gulf Coast University. Alissa describes her journey as a part-time student at a community college, while simultaneously juggling the responsibilities of being a single parent, taking...
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Workplaces: Equity and cultural competence
Our guest this episode is Dr. Nicole King-Smith, a certified culture consultant who works with organizations in the private and public sectors on ways to improve equity and cultural competence on internal and external fronts. Dr. King-Smith shares her passion for generational change and the...
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Higher Education: Shifting the way we do business
In this episode of the FutureMakers Coalition Talent Talk we chat with the president of Hodges University, Dr. John Meyer. John shared his postsecondary experience as an adult learner and how it has helped him in his current position and allowed him to support his students. He also shares common...
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Workforce Development: Rural communities
Rural communities face many economic barriers and there are many challenges to finding solutions to address poverty, both of which have been heightened since the onset of COVID-19. At the time of recording, Mike Swindle was Hendry County Commissioner and Director of Workforce Development for…
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Talent Talk
Conversations that dive deep into the ever-changing world of talent and economic development from the perspectives of those designing, working in, and experiencing these systems. Given the economic impacts of COVID-19, changing perspectives on the value of a college education, and the way and…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
FutureMakers Talent Talk
HOSTED BY
Tessa Lesage
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does FutureMakers Talent Talk have?
FutureMakers Talent Talk currently has 38 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is FutureMakers Talent Talk about?
FutureMakers Talent Talk
How often does FutureMakers Talent Talk release new episodes?
FutureMakers Talent Talk has 38 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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You can listen to FutureMakers Talent Talk on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts FutureMakers Talent Talk?
FutureMakers Talent Talk is created and hosted by Tessa Lesage.
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