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

Episode 60 Dr. Heather Carpenter - ”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

Dr. Heather Carpenter, the Director of INAR, the Institute for Nonprofit Administration & Research at LSU Shreveport, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development for the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:29 1. Heather, you are the Director of INAR, the Institute for Nonprofit Administration & Research at LSU Shreveport.
 
INAR was established in 2001 to conduct research and disseminate knowledge about nonprofit organizations and social research. INAR offers nonprofit education programs, professional development seminars, and quality research and statistical analysis to clients.
 
My goal today is to make people better understand INAR and the important role it is playing in our community.
 
Let’s start here. What nonprofit certificates and degrees does LSUS currently offer and how will its offering expand beginning this fall?
 
4:49 2. You once said, “Plentiful job opportunities exist in the nonprofit sector as 8% of the Louisiana workforce is employed at nonprofit organizations. Those opportunities exist locally as well, with approximately 2,000 nonprofit organizations employing nearly 20,000 workers in the Shreveport-Bossier area.”
Can you talk about how many nonprofit degree programs, similar to what INAR offers, exist locally and in the state?
 
8:00 3. You also once said, “My mission and passion is to help people run more effective nonprofit organizations.”
 
One of the ways that INAR achieves the above is by providing consulting services to existing nonprofits and to people wanting to start a nonprofit.
 
Can you talk about the consulting services offered by INAR?
 
11:53 4. Many people locally know the name LANO which stands for Louisiana Alliance for Nonprofits. I know you partner a great deal with the LANO office out of Baton Rouge.
 
My first question is, does LANO still have an office locally?
 
13:32 5. In September of this year, nonprofit professionals from across the state will descend upon LSU Shreveport’s campus for the Statewide Conference For Louisiana’s Nonprofits. This conference is the result of a partnership between INAR and LANO.
 
Talk to me about what we can expect from the September 20 conference?
 
17:18 6. Lastly, let’s talk about another aspect of your partnership with LANO. Thanks to a generous grant from the Carolyn W and Charles T Beaird Family Foundation, INAR is currently hosting a capacity building cohort for nonprofit leaders in the Shreveport-Bossier region.
 
Talk to me if you could about the cohort, how it works and why this is such an important offering to our nonprofit community.

Episode 59 Orlando Medellin - ”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

Orlando Medellin, Head Soccer Coach for Bossier High School, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development for the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:33 1. Orlando, you are the Head Soccer Coach for Bossier High School and so much more.
 
Let’s start here today. What country are you originally from and when did you first arrive in Shreveport-Bossier?
 
1:01 2. How did you end up at Bossier High, originally as a student?
 
2:06 3. You once said, “I love Bossier. I went to Bossier. I graduated from Bossier. I bleed green.”
 
One of the goals of this podcast is to help people develop more pride about the Shreveport-Bossier community by highlighting the positive and important work happening all around us.
 
Talk to me about your pride for Bossier City and your pride for Bossier High School. Where does that come from and how did you develop such strong feelings for this community and the high school you attended and where you are now the coach?
 
5:25 4. This season your team at Bossier High reached the finals of the state championship, only the third Bossier Parish soccer team ever to play in a state championship game.
 
Talk to me about your team this season and the type of players that mostly made up this year’s team.
 
10:24 5. Each week, the local radio station Kiss Country 93.7 shines a light on one of our local residents and they recently honored you. The letter that got you the award said the following:
 
“I’ve played sports my entire life and have had some great coaches, but I have never seen a man and his wife do so much for the players. A lot of his high school players are Mexican or Central American immigrants who can barely speak English. When they arrive at his school, many have very little means, even feed themselves. Some don’t even have families with them. All of his players know that they can call, and he will help them at the drop of a hat. Whether it be by feeding them, getting them jobs, getting them clothes, loaning them money from his own pocket to pay bills until they get paid, helping them find housing, or even letting them stay at his house with his family, he’s there. I have personally seen him give his own belt to one of his players who did not one. I have seen him drive to New Orleans to speak at an immigration hearing on behalf of one of his high school players on Friday to then drive all night to be at a travel soccer game for his younger kids in Dallas Saturday morning. And all he asks of his players is to remember that when they get in a position to help someone, they do the same.”
 
As someone who coaches so many of our young kids on and off the field, what are some of the lessons you hope to instill in the young people who spend time with you?
 
17:37 6. As you look around our community, what are some of the things that concern you the most?

Episode 58 Greg Lott -”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

Greg Lott, Executive Vice President/Northwest LA Division President of Progressive Bank, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development for the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:32 1. Greg, you are involved in so many aspects of our community, as involved as anyone I know. Let’s start with your professional life and then move into some of the work you do as a board member with other organizations.
 
You are the Executive Vice President/Northwest LA Division President of Progressive Bank. How did you first get into banking?
 
4:10 2. You once said, “If you look at our profession, banks exist to help people, they exist to help businesses grow, and they exist to help improve our community…I think, collectively, we all do a good job to meet those needs.”
 
Talk to me about Progressive Bank. I know we have a number of different banks in our community. Does each bank have its own core business? And if so, what is Progressive’s main focus and area of expertise?
 
8:26 3. As I mentioned earlier, you are deeply involved in giving back to this community. Let’s talk about some of the organizations with whom you work, beginning with NLEP or the North Louisiana Economic Partnership.
 
I know there is new leadership at NLEP and that they are involved in numerous, great initiatives. Talk to me about NLEP and why this organization is important for the betterment of our community.
 
13:46 4. You are also involved with DSDC or the Downtown Shreveport Development Corporation. Talk to me about DSDC and similar to above, why this organization is vital to the future success of our community.
 
16:19 5. And you are the current Vice-President/President Nominee of Rotary. What is the role Rotary is playing in our community?
 
21:20 6. As you look around at the community, what concerns you the most?
 
23:52 7. Lastly, what makes you optimistic about our future?

Episode 57 Dr. Bob Elder - ”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

General Bob Elder sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development for the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:30 1. General Elder, in 2009 after 33 years you retired from the Air Force as the Commander of the 8th Air Force and US Strategic Command’s Global Strike Component. I want to talk today about all the amazing work you have done and what the focus of your work is today.
 
Let’s start here if we can. For those who may not know what the 8th Air Force is, can you talk about it and its different roles and responsibilities?
 
8:25 2. In a similar manner, for those who may not know what US Strategic Command is, can you talk about it and its different roles and responsibilities? 10:34
 
3. Let’s talk cyberspace for a second. You were the first commander of Air Force Network Operations and led the development of the cyberspace mission for the Air Force.
 
Can you talk about some of this work? And, for us lay people, what does “the development of the cyberspace mission for the Air Force” mean?
 
20:11 4. I believe this is current.
 
You are on staff at George Mason University as a research professor with the Volgenau School of Engineering. You currently conduct research in the areas of command and control, deterrence, escalation control, competition short of armed conflict, crisis management, and international actor decision-making.
 
Can you talk about what the above means and some of the current work you are doing in your role at George Mason?
 
27:21 5. Let’s talk Barksdale Air Force Base for a minute. How important is this base within the overall US Air Force and operations?
 
29:54 6. It has been suggested to me that there are growing needs and business opportunities locally to support the type of work taking place at Barksdale. I would like to spend the remainder of our discussion here.
 
First, what businesses currently exist today in our community that are supporting needs at Barksdale?
 
36:32 7. Lastly, as you see it, what are the gaps that still exist in our community in order for us to best support the evolving needs at Barksdale and for the military as a whole?

Episode 56 Dr. Sheila Asghar - ”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

Dr. Sheila Asghar, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at LSU Health Shreveport, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development for the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:41 1. Dr. Asghar, you are a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at LSU Health Shreveport. One of your areas of expertise is something that affects every single person in our community, SLEEP.
 
I would like to discuss both pediatric and adult sleep with you today. You see patients who present a wide range of symptoms because of sleep difficulties and sleep disorders.
 
Let’s start here today to give people a sense of the type of cases that you see.
 
A 5-year-old is seen in your clinic. Mother says that he has a hard time breathing at night and snores loudly. During the day he is inattentive and almost hyperactive. Mother denies daytime sleepiness.
 
Walk me through some of the steps you might take to diagnose the above case.
 
6:52 2. I have heard you speak about a variety of factors that might assist someone, child or adult, who consistently has difficulty sleeping. I have heard you suggest, among other things, a Worry Diary, Melatonin, Teas and Lavender Oils.
 
Can you outline some aspects of what you would consider Good Sleep Hygiene?
 
14:04 3. We are all spending more time, children and adults, in front of our screens. Can you share some recommendations around screen use? For example, how long before we go to bed should we turn off our computers or phones?
 
18:09 4. I’m hearing more and more about people, children and adults, going to sleep labs and participating in sleep studies. Talk to me a little if you could about what sleep labs and sleep studies are. And how do you determine that someone needs to go to a sleep lab or undergo a sleep study?
 
24:43 5. I am also hearing of more cases of Tourette’s. Can you tell me a little about Tourette’s syndrome? What age is it typically first diagnosed and what are some symptoms that might suggest a possible case of Tourette’s?
 
34:00 6. I’m curious, what would be the results of maybe going a year or an extended amount of time not addressing chronic, poor sleep or repetitive bad sleeping?
 
39:10 7. Lastly, I commonly hear people talking about Sleep Apnea and CPAP devices. A few questions here – would you mind defining sleep apnea? How is it typically diagnosed, does it exist in children and adults and is it curable?

Episode 55 Kristi Gustavson - ”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

Kristi Gustavson, Chief Executive Officer of the Community Foundation of North Louisiana, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development for the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:32 1. As I was preparing for our discussion, I came across an article where you were talking about a story you once heard about a professor walking into class one day and announcing to the students that there would be a pop quiz. The teacher then proceeded to hand each of the students a piece of paper with a black dot in the middle and asked the students to describe what they saw. Each student described the dot: its size, color, and/or location on the page. Not one student described the space around the dot.
 
Reading this story I couldn’t help but think about one of the recurring themes of this podcast – which is how do we move from a “ME” community to more of a “WE” community? Or in other words, how do we focus more on those around us and this community we are all a part of and that we all share.
 
At community foundation, I think you do this as well as anyone. So, let’s start here today. Could you share some guidance or thoughts on how we get more people to move from me to we?
 
3:49 2. Kristi, you serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the Community Foundation of North Louisiana, one of the single most important organizations in our community. We will focus on some of your specific initiatives over the next hour but for the lay people out there who may not know what the Community Foundation is, could you briefly describe its function and its role and responsibility as you see it for our community?
 
6:18 3. One of the aspects of Community Foundation I most admire is how data driven you are in your approach to understanding where our community needs you the most and prioritizing the grants and initiatives you oversee to tackle our most pressing and complex issues.
 
One of the key tools in your approach is Community Counts, an annual report card on the quality of life for the Shreveport-Bossier area. Data is tracked and collected in six categories – Population, Economic Well-Being, Human Capital, Health, Social Environment and Physical Environment – and compared to 9 other peer communities similar in size and geographic location as well as the Monroe MSA. Those communities are Jackson, MS, Chatanooga, TN, Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR, Lafayette, Huntsville, AL, Kileen-Temple, TX, Montgomery, AL, Columbus-GA-AL and Roanoke, VA
 
Talk to me about the Community Counts process and how you use the data it provides to make resource allocation decisions.
 
11:06 4. One of the biggest days of the year for you is Give For Good. Tell me a little about Give For Good, how it works and when it is this year.
 
16:03 5. Community Foundation of North Louisiana brings people and resources together to solve problems and enhance our community. In the last few years, you have done some extraordinary work to address some of our community’s challenges and shortfalls around early education.
 
You once said, ““Early childhood education is critical for a young person’s brain development…We know now from research that 90 percent of a child’s brain develops before the age of 5.”
 
You established the Early Childhood Education Fund to expand access and enrollment in quality early childcare by providing scholarships for children ages 0-3. Thanks to generous donor support and a 1:1 match from the state of Louisiana, you have secured over $2 million for this initiative.
 
This was a transformative achievement. Tell me the state of the fund today. Is the state still providing a match and do you have the funds you need to provide all the scholarships requested?
 
35:59 6. The Early Childhood Education Fund was a major undertaking, a major focus of the Foundation since you became the CEO and has been a major success.
 
Talk to me about some of the initiatives you have your sights set on now.

Episode 54 Demetrius Norman - ”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

Demetrius Norman, President and Board Chair for NWLA Makerspace, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development for the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:30 1. You are a native of Shreveport and graduate of Grambling State University with a BS in Electronic Engineering Technology. You have worked in IT for over a decade with experience in building automation system design, energy management, solar engineering, internet of things, cloud management and you currently serve as a technical consultant in the IT industry.
 
I am so excited to talk to you today because you bring such experience, perspective and breadth of knowledge to the table.
 
Let’s start here. You serve as President and Board Chair for NWLA Makerspace, a nonprofit organization that gives the community access to tools, otherwise too large or expensive for personal ownership. This allows the creative of our community to create, learn, start businesses, or train for jobs using these tools.
 
For those just starting to hear about Makerspace, can you help explain what it is and why it is important?
 
17:43 2. Groups like the NWLA Makerspace, and the workshops that they typically provide to the community are a huge asset in building innovation culture, as well as in providing job training for adults, and Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math engagement for children.
 
My question is - how are we doing in training our technology workforce? Is the size of that population growing locally?
 
Also, talk to me about some of the programs the local schools are offering to teach some of those skills and any other STEAM-based curriculum and efforts locally you would like to highlight.
 
28:01 3. In describing Makerspace, you once said:
 
“We are just as passionate about our true impact on the community beyond just cool technology and crafts, but in our efforts to help underserved communities achieve upward mobility through skill-building workshops and classes, maker faires, micro business startup services, consulting and teacher training for K-12 Schools and so much more.
 
Talk to me about how important it is to you that Makerspace serve our entire community.
 
37:05 4. You are extremely involved in the city and unusually articulate about some of the challenges you see us facing as a community. You once said:
 
“How do you bring somebody from Silicon Valley and say live in Louisiana and go to segregated schools and go to segregated restaurants, right? And don’t speak about social issues that other places talk about openly and work through these things. It makes certain people upset so just act like it’s not happening.”
 
This above quote is from several years ago. From your perspective, are we making progress in the areas you bring up above?
 
55:37 5. You are a major advocate and supporter of our community. In speaking about Leadbelly and the world famous video game Doom, you once said:
 
“We sell ourselves short on a lot of the talents and the great things we have.”
 
From your perspective, why do we sell ourselves short?
 
1:10:59 6. What are some of the things in our community that make you optimistic about our future?

Episode 53 Rashida Dawson - ”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

Rashida Dawson, Vice President of Financial Stability of United Way of Northwest Louisiana, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development for the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:45 1. Rashida, let’s start here today. You serve as Vice President of Financial Stability of United Way of Northwest Louisiana and oversee the Shreveport Financial Empowerment Center.
 
Tell me about the center, where it’s located and some of the services it provides.
 
10:42 2. I know the center is doing very important and great work in our community. Share some statistics if you could around the amount of savings the financial empowerment center has helped create for our residents to date.
 
14:24 3. Let’s talk about poverty and ALICE in our community. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. What do the current statistics show are the percentage of people living in poverty in our community? What percentage of our community is ALICE?
 
18:34 4. You are massively involved in our community. Let me cover just a few of the high points:
 
You were formerly President-Elect of the South Shreveport Rotary Club, and a member of BancorpSouth’s CRA Advisory Council, Northwest Louisiana Re-Entry Coalition, and the Young Professionals Initiative (YPI). Additionally, you were a graduate of the 2017 Greater Shreveport Leadership Program and a 2013 graduate of LANO’s Leadership Program.
 
In your opinion, how do we get more young people in our community engaged and involved in serving and giving back?
 
23:24 5. As you look around, what are some of the things that concern you the most about the future of our community?
 
31:30 6. What are some of the things that make you optimistic about the future of our community?

Episode 52 Larry Blackwell - ”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

Larry Blackwell, Director of Airports for Shreveport Airport Authority, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development for the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:36 1. Larry, on August 23, 2022, you became the Director of Airports for Shreveport Airport Authority and very positive change is already underway.
 
To name but a few things, both concourses have new flooring making it easier to roll bags. Both concourses and passenger bridges are currently being painted. You have also announced that three national brands are coming to the airport.
 
Let’s start here today. What are the restaurants, where in the airport will they be located and when do you expect them to open?
 
3:04 2. Other great progress has been happening at Shreveport Regional Airport. You saw a 11% increase in travelers compared to 2021. Delta and American have both upgraded their aircrafts flown in Shreveport to larger planes. And you are in talks to add new routes and possibly new carriers.
 
I saw an interview recently with you where you referred to a Leakage Study and the fact that 46% of passengers drive to Dallas to fly rather than fly out of Shreveport Regional. Why is this? Talk to me about that statistic and how it impacts our ability to obtain new routes and new carriers.
 
10:05 3. Talk to me about some of the new routes we might see in the future.
 
13:28 4. One common theme of this podcast is looking at our identity, trying to better understand who we are as a community and how we can elevate our image both for ourselves and those coming to town to visit.
 
In my opinion, the airport is a major piece in establishing community pride for our residents as well as our visitors.
 
How do you see the role of the airport with regards to boosting community pride and helping to create a more positive self-image?
 
18:33 5. You were born in Homer, Louisiana, grew up in Bossier City and graduated from Bossier High School. You then went away for a number of years working in numerous different places before returning to live here.
 
I’m always curious what this community looks like from a fresh set of eyes. I want to look at both the negatives and positives with you.
 
First, when you returned here, what aspects of the community looked more challenged than they were when you grew up here?
 
21:02 6. On the flip side, what aspects of the community struck you as having progressed in a positive way since you lived here?

Episode 51 Michael Coleman Hicks - ”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

Michael Coleman Hicks, Youree Drive Middle School student, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development for the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:38 1. Michael, I grew up with both of your parents Michael and Demessia, and went to school with them at Caddo Middle Magnet and Captain Shreve.
 
In speaking with your mom to prepare for today’s discussion, she told me you already know the answer to the question we all get asked at your age which is “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
 
So tell me, what you do you plan to do when you get older?
 
2:17 2. You are a student at Youree Drive Middle School and greatly involved at school and in the community as a whole. I want to hit some of the high points.
 
You are Co-President of Student Council, a member of Beta Club Honor Choir and the Youree Golf Team. You are also a member of Boy Scouts of America, Troop 5300, where your current rank is Star. Additionally, you are part of the youth service organization, Top Teens of America.
 
Tell me about Top Teens of America. What type of service are you involved in as part of the organization?
 
3:43 3. You are also very involved with the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity youth leadership group, Omega Lamplighters, where you serve as President of the Junior Lamplighters.
 
Tell me about Omega Lamplighters and some of the type of work that you do.
 
5:03 4. You officially preached your first sermon at Mount Canaan Baptist Church on July 31, 2022. Tell me some what of what you spoke to the congregation about.
 
7:05 5. Let’s talk hypothetically for a second. You are in college studying theology and you start up a conversation with a group of students who have never heard of Shreveport-Bossier. They say, “Michael, what’s it like where you live?” What do you tell them?
 
8:16 6. As you look around the Shreveport-Bossier community, what are the things you see that make you proud to be from this community?