Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home

Episode 119 Barrow Peacock - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

How to work across the aisle and get transformative projects done like the new Jimmie Davis Bridge are at the core of this week's discussion. You can find my full discussion with Barrow Peacock here.
 
Here are the questions I asked:
 
0:28 1. Many people know you as Senator Peacock. But before you became Senator Peacock, you ran four unsuccessful campaigns for both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature.
 
Let’s start here today.
 
What convinced you initially to pursue political office? And how did you overcome the initial setback of four defeats to persist?
 
3:38 2. You were very involved during your 12 years in the State Legislature with the Jimmie Davis Bridge. Tell me some about this long, difficult project and where it is today.
 
8:28 3. You had a reputation as someone who could work across the aisle. There’s a story where your first vote as senator was the lone “nay” in the election of President John Alario for the 2012 term, after which you asked President Alario for a ride to New Orleans for that night’s BCS game between LSU and Alabama.
 
In a community where politics often continues to separate us, what are some words of wisdom you can share with the rest of us to help us to get along and work better with those who may think differently than us?
 
12:36 4. How did you decide when to tackle an issue and/or author a bill?
 
16:22 5. You had a very impactful and effective 12 years as State Senator, including serving as Chair of the Senate Retirement Committee and the Judiciary A Committee. As you look back on your time in the State Senate, talk to me a little about your legacy. What do you count among your greatest accomplishments? How about your biggest regrets?

Episode 118 Dr. Barzanna White - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

Supporting our students as administrators, teachers and parents is our focus this week as we sit down with Dr. Barzanna White, Caddo Parish District School Psychologist.
 
Here are the questions I asked:
 
0:41 1. You are the Caddo Parish District School Psychologist. In your role, you focus on student supports, positive school climates, suicide prevention, bullying prevention and safe and drug free schools. You are also the lead responder for all crises in the district.
 
I want to get into a number of different areas of your expertise today but let’s start here.
 
In speaking about cyberbullying, you once said that certain conversations need to take place between a parent and a child before the child is ever allowed to enter cyberspace. Can you talk some about what you recommend parents explain in these early conversations? And are there other precautions that you suggest parents take as their kids become users of social media and participants in cyberspace?
 
8:47 2. You were in your role with Caddo Parish Schools during COVID. We have spoken numerous times on this podcast about the negative impact that COVID had on our school-aged kids and the challenges it posed for our students and teachers. Because I have heard you speak about this some in the past, what are some of the positive things that came out of COVID?
 
15:08 3. We spoke about the conversations that you recommend parents have with their children in an effort to reduce or prevent cyberbullying. What are some other things our parents can do in the home to help our schools and teachers?
 
17:39 4. You once said, “It always becomes the balance in education. How much mental health should we provide and still be an academic learning community?”
 
If you could, briefly talk about some of the mental health initiatives that have taken place in Caddo Schools in the last 10 or so years and how you think about this balance between mental health and academic learning.

Episode 117 Howard Pernell Allen - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

I have completed 117 episodes so far about fascinating people doing important work.  But the journey of Howard Pernell Allen is as riveting as I have found.  You can hear my full discussion with him here.
Here are the questions I asked:
 
0:38 1. You were born in 1964. In 1981 you were arrested and sentenced to Angola for murdering someone. You were sentenced to life without parole, probation nor suspension of sentence.
 
Judge John R Ballard when sentencing you said, “We’ve had in you in our juvenile facilities, now we’ve finally got you. All your dreams, hopes and goals are over. I sentence you to life. I confine you for the rest of your life to hard labor.”
 
Talk to me about your early childhood and life. What put you on this initial path that led to you being at Angola?
 
3:06 2. I’ve read that the death of a childhood friend altered your life. Talk to me about this and how you ended up working for Warden Burl Cain.
 
8:00 3. In 2000, Time Magazine came to do a story on Warden Cain. While doing the story, the Time Magazine reporter had your food. They wrote about it and wrote some about your story. Tell me about this.
 
15:13 4. You served 22 years at Angola. What happened on Christmas Day 2003?
 
20:00 5. I don’t want to spend too much time on this next question but tell me about your time with the next Louisiana Governor, Kathleen Blanco.
 
22:48 6. Tell me about some of the work you are doing now and some of the different work you have been doing since being back in Shreveport.
 
25:05 7. I have two more questions. The first is as follows:
 
What do you attribute your ability to be rehabilitated to compared to most of the people you met while in Angola?
 
29:45 8. Do you have any advice on how we do a better job with our reentry work here in Caddo Parish and any guidance on how we work with the 1500 people at CCC in a safe way?

Episode 116 Roy Murry - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

So many of my guests are people who have been in the trenches, often far removed from the spotlight, doing invaluable work for our community. This week's guest is no exception. You can hear my discussion with Former Director of Security for Caddo Schools, Roy Murry, here (or wherever you get your podcasts by searching "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home").
 
Here are the questions I asked:
 
0:38 1. You were the Director of Security for Caddo Schools for nearly three decades, retiring at the end of April 2023. I want to start with this great quote of yours because I think it will frame the conversation well:
 
“For a lot of years, I talked about the things that you do to make schools safe and really it kinda boils down to about two things. If you can control who comes and goes on your school campuses and you can supervise people that are on your school campuses then you can pretty much keep schools as safe as you possibly can. But if you can’t do one of those things or if you can’t do either of those things then you can’t keep any school safe.
 
So pretty much in Caddo what we’ve tried to concentrate on for the last 25 years is to find ways to control who comes and goes on our campuses and to better supervise the people that are on our campuses.”
 
I want to cover a number of things security-related in our schools. How did you approach mass shootings that occurred around the country and tell me some of the things your team learned from looking at them?
 
3:32 2. I’ve heard you talk about how important situational awareness is for our teachers and students. Talk to me some about that if you could.
 
15:48 3. I thought this was an amazing stat that I needed to share. I read in an article from 2020 that when you became director of security for Caddo Parish schools in 1993, your budget for safety was about $490,0000. Today, as worries about possible school shootings increase across the country, the parish spends about $6.7M/year on security for its schools.
 
How are searches done on students in Caddo schools?
 
20:20 4. I know that one of your main priorities was access control. Tell me what this means, some of the challenges that Caddo schools face in achieving this, and how we’re coming with limiting point of entry at all our schools.

Episode 115 John Hoffman - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

What do we sound like as a community? This week for the first time we dive into our local music industry. You can find my full discussion with Drummer John Hoffman here (or wherever you get your podcasts by searching "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home").
 
Here are the questions I asked:
 
0:44 1. You are at least a second-generation local musician. Tell me about your dad, Stan Hoffman.
 
6:34 2. You have been and are currently a member of a number of local bands. Tell me about the groups you’re currently fronting and/or a part of.
 
9:14 3. Talk to me about the local music scene. Is it healthy? Where is it thriving, how could it continue to evolve to become even more vital?
 
15:12 4. Where and how do you suggest someone network who wants to be a part of the music scene here?
 
21:26 5. We all know that New Orleans has this amazing, vibrant music scene. What keeps you here? And how do we keep more of our local, musical talent from moving to New Orleans or places like Nashville or Austin?

Episode 114 Commissioner Stormy Gage-Watts and Captain LaTienda Pierre - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

Collaboration, Communication and Capitalizing on External Resources are the themes of this week's episode. You can find my full discussion with Commissioner Stormy Gage-Watts and Captain LaTienda Pierre here.
 
Here are the questions I asked:
 
0:43 1. Commissioner, let’s start with you. You serve as the Chair of the Juvenile Justice Committee. How often does the committee meet and can you share some of the issues you are currently discussing?
 
4:22 2. Captain, it was recently announced that you will serve as the Captain of Community Programs for Sheriff Whitehorn. Can you tell me about this new role and some of the responsibilities associated with it?
 
10:38 3. Commissioner, you recently attended the North Carolina Rehabilitation and Reentry Conference. Can you tell me about this conference and some of the key takeaways for you?
 
15:41 4. Captain, I know that Sheriff Whitehorn is only about 90 days into his service, but is there anything you can share so far about his priorities?
 
20:53 5. These next few questions are for either or both of you. I know we’re having trouble with overcrowding at CCC. How’s treatment and re-entry going? Is that an area we could improve upon?
 
29:48 6. How are you working with the City in terms of combatting the issue of crime we continue to face?
 
32:14 7. For someone who wants to live in a safer city, any recommendations you have for how they can get involved as a concerned community member?
 
38:36 8. I know there has been some talk around the revitalization of the work release program. Is there anything you would like to share about that?

Episode 113 Mario Chavez - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

"If you want friends, you must first find yourself friendly" is the title of this week's episode. You can find my full discussion with Mario Chavez, Former Caddo Parish Commissioner and Owner of MersaTech, here.
 
Here are the questions I asked:
 
0:27 1. We’ll cover a lot of ground today but let’s start here.
 
On October 9th you will be the featured speaker at the free entrepreneurial event, 1 Million Cups. In the description for the event, it says, “Many years and family members’ electronic equipment later, coupled with countless times of being electrocuted and even accidentally starting a fire in his bedroom while learning the power of alternate current over direct current, it was only natural that Mario would find his way into the military, specifically the high-tech sector of FM transmissions and satellite communication."
 
Talk to me about the young Mario Chavez and his interest and curiosity about electronics.
 
5:26 2. After 12 years in the military, you hung up your combat boots to focus on your business MersaTech. Tell me how MersaTech got started, what it does, and what has come of this business that, 20 years ago, had but one customer.
 
22:30 3. In 2016, you were elected as Caddo Parish's first Latino Commissioner. From your perspective, is the Hispanic community today unified with the white and black communities in the Shreveport-Bossier area? And, if not, as you look around, what are some of the steps you feel could be taken to help bring these communities closer together?
 
27:40 4. You ran for mayor of Shreveport in 2022, with a focus on crime, cleanliness and customer service. Shreveport Citizens United is a group you are actively involved in. Tell me a little about this group and how they are working to be on the front line of combatting the issue of crime that our community continues to struggle with.
 
38:08 5. During your time as Commissioner, 2016-2023, you always struck me as someone who could work across party lines and get things accomplished. Have you always understood diplomacy and how to be diplomatic? And, in a community where politics often continues to separate us, what are some words of wisdom you can share with the rest of us to help us to get along and work better with those who may think differently than us?

Episode 112 Kempten Schwab - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

This episode is a first as I sit down with a friend and former employer who in the second half of the episode wanted to ask me the questions.  You can find my full discussion with Kempten Schwab, Managing Director for STS Capital Partners here.
 
Here are the questions I asked:
 
0:45 1. You appear to have had three large chapters in your professional career; the European Union, at Praeses here in Shreveport and now helping owners with equity transactions.
 
I can only speak directly about the second one when I worked for you at Praeses. One of the things that impressed me the most at Praeses was the talent you had assembled and the people you had working with you.
 
Can you talk about some of your hiring philosophy? How much is instinct and what types of people do you typically like to have on your teams?
 
7:31 2. You’ve talked about your parents always being consistent with the message of learning how to think critically. If you would, define and talk about this and how it’s served you throughout your career.
 
11:03 3. You are now the Managing Director for STS Capital Partners, a global mergers and acquisitions firm, specializing in sell-side consulting and advisory services for entrepreneurial business owners.
 
We will camp out on STS for a while. Let’s start here.
 
How many companies go through an exit and what’s the difference between a proactive and reactive exit?
 
16:14 4. How should a business owner decide when it is the right time to exit?
 
22:28 5. I’ve heard you talk about good housekeeping and how essential it is for businesses to maintain so that they are ready when it’s time for them to exit. Talk to me about what is meant by good housekeeping.
 
28:55 6. My final formal question is simply this - give me 5 words of wisdom or recommendations for business owners or entrepreneurs.
 
And then Kempten asked me the following questions:
'
29:54 7. You suffered a tremendous injury. Talk to me about that and how it influenced your path forward.
 
33:46 8. You spent time in France as a Fulbright scholar after college, how did that time further impact your ability to watch and observe?
 
36:42 9. From France you moved to Los Angeles, tell me about your time there and more specifically about the effect Jerry Nachman had on your life.
 
40:48 10. You sold furniture during your time in Los Angeles. What did you learn from that experience?
 
44:10 11. Where does your drive for authenticity come from?
 
47:25 12. What are your top 5 restaurant spots in the United States?

Episode 111 Dr. Aubra Gantt - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

Dr. Aubra Gantt, Chancellor of Southern University at Shreveport, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development for the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:35 1. In March of 2023, you were named the first female Chancellor for Southern University Shreveport (or SUSLA as many call it). You are a Shreveport native and graduate of Green Oaks and SUSLA. I want to get into all things SUSLA in just a little bit but before we do I thought we would start here today.
 
Both the university and Green Oaks are located in the Cooper Road or MLK area of our community. You have clearly thrived when many in that neighborhood and part of our community are unable to achieve the level of success you have attained.
 
What do you attribute your success to, compared to many of your peers who grew up and/or went to school in the Cooper Road/MLK area?
 
10:02 2. Established in 1964 and opened in 1967, SUSLA is the only historically black two-year campus in the United States. You are a critical part of our community’s educational ecosystem. Talk to me about some of your priorities and initiatives.
 
18:04 3. I’ve heard you talk about a college-going culture. How do we create more of that culture across our community?
 
29:04 4. Talk to me about the age breakdown of your students. And, are most of your programs online or in person?
 
32:47 5. You come to SUSLA with more than 25 years of postsecondary educational experience from all across the country. I’ve read where you said that all along you wanted to come back home. As you come back home and look out at our community, what are some of the things that concern you the most?
 
37:55 6. What gives you hope, as you look at the Cooper Road/MLK area of our community and the community as a whole, that we are headed in a positive direction?

Episode 110 Damien Ford - "Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home"

Damien Ford, Project Manager and Associate Architect for Mike McSwain Architect, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development for the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:36 1. Damien, you are a Project Manager and Associate Architect for Mike McSwain Architect. Let’s start here today. Tell me some about where and how you grew up?
 
13:38 2. What do you attribute your success to compared with some of your peers that you grew up with?
 
18:28 3. How did you end up in architecture?
 
21:24 4. What is it like being a young professional in Shreveport-Bossier?
 
32:20 5. What is it like being a young black professional in Shreveport-Bossier?
 
49:38 6. As you look out at our community, what are some of the things that concern you the most?
 
53:10 7. What are some of the things that give you hope that our community is heading in a positive direction?