Welcome to our monthly series where we dive into challenging topics, current events, explore faith, and much more. Expect fresh insights from familiar faces and new voices as we engage in candid discussions. Join us for open and honest fellowship, embracing diverse perspectives. Featured guest: Anne Collier, certified executive coach and CEO of Arudia , a coaching and training firm based in Washington, D.C. Topics explored in this episode: * Recent FDIC article published in the Wall Street Journ...
May 13, 2024•40 min•Season 1Ep. 52
This week, host Troy Edgar met with Surf City USA’s City Attorney Michael Gates, in our L.A. studio. Michael was elected to City Attorney in 2014 and has been a recognized force in his community and across California on key issues of local control and voter ID. In this episode, Michael delves into his career trajectory and aspirations, contemplating a potential future shift toward the federal judiciary. He candidly voices concerns about California's leadership direction, particularly in addressi...
May 06, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 51
This week, host Troy Edgar meets with former California State Senator John Moorlach, in our L.A. studio. John served from 1995 to 2021 as the Orange County Treasurer, County Supervisor and State Senator. John rose to prominence in 1994, when he noticed the county's financial problems and tried to warn officials but was largely ignored until later that year Orange County, CA declared bankruptcy. At that time, the largest municipality to fail in U.S. history. John was an accountant for 19 years pr...
Apr 29, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 50
This week, host Troy Edgar had the opportunity to sit down with Chip Fulghum, CEO of Endeavors and former Deputy Under Secretary of Management and Chief Financial Officer at the Department of Homeland Security at the Ameritocracy L.A. studio. Following his 28-year U.S. Air Force career, including 3 Pentagon tours, Chip retired as Colonel before transitioning into leadership roles within DHS. Troy and Chip's conversation centered on their shared experiences in the DHS CFO role, emphasizing the si...
Apr 22, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 49
This week, host Troy Edgar took the show on the road to Huntsville, Alabama, and met with Becky Hurt, Vice President of Administration for YKTA , a $1.6 billion joint venture of Toyota and Mazda . Troy and Becky first met in 2016 during Toyota's consolidation of their North America manufacturing and sales headquarters. During their discussion, Becky shares insights into her career and explained that not all moves were exactly what she wanted. At times, she said yes to career opportunities for fe...
Apr 15, 2024•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 48
Welcome to our monthly series where we dive into challenging topics, current events, explore faith, and much more. Expect fresh insights from familiar faces and new voices as we engage in candid discussions. Join us for open and honest fellowship, embracing diverse perspectives. Featured guest: Rev. Barry Richards is a dear friend and mentor. He currently serves the Pentecostal City Mission Church in Los Angeles, California . Topics explored in this episode: * Time management * The concept of ti...
Apr 08, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 47
This week, host Troy Edgar meets with Stephanie Hoaglin, U.S. Army, Director of Organic Industrial Base (OIB) Modernization in Huntsville, Alabama. She discusses her career path and the importance of modernizing the Army and the challenges of securing funding for the $16 billion, 15-year Modernization Plan . The Organic Industrial Base, or known within the Defense Community as the OIB, consists of 23 arsenals, depots, and ammunition plants that provide essential maintenance and repair capabiliti...
Apr 01, 2024•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 46
This week, host Troy Edgar meets with Sony Pictures Entertainment , Vice President of Global Still Photography, Chrissy Quesada at the Ameritocracy L.A. studio. Chrissy's journey in the movie industry began over 30 years ago at Carolco Pictures, where she supported the release of Terminator 2. Troy and Chrissy reminisced about the early days, including her time at 20th Century Fox prior to Disney 's $72B acquisition. In this episode, Chrissy provides an overview of her organization’s role in mov...
Mar 25, 2024•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 45
This week, Troy met with Executive Coach and Author, Les Whitney in the Ameritocracy L.A. studio. Les has had an incredible career as an entrepreneur and business leader and spent the last 20 years as a Vistage Master Chair, coaching CEOs on leadership, design thinking, achieving results, and sustainable growth. In 2019, Les was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung and brain cancer and was provided with a 5% chance of survival over the next 5 years. At that critical inflection point, Les turned his passi...
Mar 18, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 44
This week, host Troy Edgar meets with Jeff Caine, the Chief Financial Officer of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), at the Prospect House in Washington, D.C. CBP is the nation’s largest law enforcement agency, overseeing border security, customs, immigration enforcement, and trade facilitation. Jeff manages a $19.5B budget that employs a workforce of over 65,000. Troy and Jeff have an interesting discussion on the differences between political and career CFO roles in federal agencies. Ami...
Mar 07, 2024•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 43
This week, host Troy Edgar meets with Entrepreneur and Creator, Donna Kasseinova at the L.A. studio. Donna discusses her journey as an immigrant from Russia to the United States and her passion for music. Before arriving in the US, she had graduated as a classical pianist from the prestigious Gnessin Music Academy in Moscow. She drifted away from music and prioritized her focus on hard work, networking, and building her business skills. She also maintained her connections back in the fallen Sovi...
Feb 29, 2024•54 min•Season 1Ep. 42
This week, host Troy Edgar had the honor of meeting with U.S. Ambassador Gaddi Vasquez, the former Director of the Peace Corps at the Ameritocracy L.A. studio. Gaddi reflects on his journey and offers a message of hope and resilience. He emphasizes the opportunities available and the importance of giving back. He expresses his pride in being an American and his dedication to creating possibilities for others. He also discussed his involvement in education and local government as ways to make a p...
Feb 22, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 41
This week, host Troy Edgar is joined by the L.A. Times 2023 Inspirational Women nominee, Lina Lumme. Lina is the CEO of The Youth Center , an award-winning non-profit that has transformed the lives of thousands of children through their collaborative social, educational, and recreational programs. Lina candidly talks about her 2003 journey to immigrate to the United States from Russia, when she arrived 8 months pregnant, homeless, with only $100.00 in her pocket. She shares her touching testimon...
Feb 15, 2024•54 min•Season 1Ep. 40
This week I had the opportunity to attend the largest music trade show in the world the National Association of Music Merchants, also known as the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. As a guitar enthusiast, I was excited to interview J.D. Lewis, the founder and lead designer of Warrior Guitars and his sons Dran and Gabe. The Lewis family has been showcasing their craft at the NAMM Show for over 30 extraordinary years. J.D. talks about the history of his company, the importance of staying true to o...
Feb 08, 2024•46 min•Season 1Ep. 39
This week, host Troy Edgar traveled to Toyota ’s North American headquarters to meet with IT Executive and General Manager Jason Ballard to talk about his background and experience at the company. Troy and Jason started working together in 2014, when Toyota began consolidating their North American sales and manufacturing operations. They discuss the move of Toyota's headquarters to Plano, Texas, the role of technology in the company's operations, and the importance of leadership and continuous i...
Feb 01, 2024•41 min•Season 1Ep. 38
This week, host Troy Edgar had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Joseph Raffiee, Professor of Strategy at the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business . Troy and Joe have worked together at USC on the Veteran MBA program that is specifically designed to assist military veterans in seeking new business careers. Joe discusses the meritocracy process to become a tenured professor and his balanced focus on research, teaching, and service. Joe has been recognized as one of th...
Jan 25, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 37
This week host Troy Edgar interviews Major League Baseball scouts Brad and Taylor Cameron. Together, they brought two different perspectives to the topic of identifying and developing talent in Major League Baseball. Brad has been a professional baseball scout for 33 years. He started with the Cleveland Indians in 1990 and has been with the San Francisco Giant s for the last 18 years. With the Giants, he has earned three World Series rings for their victories in 2010, 2012, and 2014. Brad was ki...
Jan 18, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 36
This week, host Troy Edgar travels to Las Vegas to meet with Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson. Steve was previously a Las Vegas City Council member and has been practicing law there for over 40 years. He has served as the District Attorney since 2012. His office handles over 75,000 cases a year and has recently been in the media spotlight with high-profile cases such as the arrest of Duane "Keefe D" Davis in the Tupac Shakur murder, the UNLV shooting, and the death of teen Jonathan L...
Jan 11, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 35
In this week's podcast episode, Troy Edgar meets in Washington D.C. with his colleague and mentor Dan Chenok, Executive Director for IBM's Center for the Business of Government . This was an important show for the podcast as Dan provides a great overview of “What is Meritocracy.” Dan also talks about his recently released book “Transforming the Business of Government: Insights on Resiliency, Innovation, and Performance.” This book has been getting a lot of attention because of its focus on provi...
Jan 04, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 34
This week, Troy Edgar sits down with U.S. Secret Service Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Stephen Roncone in Washington, D.C. Steve, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, assumed his current role in April 2023 overseeing a $2.8 billion budget supporting a workforce of over 7,000 special agents, officers, and other personnel. In this episode, he discusses the history of the U.S. Secret Service as well as the role of finance in law enforcement, his military-to-civilian career transition, and insights on AI and...
Dec 28, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 33
In this week's episode, join host Troy Edgar as he talks with Brett Barbre, President of Yorba Linda Water District. California, the fourth-largest economy globally relies heavily on water for various sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, energy, and tourism. With over 30 years of experience, Brett has served on the boards of the Municipal Water District of Orange County and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California . He is considered an expert on water importations from north...
Dec 21, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 32
In this week's podcast, Troy Edgar sits down with Lisa Dante Papini, President and CEO of Dante Valve, a full-service manufacturer, distributor, and repair facility of valves and related products for the industrial and military markets. From warehouse clerk to leading the family business since 2016, Lisa discusses the company's important role in the U.S. shipbuilding industry and her position as Chair of the Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition ( ACIBC ). The ACIBC focuses on preserving th...
Dec 14, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 31
This week on Ameritocracy, host Troy Edgar had the opportunity to sit down with Sohan Dasgupta, a Law Partner at Taft, Stettinius, and Hollister based in Washington, D.C. With a notable career that included serving as the former Deputy General Counsel at the Department of Homeland Security and Special Counsel of the U.S. Department of Education, Sohan now represents clients before the U.S. Supreme Court, appellate and trial courts, government agencies, and Congress. Having authored three books a...
Dec 07, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 30
In this week’s Ameritocracy episode, host Troy Edgar had the privilege of interviewing Suzanne Mann Coppel. Suzanne was born in Manheim, Germany in 1933. She is a Holocaust survivor and former Jewish refugee in Western Europe where the genocide claimed over 6 million lives from 1933 to 1945. In 1949, Suzanne left her family at age 16 and immigrated from Europe to New York. Now, at 90, she shares her perspective and delivers a powerful message urging us to care for America. She emphasizes the imp...
Nov 30, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 29
This week from Stockholm, Sweden, we are diving into the world of NATO’s supply chain management in this episode of Ameritocracy with Troy Edgar featuring guest David Platt, Moody’s Corporation’s Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer. Join us as we follow David’s career journey to his current role at Moody’s where he has overseen corporate strategic planning and led over $8 billion in M&A and investments to advance Moody’s global integrated risk assessment growth strategy. We also...
Nov 20, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Join host Troy Edgar at the NATO Industry Forum in Stockholm, Sweden as he sits down with Leendert Van Bochoven, IBM Technology Global Leader for Defense, Intel, and NATO. Leendert is based in Amsterdam and shares his career journey to becoming a distinguished industry leader with an extraordinary network and global eminence. Listen to this insightful conversation on the art of building successful relationships, the path from national to global prominence, and transforming setbacks into triumphs...
Nov 16, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 27
In this week's podcast episode, Troy Edgar meets with Mark Newsome, IBM Consulting Vice President & Senior Partner, U.S. Federal Healthcare. Mark's approach to management in IBM's Veterans Affairs and Defense Health programs demonstrates valuable lessons in humble and thoughtful leadership. Mark shares his journey of resilience from his childhood in Prentiss, MS to Washington, D.C., his foundation for success, and his mantra "service before self, humility, and excellence." This is a must-hea...
Nov 09, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 26
In this week’s episode, host Troy Edgar travels to Key West, Florida to meet at the Joint Interagency Task Force - South (JIATF-S) headquarters with Director, Rear Admiral Mark Fedor. Admiral Fedor shares his insights into the mission of JIATF-S, which involves countering illicit drug, human, and weapons trafficking and dismantling transnational criminal organizations. In this episode, Admiral Fedor also discusses his service on the famed U.S. Coast Guard Cutters JAMES (WMSL-754) and MOHAWK (WME...
Nov 02, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 25
In this week’s episode of Ameritocracy, host Troy Edgar meets with Chief Eric Nuñez to explore issues including crime, law enforcement, and public safety policies in California. In addition to his role as Police Chief, Eric had recently served as President of the California Police Chiefs Association (known as Cal Chiefs). He shared details of his 31-year career to becoming a Police Chief and his pivotal role as the President of California Chiefs. Notably, he assumed this role just one month afte...
Oct 26, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 24
This week, host Troy Edgar meets with Pat Rose, the former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). While most people associate TSA with airport security, Pat sheds light on their broader mission, his career and overseeing a $10.4 billion budget. In this episode, we examine the government's approach to planning and funding technology modernization, why does this process typically span 2-3 years from concept to execution? Ameritocracy™ is produced by Pros...
Oct 19, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 23
