Project Zero

Host Alex Tuck interviews Tom Cooper, a program consultant at Rhino Healthcare Solutions. Cooper traces his path from JPMorgan operations and trading into software and project management, then into a Chicago-based green roofing startup driven by city stormwater mandates. His “Project Zero” involves excavating and repairing the King County Bus Terminal roof-park after barbecuing caused membrane lea...

Host Alex Tuck interviews Shane Dixon, founder of Essix Consulting and managing partner at Corbeau. Dixon describes shifting from rescuing troubled in-flight projects to helping organizations mature their project management and prevent recurring failures through stronger PMO capability. He shares a “legacy PM” career path from scheduling assistant and coordinator to PMO leader, crediting continual...

Host Alex Tuck introduces Tyler Norman, Director of Strategic Programs at Scholastic and a frequent PMI speaker, who shares his 17-year PM journey from construction and energy into supply-chain transformation programs like warehouse robotics and tech-stack upgrades. Norman’s “Project Zero” comes from working as a teenager in a small-town bar and grill, where he identified a fryer bottleneck, quant...

Host Alex Tuck welcomes listeners to season two of Project Zero, with a greater focus on AI’s impact, and interviews project manager and PMP coach Orlando Sequera. Sequera shares how he fell into project management after years in IT, including an early asset inventory project that failed due to neglected scope and lack of formal PM discipline, motivating him to pursue a master’s in project managem...

Host Alex Tuck welcomes IT program and project manager Claudia Wright to Project Zero season two. Wright shares her 25+ year path from data entry and administrative work at the EPA to database management, then coding (COBOL/DB2) at BellSouth, where frustration with “work thrown over the cubicle wall” pushed her toward business analysis and requirements. She became a project manager at a global gro...

On this episode of Project Zero, host Alex Tuck welcomes Zack Tembi, CEO of Single Fin, a startup that supports the cybersecurity and infrastructure needs of Fortune 500/1000 companies. Tembi recounts his path from Roanoke College to early roles at Netuitive and as an early Splunk employee through its growth and Cisco acquisition, then founding Single Fin to prioritize customer outcomes and cut th...

Host Alex Tuck interviews Shawn Harris, CEO and co-founder of Co-Worked/Creative Harmony. Harris recounts his early career in technology at IBM while still an undergrad, later formalizing project management at TJX amid tight retail delivery windows and PMI-style rigor. His “Project Zero” centers on leading TJX’s migration of credit transaction processing from an outsourced provider to an in-house...

Host Alex Tuck welcomes healthcare project management consultant Nigisty Lulu to discuss her career at the intersection of public health, healthcare operations, and health technology, and the season’s increased focus on AI. Nigisty shares how she was “thrown into” project management after college at Emory University’s neurology department, supporting healthcare initiatives and a telehealth launch...

Megan Newman on Building Humanitru, High-Stakes Healthcare Projects, and AI-Driven Customer Support Insights Host Alex Tuck opens season two of Project Zero with Megan Newman, co-founder and COO of Humanitru, to discuss her career shift from healthcare to nonprofit SaaS, the importance of systems and organization, and the evolving impact of AI. Megan explains how fragmented data systems in both EM...

In this episode of Season 2 Project Zero, host Alex Tuck welcomes Dave Reinhold, founder of Venture CPO, a product management consultancy that helps clients build digital products from zero to one. They discuss why product and project management are often conflated and how the functions complement each other, with Dave framing project management as building things right and product management as b...

Host Alex Tuck kicks off season two of Project Zero with Stan Ponder, Director of Product Management at Safety National, to explore project leader journeys and AI’s impact on the industry. Stan shares his path from fifth-grade teacher and elementary principal into learning and development, where he unknowingly practiced project management before moving into product management and building a produc...

From Care Coordination to Health Tech: Jordyn Seri on Project Zero, Process Automation, and AI in Healthcare PM In this episode of Project Zero. Jordyn Seri, PMP is a healthcare Project Manager who turns operational friction into streamlined systems. With a background in public health and a process optimization mindset, Jordyn specializes in bridging the gap between technical developers and frontl...

In this episode of Project Zero, host Alex Tuck interviews Russ Parker, founder of Forty-Four Risk PM. Russ shares his unique journey from the Marine Corps to becoming a project manager and risk management expert. He delves into his accidental entry into project management, the influence of his wife’s PMP certification, and his transition to the financial sector. Russ emphasizes the importance of...

In this episode of Project Zero, host Alex Tuck welcomes Vidura Stich, a healthcare management consultant from Freed Associates. Vidura shares his journey into project management, starting from his early career and the pivotal moments that led him to where he is today. He discusses the importance of structure and people skills in project management, as well as the impact of mentorship on his caree...

In this season one finale of Project Zero, Alex celebrates the show's success and shares memorable moments and favorite highlights from past episodes. The episode features insightful interviews with project leaders whom Alex met at PMI (Project Management Institute) Global. Guests include Marc Verbist discussing the intersection of music and project management, Tanya Boyd on her gumbo recipe...

In this episode of Project Zero, host Alex Tuck speaks with Galanda Brooker, Alex Morgan, and Martin Quatt about business process mapping. The discussion kicks off with introductions and highlights the importance of this method in improving organizational efficiencies. Martin explains the basics of business process mapping, starting from leadership acknowledgment of the need for change to gatherin...

In this episode of Project Zero, host Alex Tuck interviews Cathy Matosky, a strategic program manager for a digital advertising company and a consultant in operational excellence. Cathy shares her journey into project management, starting from her initial career in medical technology to her current roles. She discusses the importance of focusing on both technical execution and people management, t...

In this episode of Project Zero, host Alex Tuck interviews Alec Jacobson, an ESG consultant and co-founder of AB Power. Alec shares his unique career journey from a freelance journalist and nonprofit founder to his current roles at TetraTech and AB Power. He discusses the skills he developed along the way, including project management as a journalist and leadership lessons learned at Booz Allen. A...

This discussion focuses on key areas project managers should prioritize for effective service delivery in small businesses or departments. Emphasis is placed on the importance of comprehensive communication plans, the cadence of communication methods, and ensuring stakeholders are well-informed and engaged throughout the project. The conversation also addresses practical approaches to organizing p...

In this episode of Project Zero, host Alex Tuck interviews Peter Walker, a co-founder of Navigate, about his extensive experience in project management. Pete shares his journey from being an industrial engineer and psychologist to a project manager working on transformation projects and process re-engineering. Highlighting his 'Project Zero'—an ERP transformation at General Dynamics—Pete...

In this episode of Project Zero, host Alex Tuck welcomes keynote speaker and upcoming author, Saby Waraich. Saby shares his extensive experience spanning 30 years in technology, currently serving as Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at Clackamas Community College. He discusses his journey from software development in India to becoming a PMO manager in the U.S., highl...

In this episode of Project Zero, host Alex Tuck interviews Matt Mayabb, Senior Director of Program Management at NeuroFlow. Matt discusses his journey from working at Humana to being part of NeuroFlow through its acquisition of Quartet Health. He details his nonlinear path in project management, sharing experiences from his early career in a call center to leading complex healthcare projects. Matt...

In this episode of Project Zero, host Alex Tuck interviews Walt Sparling, an author, podcaster, and senior project manager with an international real estate company. Walt shares his journey from working in mechanical, electrical, and architectural design to becoming a project manager. He discusses his transition into project management, the challenges and learning experiences during his career, an...

In this episode of Project Zero, host Alex Tuck interviews Ed Rios, CEO of Tech Ed Productions, about his journey from being a technical manager at Citibank to a project and program management expert. Ed recounts his initiation into project management during the Y2K readiness projects at Citibank, his transition to ERP management with a focus on SAP and Microsoft Dynamics, and his eventual foundin...

In this episode, host Alex Tuck interviews Amervis López Cobb, a transformation architect and expert in psychological safety. Amervis shares her journey from at-risk youth to building and rescuing project management offices, and discusses why psychological safety is the foundation for successful teams. The conversation covers her "I'M Power" framework, the importance of communicatio...