Name Drop San Diego - podcast cover

Name Drop San Diego

Abby Hamblin & Kristy Tottenname-drop-san-diego.simplecast.com
Name Drop San Diego is a weekly podcast from The San Diego Union-Tribune celebrating people who have shaped San Diego and been shaped by it. Join hosts Abby Hamblin and Kristy Totten each Tuesday as they get to know the people who make San Diego proud.
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Episodes

Sabrina Goosby comes from a long line of community builders

Sabrina Goosby's family moved to San Diego in the late 1800s and were among the first Black families to move to the area. In the spirit of giving back, Sabrina has been an advocate for foster children for more than 30 years.

Feb 01, 202235 minEp. 88

Dr. Natalie Rodriguez teaches students and learns from patients

Dr. Natalie Rodriguez is the associate director of the Student-Run Free Clinic, which treats underserved communities in the region. Dr. Rodriguez’s family emigrated from Cuba, and she’s a first generation college graduate that took a nonlinear path into medicine. In this interview, she talks about how her upbringing shaped her as a doctor and how she shares her story to show students there’s not just one way to reach your goals.

Jan 25, 202233 minEp. 87

Anthony Pretto grew up at Kobey's Swap Meet

Working at his family’s swap meet, Anthony Pretto has come across some pretty great finds. As a kid, he collected Pokemon cards and Beanie Babies; as a newlywed, he and his wife furnished their home with antiques; and most recently, he scored two 8-foot-tall nutcracker decorations to adorn his front door at Christmastime. The price tag? A steal at $100.

Jan 11, 202228 minEp. 85

Nonprofit executive Lisette Islas starts her day with a dance party

Lisette Islas is the chief impact officer at MAAC, an anti-poverty nonprofit here in San Diego. MAAC helps locals with housing, education, upward mobility and more. Lisette is a true community champion and really believes in paying it forward.

Dec 07, 202135 minEp. 82

Kaci Brown brings her Kumeyaay ancestors back home

Kaci Brown is a member of the Barona band of the Kumeyaay Nation. She's an archaeologist and a community contributor at the U-T, where she’s written about lessons we can all learn from Native culture. She has an incredible life story, beginning with a milk carton ad.

Nov 30, 202136 minEp. 81

Astronomer Lisa Will studies the stuff between stars

Dr. Lisa Will is a professor of astronomy and physics at San Diego City College and she’s also the resident astronomer at the Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park. She oversees not one but two planetariums, and just generally loves everything related to space and sci-fi.

Nov 02, 202132 minEp. 78

Chef Lan Thai approaches food as medicine

Chef Lan Thai AKA Chef Lando is the owner of the Enclave restaurant at JuneShine Ranch in Scripps Ranch, where she cooks farm-to-table Asian fusion cuisine.

Oct 26, 202131 minEp. 77

Brian Hu, professor and professional movie watcher

Brian is an associate professor of film at San Diego State University and the artistic director of the San Diego Asian Film Festival, which basically means he gets to watch movies for a living.

Oct 19, 202134 minEp. 76

Alejandra Sotelo-Solis, first Latina mayor of National City

Mayor Sotelo-Solis is the first ever Latina to hold her position. She’s a third generation resident of National City and a proud poli-sci graduate of UC San Diego. Plus, she has really amazing style. We’ll talk about that, as well as family, life philosophy and -- I totally wasn’t expecting this -- but zombie apocalypse escape plans.

Oct 12, 202143 minEp. 75

Lisa Easterly, CEO of the San Diego Cyber Center of Excellence

Lisa Easterly is the CEO of the San Diego Cyber Center of Excellence, which promotes innovation and excellence in the region's cyber community. We talked about jobs, diversity in the industry, and of course about Lisa.

Sep 21, 202127 minEp. 72

Joaquin 'Quino' McWhinney, singer of 'Baby I Love Your Way'

Today's guest is Joaquin McWhinney, AKA Quino, the singer behind the 1994 hit "Baby I Love Your Way." His band, Big Mountain, formed in San Diego in the '80s and that song took them to the top of billboard charts and all around the world.

Sep 14, 202133 minEp. 71

Cody Hooven, COO of San Diego Community Power

Cody Hooven is the COO of San Diego Community Power, which just inked a big deal with San Diego County to purchase its power. In general, she is a problem solver, champion of the environment and lover of the outdoors.

Sep 07, 202133 minEp. 70

Joel John Roberts, CEO of People Assisting the Homeless

Joel is the CEO of PATH, also known as People Assisting the Homeless. He lives in downtown San Diego and over the past 25 years has grown a small Los Angeles transitional living home into a statewide operation serving more than 140 communities.

Aug 31, 202126 minEp. 69

Beth Demmon, beer and cider expert

Beth Demmon is a San Diego-based freelance journalist who writes about beer and cider. She’s had a bunch of amazing bylines including Playboy, Vice, Thrillist, Eating Well and the Union-Tribune’s very own Pacific Magazine.

Aug 24, 202133 minEp. 68

Maya Reddy, founder of Queer Asian Social Club

Maya Reddy is the founder of Queer Asian Social Club, a San Diego-based collective that promotes Asian/Pacific Islander/Southwest Asian and Desi visibility.

Aug 17, 202148 minEp. 67

Shawn VanDiver, co-founder of the Truman Project's SD chapter

Shawn is a Navy veteran and the co-founder of the San Diego chapter of the Truman National Security Project. He's hyper involved in San Diego and sits on several boards including the San Diego Convention Center, and the public policy committee of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Aug 10, 202136 minEp. 66

Mitch Silverstein, ocean protector and San Diego Surfrider manager

Mitch is the San Diego chapter manager of the Surfrider Foundation, a volunteer-driven organization that protects our beaches and oceans. Under his leadership, the group advocates for clean water, beach access, limiting plastic consumption and more. Mitch himself has been mostly single-use plastic-free since 2008.

Aug 03, 202134 minEp. 65

Minh Lê writes children's books about family and creativity

Minh writes picture books and comics and is a childhood policy expert for the federal government. He’s the award-winning author of Drawn Together, Lift, The Perfect Seat, The Green Lantern Legacy and Let Me Finish, one of NPR's best books of 2016. He recently moved to San Diego with his wife, who is from here, and their two sons.

Jul 27, 202136 minEp. 64

Fernando Z. López, executive director of San Diego Pride

Growing up in El Centro, Fernando Zweifach López Jr. never thought they'd end up as the executive director of San Diego Pride, an organization with a mission to create a world free of prejudice and bias. But looking back, the trajectory makes perfect sense.

Jul 13, 202134 minEp. 62

Toni Atkins, California Senate President Pro Tem

Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins is one of the most influential politicians in California, and she got her start here in San Diego. On this episode, she discusses LGBTQ rights and her own coming out story, her SB 9 housing bill and why she loves Dolly Parton.

Jun 29, 202128 minEp. 60

Rafael Payare, music director of the San Diego Symphony

Rafael Payare, music director for the San Diego Symphony, has conducted orchestras all over the world, but his approach always remains the same, no matter the location. "I go all in, or nothing -- completely," Payare said.

Jun 22, 202136 minEp. 59
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