Leadership Podcast ELITE
MC Forward is a leadership podcast hosted by Dr. Michael Mills and focuses on Montgomery College individuals leading from where they are.
Season 4, Episode 5: As the Director of American with Disabilities Act and Title IX Coordinator, Kristen Roe focuses a lot on federal legislation. In this episode of MC Forward, she talks about the need for her as a leader to respect the regulations and interact with others on implications.
Listen to Season 4 – Episode 5 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 4 – Episode 5 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 4, Episode 4: In this episode of MC Forward, Scot Brown, Organizational Development and HR Outreach Manager, talks about the need for leaders to build trust with their teams. The first step, he says, is to be an active listener.
Listen to Season 4 – Episode 4 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 4 – Episode 4 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 4, Episode 3: Beverly Coleman, Director of the TRIO Educational Opportunity Center, has a long history of opening educational opportunities to people in difficult circumstances. She says on the last episode of MC Forward that she wants to empower others so they can see their ideas come to fruition.
Listen to Season 4 – Episode 3 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 4 – Episode 3 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 4, Episode 2: Ramon Valenzuela, an Instructional Assistant in the Testing and Assessment Center, says it is important to him to help people be their authentic selves. As a result, he says on the latest episode of MC Forward that he focuses on the positive aspects of himself and others.
Listen to Season 4 – Episode 2 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 4 – Episode 2 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 4, Episode 1: Season 4 of MC Forward kicks off with Digital Learning Center Specialist Hyde Revilla talking about how her leadership has been formed by different mentors, all of whom approached situations through different perspectives.
Season 3, Episode 12: When we think of leadership, we often think of mentoring. Elizabeth Schlackman, librarian for Health Sciences, Communications and Special Programs, has benefitted as a mentee and a mentor. In the final Season 3 episode of MC Forward, she talks about how a good mentor can impact an individual both professionally and personally.
Listen to Season 3 – Episode 12 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 3 – Episode 12 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 3, Episode 11: Erik Swanson, the Interim Director of the Institute for Part-time Faculty Engagement and Support, utilizes his expertise in digital arts and painting to hone his leadership skills. In this episode of MC Forward, Swanson says the skills of observation and discipline, both crucial in art, help him be a better leader.
Listen to Season 3 – Episode 11 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 3 – Episode 11 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 3, Episode 10: Learning Center Manager Dave Bergtold details in this episode of MC Forward how he sees as one of his leadership responsibilities encouraging members of his team to take care of themselves so that they are in their best condition to care for others, including students.
Listen to Season 3 – Episode 10 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 3 – Episode 10 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 3, Episode 9: Gina Marrazza is a trained concert pianist who understands the need for flexibility. As the Creative Project Coordinator for ACES, Marrazza shares in this episode of MC Forward how her musical background helped shape her leadership values.
Listen to Season 3 – Episode 9 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 3 – Episode 9 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 3, Episode 8: When Antonio Vidal journeyed to the United States from his home country of Venezuela in 1998, he took classes at Montgomery College to learn English. It was then that Vidal, now the data coordinator for the Adult English for Speakers of Other Languages and Literacy grant program in WDCE, knew he wanted to work at MC. As he’s grown in his leadership journey, one thing has remained constant, he says in this episode of MC Forward: value the people around you.
Listen to Season 3 – Episode 8 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 3 – Episode 8 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 3, Episode 7: Listen in this episode of MC Forward to Adam Reid, Director of Public Safety, Health, and Emergency Management, talk about how his leadership training of staying calm and composed helped him and his team lead Montgomery College through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Listen to Season 3 – Episode 7 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 3 – Episode 7 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 3, Episode 6: In this episode of MC Forward, Akima Rogers, Director of Academic Initiatives, talks about how leaders need to adjust and assess as they go along. It’s important, he says, for every team member to know what role they play.
Listen to Season 3 – Episode 6 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 3 – Episode 6 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 3, Episode 5: Change is an opportunity to make things better, says Shade Akinrimisi in this episode of MC Forward. As a result, the Instructional Assistant in the Assessment and Testing Center sees herself being a servant leader whose role is to protect, support, coach, facilitate and enable her team.
Listen to Season 3 – Episode 5 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 3 – Episode 5 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 3, Episode 4: When Tykesha Reed, IT Training Coordinator, was a child, her mother instilled in her a strong sense of confidence and self-esteem. In this episode of MC Forward, Reed talks about how she is now doing the same as the founder and co-founder of three organizations that focus on increasing self-esteem, social development, mentoring and empowering young girls and women. Leaders, she says, need to use positive affirmation to get the most out of their teams.
Listen to Season 3 – Episode 4 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 3 – Episode 4 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 3, Episode 3: Dwayne Henry, Instructional Lab Manager of Chemical and Biological Sciences, talks about one of the challenges many leaders face is suddenly managing people who were once peers. The key, he says in this episode of MC Forward, is to communicate before, during and after decisions are made.
Listen to Season 3 – Episode 3 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 3 – Episode 3 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 3, Episode 2: In this episode of MC Forward, Nik Sushka, Interim Director of the Achieving the Promise Academy, says that leaders need to develop powerful listening skills to be able to ask questions that will ignite the passion in their team members. This, she says, will make the world a better place.
Listen to Season 3 – Episode 2 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 3 – Episode 2 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 3, Episode 1-Part 2: In Part 2 of the MC Forward Season 3 kick-off, Dr. Shinta Hernandez, Dean of the Virtual Campus, and Dr. Nancy Newton, Grants Manager, talk about how the characteristics of managers and leaders apply to their own environments and touch on the differing perceptions of male and female leaders and the qualities each possesses.
Listen to Season 3 – Episode 1, Part 2 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 3 – Episode 1, Part 2 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 3, Episode 1-Part 1: Season 3 of MC Forward kicks off with a two –part series talking about the differences between manager and leader. In Part 1, Dr. Shinta Hernandez, Dean of the Virtual Campus, and Dr. Nancy Newton, Grants Manager, react to characteristics of each and what impact that may have on teams and organizations.
Listen to Season 3 – Episode 1, Part 1 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 3 – Episode 1, Part 1 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 2 – Episode 13: Lisa Hackley, Director of Student Life at the Rockville campus, says that good leaders need to look inside themselves to identify their leadership strengths and weaknesses. On the latest episode of MC Forward, Lisa explains how she had to do just that as she helped move student life into a virtual environment due to the pandemic.
Listen to Season 2 – Episode 13 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 2 – Episode 13 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 2 – Episode 12: In this episode of MC Forward, Grants Manager Nancy Newton talks about her passion for helping incarcerated individuals receive an education and the tension that develops between leadership growth and guilt when someone leaves one position for another.
Listen to Season 2 – Episode 12 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 2 – Episode 12 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 2 – Episode 11: Being a high-caliber soccer player takes hard work, dedication to the team, and strong leadership skills. Listen to Eric Myren, Director of Student Employment Services, talk on this episode of MC Forward about the leadership skills he learned as a member of the University of Connecticut soccer team, including the 1981 National Championship team, and a pro soccer draft pick.
Listen to Season 2 – Episode 11 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 2 – Episode 11 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 2 – Episode 10: Working with 5,000 students and 13 staff members is like working with family, says Emma Wilson, Program Administrator for the Adult ESOL and Literacy Grant Program in WDCE. On this episode of MC Forward, listen to her talk about what she calls ‘vulnerable leadership’ in working with her team.
Listen to Season 2 – Episode 10 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 2 – Episode 10 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 2 – Episode 9: In this episode, ATPA Academic Coach Vincent Briley talks about the need for leaders to exhibit an ethic of care as they listen to the issues taking place within their teams, unit, and communities.
Listen to Season 2 – Episode 9 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 2 – Episode 9 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 2 – Episode 8: In this MC Forward episode, Lauren Landau, the Interim Director of Strategic Talent Management and Organizational Development, talks about how she finds the idea of asking questions helpful in developing the framework to lead and make decisions.
Listen to Season 2 – Episode 8 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 2 – Episode 8 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 2 – Episode 7: This episode of MC Forward features Employer Relations Coordinator Roberta Buckberg talking about her personal experience of career exploration and how she helps lead students to understand the need to be kind to themselves as they embark on their own career paths.
Listen to Season 2 – Episode 7 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 2 – Episode 7 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 2 – Episode 6: In this episode of MC Forward, Bridget Abraham, Operations and Services Specialist for the Board of Trustees, talks about leaders needing to be transformative, visionary, and facilitative, though finding all three in one person isn’t always easy.
Listen to Season 2 – Episode 6 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 2 – Episode 6 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Special Episode: This special episode of MC Forward features Ty Howard, a.k.a. Mr. Untie the Knots®, the founding-Principal and Chief Strategist of InspiraGen Institute LLC, based in Baltimore County, Maryland. He is an internationally respected authority on professional and personal development. Howard is also an organizational development consultant, executive, and leadership development coach, relationship and team-building expert, personal transformation strategist, diversity and inclusion practitioner, motivational keynote speaker, and best-selling author of the book Untie the Knots® That Tie Up Your Life: A Practical Guide to Freeing Yourself from Toxic Habits, Choices, People, and Relationships. In this episode, Ty talks about how leaders need to engage in lifelong learning to build resiliency.
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Season 2 – Episode 5: Leading in a crisis can add tremendous stress to individuals. Rebecca Thomas, Biology Department Chair and a member of the MC Return to Campus Advisory Committee, shares her thoughts on how leaders can be more effective during trying times.
Listen to Season 2 – Episode 5 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 2 – Episode 5 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 2 – Episode 4: Listen in this episode of MC Forward to Jeanette Rojas, Equity and Inclusion Program Manager, talking about leadership through an E&I lens and how it’s all about leadership through the heart.
Listen to Season 2 – Episode 4 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 2 – Episode 4 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 2 – Episode 3: Listen to Biology professor Vedham Karpakakunjaram talk about the importance of faculty leadership in the classroom so that students understand the skills needed either to use on the job or when transferring to another school. He also focuses on faculty demonstrating leadership skills as team players in the classroom, teaching students while also learning from them.
Listen to Season 2 – Episode 3 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 2 – Episode 3 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 2 – Episode 2: In this episode of MC Forward, listen to Goli Trump, Internal Auditor and Advisory Services Director, talk about organizational culture and how leaders need to help get a cultural change to where it needs to be in order to meet strategic initiatives.
Listen to Season 2 – Episode 2 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 2 – Episode 2 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 2 – Episode 1: Welcome to Season 2 of MC Forward. We kick off having a chat with Jeana Beaulieu and Sharmini Azeez, Dr. Michael Mills’ right-hand people who help keep him straight and the Office of E-Learning, Innovation, and Teaching Excellence moving forward.
Listen to Season 2 – Episode 1 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 2 – Episode 1 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 1 – Episode 11: In this episode of MC Forward, Jim Oliver, IT Support Specialist, talks about the importance of leaders focusing on teamwork and communication to have those on the team be successful. This episode makes strong connections between leaders in the workplace and coaches of basketball.
Listen to Season 1 – Episode 11 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 1 – Episode 11 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 1 – Episode 10: Elysse Meredith, Manager of the Germantown campus Writing, Reading and Learning Center, talks about how leaders need to understand they cannot change people but instead should create an environment that allows all individuals to succeed.
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Season 1 – Episode 9: In this episode of MC Forward, Annual Fund Manager Colleen Dolak talks about how it is important for leaders to develop relationships and exhibit compassion to help teams and individuals move forward.
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Season 1 – Episode 8: This week’s episode of MC Forward features Ramon De La Cruz, Building Coordinator for Facilities in the Central Services building and Chair of Staff Council, who talks about the importance for leaders to grow other leaders and how many of his leadership skills were learned on his journey to becoming an Eagle Scout.
Listen to Season 1 – Episode 8 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 1 – Episode 8 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 1 – Episode 7: In this episode of MC Forward, Director of Academic Alliances Angela Rhoe talks about the different types of leaders who would be invited to her upcoming holiday party. She also reflects on Halloween as she recounts a leadership horror story.
Listen to Season 1 – Episode 7 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 1 – Episode 7 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 1 – Episode 6: In this episode, Dr. Mills talks with Kim McGettigan, Administrative Manager, about servant leadership and what that means for a leader.
Listen to Season 1 – Episode 6 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 1 – Episode 6 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 1 – Episode 5: Dr. Mills sits down with Rebecca Razavi, Director of the Southern Management Leadership Program, and explores how to best work with students to develop strong leadership skills.
Listen to Season 1 – Episode 5 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 1 – Episode 5 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 1 – Episode 4: Dr. Mills sits down with Chris Cusic, Interim Director of Instructional Technology, to talk about how good leaders help those around them overcome the fear of failure to move an organization forward.
Listen to Season 1 – Episode 4 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 1 – Episode 4 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 1 – Episode 3: Dr. Mills sits down with Sharon Anthony, English and Reading Department Chair, to talk about how good leaders listen and understand what people are doing and identify the goals.
Listen to Season 1 – Episode 3 Podcast (MP3) | View Season 1 – Episode 3 Podcast Transcript (PDF)
Season 1 – Episode 1: Dr. Mills sits down with Mr. Ken Nelson, Director of Business and Outreach for WDCE, to discuss why leadership is hard and what makes a good leader.
Listen to Seasons 1 – Episode 1 Podcast (MP3) | View Podcast Transcript (PDF)