Around Town

Lynette Wilson Executive Director at St. Benedict's Chapel. Lynette shares her personal motivations and experiences in leading organizations focused on strengthening families and providing support to individuals marginalized by society. She tells stories from her decades spanning work leading the Family Guidance and Outreach Center of Lubbock since its inception, and why she choose to then lead St...

Chuck Lanehart, author of the book “Tragedy and Triumph on the Texas Plains: Curious Historic Chronicles from Murders to Movies”.Chuck shares his passion for High Plains history providing insights as both a chronicler and lawyer. He discusses several stories of early Lubbock citizens and reveals how he and his wife solved the century old cold-case of Lubbock’s first homicide.

Dr. Johnson shares the origins of the internationally renowned Lubbock Lake Landmark and stories from her fifty years as its director. She discusses the attributes needed to be an interdisciplinary thinker, and why she believes offering programs designed for the general public to engage is core to the Landmark’s mission.

Ryan discusses his unique journey becoming a sports broadcaster, a goal that formed at a young age. He shares the decision making that went into creating his radio show and the sports platform, The Raiderland. Ryan also discusses the shifting patterns of fan engagement that are influencing the college athletics industry.

Our guest is Lori Rice-Spearman, Ph. D., the ninth president of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Lori shares her personal and professional journey that gained her the reputation of being a strong leader and program developer. She discusses the present and future of TTUHSC, emerging trends shaping healthcare, and what it takes to build and sustain new educational programs.

Andrew Mitchell CEO of Toot'n TotumAndrew shares the origins of the Toot’n Totum, a successful 3rd generation family-owned convenience store business in West Texas. He discusses the values that drive the organization and the effort it takes grow an established company into new markets and business lines.

Lauren D. Garduño - President/CEO at Ports-to-Plains AllianceLauren discusses his West Texas experiences and how he became a civil engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation. He describes the significant role district engineers for TXDOT have in determining a community’s connectivity and his leadership efforts on the multi-state Ports-to-Plains initiative to bring better infrastructure to...

Our guest is Ralph DeWitt of Ralph's Records! Ralph discusses creating a sustained business over the decades in the shifting music industry product landscape. From new to used, vinyl, 8 track, cassette, CDs, and back to vinyl! He talks about how his stores have evolved and thrived by staying opportunistic. Plus you'll learn the origins of the unique logo and color palette of the stores.

Our guest is Lubbock City Manager Jarrett Atkinson. Jarret shares his experiences in West Texas and how his love for the region led him to becoming a public servant. He talks about what it’s like to manage a city’s operations and his approach to leading city staff.

Melissa shares her experiences in leading community wide initiatives. She discusses what it took to organize farmers for the successful state mandated boll-weevil eradication initiative, having the perseverance to lead the effort for allowing liquor sales in Lubbock despite threats to her life, and fundraising to create the city’s premier performance venue, the Buddy Holly Hall for the Performing...

Dr. Michelle McCord Superintendent of Frenship ISDDr. McCord discusses discovering her passion for childhood development and how that led opportunities for pursuing positions of leadership in education. She shares about the joys and challenges of managing a rapidly growing school district and the decision making that goes into building new schools.

Steve Newsom shares his journey to becoming an award-winning winemaker and vineyard owner. He discusses the challenges and rewards of growing grapes on the High Plains and how he determines a quality wine.

Lubbock Police Chief Mitchell discusses his formative experiences in the US military that led him to a career in civilian law enforcement. He talks about the experience of working in different cities, community policing, and his approach to leading a police force.

Ron Roberts is the Chief Meteorologist for KAMC.Ron is a seasoned broadcaster with a career that spans over 30 years in radio and television. He shares his broadcast journey from the early days of radio to his move into television.

Stacy Keith Director Lubbock Cultural Arts FoundationStacy provides insights into Lubbock’s music and visual arts communities. She discusses the role of the Lubbock Cultural Arts Foundation plays in fostering a welcoming environment for aspiring artists to pursue their vision in Lubbock.

Bill Miller CEO BreedloveBill shares life experiences including founding a successful logistics company and the importance of mentors. Bill discusses the history and operations of Breedlove Foods and the important role it plays in international humanitarian relief.

Taylor McAlpine – Taylor talks about his memories of growing up in Lubbock and the multi-sector career path that sparked his interest in localism. He shares what his startup, LocalLBK, is doing to promote falling in love with Lubbock.

Sparks of Joy – Local authors Kris King, Anna Jackson, and Ian Rodriguez discuss finding joy despite hardships. They describe the experiences that motivated their stories in the book "Sparks of Joy", a collection of stories from fourteen Lubbock women.

Alycyn Keeling is the Executive Director of the Wallace Theater located in Levelland. Alycyn shares her journey from West Texas to DC and back again. She discusses what it was like working in national educational policy, creating leadership programs for former US presidents, and the dream to redevelop Levelland’s Wallace Theater that brought her back to the High Plains.

Justin Weaver is the Meteorologist In Charge at the National Weather Service Lubbock office. Justin discusses his connection to West Texas and why forecasting the High Plain’s weather is a professional dream. He talks about understanding weather patterns, changes in forecasting, and how to think about severe weather season.