ABOUT REEEDER CONSULTING:
Reeder Consulting: College & Career Paths of San Antonio is a career development specialist serving clients throughout the US. Reeder Consulting is committed to helping individuals through a comprehensive decision-making approach, working with individuals 14+ to help identify careers aligned with their aptitudes, interests, and personality. Reeder Consulting is passionate about educating young adults, as well as adults, about their natural abilities to help reduce the anxiety they are under during the most stressful time of deciding what to do for the rest of their lives. Reeder Consulting is dedicated to educating parents and young adults about how to maintain balance and perspective. By pursuing this balance, they can quiet the noise and “Proceed with Confidence,” which is why Reeder Consulting introduced Angst, a documentary on anxiety, to the San Antonio community. Dana Reeder is recognized as a thought-leader in San Antonio in career development and won the 2020 National Association of Woman Business Owners of the Year Award as a Rising Star out of almost 100 nominations.
What's YOUR Career Story Podcast?
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All of my life, I've been fascinated by people's stories. I was always the person who would meet strangers on planes, at restaurants, on vacation, in grocery stores...you name the place, it has happened, and would walk away with people revealing something special. I can't tell you how many times people would say, "I have no idea why I just told you that very personal thing about myself?" I would answer, "You'd be surprised how many people have said the exact same thing to me...it's MY honor you trusted me."
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The gift of having a career where I hear people's career stories makes my passion a dream. I believe everyone is made up of chapters in their "Lifebook" and I'm thrilled to begin this new Podcast, focusing on the journey people experience on their professional paths.
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I will be interviewing people in careers to shine a light on high-demand fields, careers that are emerging and ones I find "fascinating" with all levels of educational requirements. The goal is to provide my clients and listeners, an opportunity to gain insight as an informational interview resource to help make informed decisions about a potential path.
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Thank you for listening and I welcome constructive, "said with love" feedback. If you're interested in being a guest or know someone who would be perfect, please contact me. I'm glad you are joining me on this new journey to help individuals "Proceed with Confidence"!
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Dana Lofties Reeder
CEO & Assessor of Passions
Reeder Consulting: College & Career Paths
Join Our Podcast
Fran is the CEO and Founder of Advantages, an Inc. 500 global digital branding and marketing agency in New York as well as #1 best seller for her new book titled, "How to Lead a Values-Based Professional Services Firm". A graduate of MIT's Entrepreneurial Master's Program and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, Fran is a master at helping others translate their vision and values into a consistent and authentic brand experience. Fran is the developer of the “3 keys Workshop” and an in-demand speaker and consultant who has empowered countless leaders to form the emotional connections that drive revenue growth.
Since 1992, Advantages has blossomed from a local printing business to an international firm serving clients around the globe. Advantages have been named one of Inc.’s 50 Best Places to Work and their client’s work consistently garners industry awards and recognition.
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Fran excels at leading senior executives to clearly see the results from purpose-driven approaches to marketing and leadership. She synthesizes decades of marketing expertise into inspiring and actionable steps so that purpose-oriented leaders can empower their teams and their organizations to build enduring emotional connections with their markets.
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Fran is an Executive Board Member of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, Women in Print, and is an active member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. She frequently lectures at universities and is a sought-after speaker at entrepreneurial, women and industry-focused conferences and events. She lives in New York with her Tony Award–winning husband, Yeeshai Gross, and their family.
Natalie holds a master of science degree in Genetic Counseling from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a master of arts in Psychology from Brandeis University. As a genetic counselor, Natalie works with individuals with a personal and/or family history of cancer to provide genetic risk assessment and identification of hereditary cancer syndromes, coordinate genetic testing, and educate the patient regarding future cancer risks and medical management options. In addition, she provides supportive psychosocial counseling for individuals and family members with hereditary cancer syndromes.
In addition to her work at the UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, Natalie is currently working with the GRACIAS Texas (Genetic Risk Assessment for Cancer in All South Texas) program to identify at-risk individuals in Bexar, Hidalgo, Cameron, and Webb counties. GRACIAS Texas provides genetic risk assessment, counseling, testing, and screening for both insured and uninsured individuals free of charge. This project is made possible by funding from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). Natalie lives in San Antonio with her husband, her toddler, and their extremely energetic dog, Penny.
There are over 500 careers I reference when working with my clients. We often think about careers that require a 4-year degree however some of the highest, most in-demand careers are in the Career and Technical Education world which can include certifications or 2-year degrees. I felt it was important to talk about this topic with one of the experts I know. The Association for Career & Technical Education has proven research that shows students involved in CTE courses are more engaged, perform better and graduate at a higher rate. Half of all STEM jobs call for workers with less than a bachelor’s degree. Health Care occupations are projected to grow 18% by 2026, adding more than 2 million new jobs. Almost half of the energy workforce may need to be replaced in 2024 and demand for solar and wind energy technicians will double.
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Debbie Ruel-Schaefer is the Career and Technical Education Director of the 4th largest school district in Texas with a CTE enrollment of over 26,000 students! Northside ISD offers over 135 different CTE courses which include coherent sequences of courses in Health Science and Engineering where enrollment has dramatically increased over the last 3 years. Deb is a career educator in her 29th year of helping students to find what they are passionate about. She is the mother of Hannah, a CTE student who is pursuing her degree in Speech Pathology from Baylor University. I’ve had the honor of getting to know Debbie while serving on her CTE Advisory Board for many years and have seen her passion for the world of career and technical occupations.
We have a national crisis on our hands with the lack of teachers in education. On average, we have 80K positions that need to be filled each year from the elementary to high school level. Ellie Maxwell is a recently retired public educator and principal from the Boerne ISD district. Ellie holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a master’s degree in Educational Administration. She spent 30 years in public education with the last 16 years as an Elementary School Principal. In 2000, she was selected as Northside ISD’s Educator of the Year. During her time at Cibolo Creek Elementary school, she had a direct staff of 65 people and oversight for 750 students for their educational direction and safety. She implemented Watch D.O.G.S. an innovative father involvement and educational initiative, as well as established the “Bully Task Force” to provide a proactive plan to address bullying to only name a few of her many accomplishments.
Upon retiring, she transitioned into a new chapter of her life where she’s a Training Coordinator at Ace Mart Restaurant Supply which is a shining example of Act 2 in life. She’s a recipient of the Innovative Disruption Scholarship and has many talents which include cake and cookie decorating and is passionate about football.
Do you have a child that loves playing with Legos? Do they love Minecraft? Well, there’s a good probability they have a high spatial ability which is required for someone who becomes an architect.
We are fortunate to have Robyn Popa as our guest. Robyn has worked for the Pfluger Architect’s San Antonio office since 2006. Her experience includes master planning, facility assessment, programming, design, production, and construction administration. Her recent experience includes projects with Comal ISD, North East ISD, San Antonio ISD, Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD, and Seguin ISD.
Robyn is passionate about education architecture and has worked on many award-winning projects, including Pieper Ranch Middle School for Comal ISD which recently won four TASA | TASB awards for Design, Sustainability, Planning, School Transformation, and is a finalist for the 2019-20 TASA/TASB Caudill Class. Robyn served as the 2018-19 President of the South Texas Chapter of A4LE.
Robyn is an NEISD graduate (Madison HS), and graduated with architecture degrees from Baylor University and Washington University in St. Louis. She currently enjoys spending her free time with her two kids, ages 5 and 7, and architect husband, thinking of new places to travel (Iceland was the most recent trip!) and new recipes to try out in the kitchen.
For more information and to find universities that are accredited, visit:
Dr. Neely has worked in the mental health field for over twenty years and has been the chief executive officer of Neely Counseling Center, PLLC, since 2001. She has enjoyed serving in an array of capacities throughout her career, including psychotherapist, professor, consultant, and counselor supervisor. Working with a wide variety of populations and diagnoses has given her a comprehensive range of experience in the mental health field.
She has appeared on national radio and television shows as a guest expert speaking about confidence, self-esteem, anxiety, and relationship satisfaction. Dr. Neely’s children’s’ book titled “Straight Talk” was published in 2014 and won the prestigious Indie Excellence Book award, finalist division. This book is a culmination of Dr. Neely’s groundbreaking qualitative research in the area of hair shaming and self-esteem for girls of color. She has also published numerous articles on this topic.
In 2017 she joined the University of Texas Health Science Center Medical School as a behavioral health consultant. In that role, she spearheaded an effort to combat the epidemic of physician suicide and helped to create the medical school’s first physician counseling program. Dr. Neely currently manages the day to day operations of her counseling center and serves as an adjunct professor for St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. She spends a large portion of her time writing, teaching, and speaking to an audience on issues related to self-esteem and anxiety. Dr. Neely is licensed by the Texas State Board of Professional Counselors and is an approved Counselor Supervisor. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Sam Houston State University, a master’s degree in Counseling from Prairie View A & M University, and a Ph.D. in counselor education from St. Mary’s University. She is supported by her husband and two beautiful daughters.
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She also has a great podcast, "Drop the BS w/ Dr. Kirleen"
The career field I have most young adults interested in is engineering. Engineering is a demanding field with high paying salaries, and we are very fortunate to have our 7th podcast guest, Terry Welch who is the CEO of Sinclair Belgrave Energy. What engineering degree does he hold? Well, he actually has two! One degree in Electrical Engineering and a second in Chemical Engineering which made him an ideal podcast guest.
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Terry has worked for large companies such as Dow Chemical, BP and The Sinclair Group in positions from operations through the ranks to President and CEO. He’s a graduate of Lamar University, has an MBA from Northwood University and is a graduate of the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
He shared he’s not a stereotypical engineer as he loves to be around people. Engineering has taught him to ask “Why?” which has led to his continued success in his field. It’s an honor to have him share his career story and words of wisdom for our future engineers.
Do you have a young adult who wants to be in the media world? Do they like producing videos or telling stories? I’m very excited about our guest today, Karin Gornick, a graduate of the University of California in Los Angeles, who is an Emmy Award-winning producer who has been creating social impact projects and films for broadcast, nonprofit organizations, and corporations over the past 25 years, including projects for CNN, Discovery Channel, PBS, The Kaufmann Foundation, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, and Common Sense Media. Several of her projects include a video series for PBS on Youth Entrepreneurship, Screenagers, a film about growing up in the digital age, and now Angst, a documentary on anxiety to help raise awareness about anxiety and lower the stigma of talking about our mental health. I was honored to get to know her during my initiative to bring Angst to San Antonio which has now been shown to over 10 different schools, community organizations, and churches with more on the schedule. Karin’s passionate about Angst, a film that featured Michael Phelps, was inspired in part by her own journey searching for help with her teenage son’s anxiety disorder and learning how much hope and help there is for treating mental health challenges. Her passion for educating individuals around the stresses our youth are experience has gained her global recognition for change, help, and hope.
We’ve all seen those young children who are natural leaders. They are coordinating groups of kids in productions. They run for student council or positions of leadership in both high school AND college. They are individuals that when you meet them, you instantly know they are going to be in positions of influence. But what career could that include? Our guest Sidney Chapon is in Global operations, leadership and organizational development which have been the cornerstone of Sid’s career.
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He’s built a reputation for being a strategic and trusted coach and business advisor at Publicis Groupe, Leo Burnett Worldwide and Deloitte Consulting and has proven positive impact across industries including professional services, integrated marketing communications, advertising, manufacturing, financial services, telecommunications, consumer-packaged goods, oil & gas, and electronics.
Sid is a citizen of the world. He was born in The Netherlands and is currently based in the USA however spends a good portion of his time in Paris, France. He has operations and coaching experience in Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America.
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Sid currently works for Publicis Groupe - the world’s third-largest integrated marketing communications company that owns multiple advertising and media agencies.
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In his role, he’s helped create the holding company’s corporate university. Sid holds a Master's Degree in Organizational Development and is a certified executive coach.
There has never been a more important time to talk about Public Health careers, especially with the current Coronavirus pandemic. It is a career field many don’t truly understand; hence they don’t consider it which is why we are fortunate to have our next guest, Patricia Blevins.
Tricia has over 17 years of experience in public health with concentrations in laboratory services, biosafety/biosecurity, training, and global health. Tricia currently serves as the Laboratory Coordinator for the City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. In this role, Tricia oversees the Laboratory Response Network (LRN) Program, influenza surveillance as well as the select agent program where she serves as the Responsible Official.
Prior to joining San Antonio Metro Health District, Tricia served as the Emerging Infectious Diseases Program Manager for the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) where she continues to serve on national public health laboratory committees. As an International Technical Consultant with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Global Influenza Surveillance Program, Tricia has had the opportunity to travel all over the world conducting training workshops and performing laboratory assessments.
Tricia began her public health career as an APHL/CDC Emerging Infectious Diseases Fellow at the New York State Department of Health Wadsworth Center. Trisha received an MPH from the University of North Texas Health Science Center and BS in Microbiology from Texas A&M University.
Website Resources:
Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) www.aphl.org
About Public Health Labs: https://www.aphl.org/aboutAPHL/Pages/aboutphls.aspx
Intro to Public Health Labs: https://www.cdc.gov/publichealth101/laboratories.html
Public Health Lab Careers: https://www.aphl.org/professional_development/Pages/lab-science-careers.aspx
Cyber Security is one of the hottest fields around. Do you have a kid who loves to game? Often young adults do not draw the correlation between this and the cyber field. We have one of the best Cyber Security experts in the field with us today!
David Neuman is the Global Chief Information Security Officer for iHeartMedia, Inc., a $6 billion enterprise that includes iHeartMedia and Clear Channel Outdoor. As Global CISO, Neuman is responsible for all aspects of information security and governance, risk, and compliance for iHeartMedia's businesses, working closely with all divisions to ensure the protection of its multiplatform assets.
Before joining iHeartMedia, he served as the Vice President & Chief Information Security Officer at Rackspace. He was responsible for global information security and cyber defense operations, strategic business alignment, and governance, risk, and compliance to protect the Rackspace $2.5 billion enterprise.
David was an Executive Director and COO for EY’s Americas Cyber Security Practice. He operationalized four sub-competencies and developed a five-year growth plan to meet $500 million growth ambitions. He also advised Audit Committees, C-suites, and operational leaders of Fortune 500 companies on the cyber threat landscape and modern protection methods for business and technology resiliency.
David served in the United States Air Force for 28 years where he commanded the Air Force’s first cyber hunting unit defending key Department of Defense operations against nation-state attack and exploitation. He holds an M.A. degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from Naval War College, an M.S. degree in Security Administration from Bellevue University, and a B.S. degree in Computer Studies from the University of Maryland University College. He is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional.
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Resources:
Air Force Association's CyberPatriot: The National Youth Cyber Education Program: https://www.uscyberpatriot.org/
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Matt Kitchen has over eleven years of experience in environmental consulting and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). He began his career as a GIS Analyst with Adams Environmental, Inc. (AEI) in 2008. While his specialization lies in GIS mapping/modeling, Mr. Kitchen also serves as an environmental scientist and technical writer for AEI. He received his GISP in January 2015 and completed his Master of Natural Resources from Oregon State University in March 2015. His degree in Natural Resources is supplemented with an emphasis in GIS, and upon graduation, Mr. Kitchen received a GIScience Certificate.
Mr. Kitchen focuses his efforts on GIS data and database management and is the current Project Manager for AEI’s IDIQ GIS Services contract with the San Antonio River Authority awarded in 2018. He also conducts AEI’s geospatial services specific to drone photography and videography as an FAA Part 107 Licensed Drone Pilot. On a daily basis, he is tasked with using GIS for AEI’s environmental projects, collecting data in the field, calculating measurements, and creating maps/figures for reports. Mr. Kitchen has developed GIS models and scripts for predicting wildlife and plant habitat ranges. Much of Mr. Kitchen’s federal geospatial work history involved federal lands and Department of Defense projects specific to Nellis Air Force Base and the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR). He played a critical role in AEI’s desktop scope but also traveled to the range for ground-truth surveys as a part of data collection and involvement in the QA/QC process.
On a smaller scale, Mr. Kitchen is currently assisting GIS divisions of cities and municipal agencies with their ArcGIS Online needs and has trained municipal employees on the use of how to make custom web applications. He has served as the Vice President of the Alamo Area GIS User Group (AAGIS) since 2015 and was instrumental in the planning and initiation of a local, annual GIS conference for geospatial professionals across many disciplines. He enjoys connecting with other GIS users and learning how they are implementing GIS in their industries.
There are some young adults who dream of flying freely in the sky. Being a pilot, whether for the military or private sector, can be a tricky career pathway so we are fortunate to have our next guest who is able to speak to both.
Lt. Col Bart Wilbanks does not just fly one plane…he’s flown six different ones which include the F-16, F-35A, T-37, T-38A, AT-38B, and Airbus A320. In addition, he has served as an active duty member in the U.S. Air Force for 10 years and is currently the commander of the 466th Fighter Squadron, the first U.S. Air Force Reserve unit for the F-35A which is the Air Force’s newest fifth-generation fighter. And if that is not enough, he’s a pilot of Delta Airlines.
Bart earned his commission in May 1999 from Baylor University, right down the road from us. He served in active duty assignments in Air Combat Command before entering the Air Force Reserve in 2009, and currently serves as Traditional Reservist. He holds almost 3,500 military flying hours, including 900 combat hours. In his 21 years of service, he has had 11 different assignments which is part of living the life as a pilot in the military, which we will talk about.
We are excited for you to learn about the life of a pilot.