Aspiring Altruists

This episode is a truly special one because I’m turning the tables, as the featured guest is myself! The reason for that, and why this episode is an extra special one is because it is also the last episode. I am a Program Coordinator for the NRDC Action Fund . In this episode, I share a bit about my story, my early career journey, what led me to start this podcast over three years ago, what I hope...

This episode features someone who has a passion for using stories to create progressive change, Don Wolford . Don is a Stories Manager at the Center for American Progress , a progressive think tank dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through ideas and action. He’s doing this having graduated from Kent State a couple of years ago with a degree in Political Science and Government. Don shar...

This episode features a young woman with a passion for bringing people together and improving human lives, Phebe Meyer . Phebe is the Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor at The Center for Christianity and Public Life , an organization whose mission is to contend for the credibility of Christian resources in public life, for the good of the public. Phebe shares with us about her wide variety of early...

Sharing with us about her passion for international and climate-related issues, today’s guest is Maya Sterling . Maya is a Program Coordinator at the Pan American Development Foundation , an organization that works across Latin America and the Caribbean to make the region stronger, meaning healthier, safer, more just, inclusive, resilient, productive, and sustainable for current and future generat...

This episode features a young woman with a passion for creating real policy change, Liddy Ballard . Liddy is a State Policy Manager at Brady , an organization that works across Congress, courts, and communities to end America's gun violence epidemic. As someone with a passion for attacking the root causes rather than the symptoms of gun violence, and is emboldened every time a preventable mas...

This episode features a young woman with a wide variety of experiences early in her career, Tyler Brent .  Tyler is the President of Operations and co-founder of Movement for Choice , an organization that offers education, events, and donation-based yoga and fitness classes to help fund access to abortion for all, especially those in underrepresented communities. She balances this with her day job...

This episode features a young woman with a passion for mental health, Madeline Ingram . Madeline is a Marketing and Communications Manager at Rock Recovery , an organization that supports the journey to freedom from disordered eating through individual and community programs. She works in a variety of ways to support those with eating disorders and is currently in grad school on her way to becomin...

During this episode you’ll hear from someone with a passion for empowering students to promote peacebuilding through education, Akshay Kashikar . Akshay is a program officer at Education For Employment , the leading nonprofit job placement network in the Middle East and North Africa. He recently earned his master’s in International Education Development, and was an intern at the United Nations whi...

Today’s guest is a guy that I have gotten to know personally through one of my favorite activities, ultimate Frisbee, Nate Dickstein . Nate is a policy development analyst at the Conference of State Bank Supervisors , an organization that supports state regulators in advancing the system of state financial supervision. He has gone from working as a paralegal to now being in the nonprofit sector ea...

In this episode, we have a guest who has a passion for helping others, Dalia Ahmed . Dalia is the manager of Corporate Employee Engagement at Feeding America , an organization that works to end hunger in the US. They are the largest U.S. charity by revenue. Dalia has gone from the for-profit to the nonprofit sector already early in her career, learning about the challenges of each and experiencing...

Today’s show features a guest who has a passion for helping people experiencing homelessness, Nina Alomar . Nina is the Volunteer and Corporate Engagement Coordinator at PathForwardVA . She has lived all across the country, gaining a deep appreciation along the way for the realities of the challenges people face that she’s now working to take on. She shares with us more about how that passion grew...

This episode features a guest with a passion for helping the immigrant population, Juan Perez . Juan is the Student Services Coordinator at the English Empowerment Center . He’s still pretty fresh out of school, having just graduated in 2021, and he elected to head right into the non-profit sector. Similar to myself and many other guests, Juan decided that he wanted to work to make a positive impa...

This episode features a guest that I know personally, Becky Oswalt . Becky is the Assistant Program Officer for Latin America at the National Endowment for Democracy . She’s doing this after having been a Fullbright Scholar with the Department of State, along with other experiences such as having been a Legislative Fellow at the House of Representatives. She shares with us a bit about the work she...

This episode features a guest that’s a bit of a unique one, Kathrine Morris . Kathrine is a Relationship Manager at NeighborWorks America . The reason she’s a unique guest is that she hosts a podcast of her own, Nine Lives with Kat. Through our conversation, we explore the vast journey across the nonprofit sector that she’s been on since undergrad, learn more about her podcast, hear how her master...

This episode features someone who has gone from the political world to the non-profit sector, back to politics, and now back once again to the non-profit sector, Dennis Barrett . Dennis is an Advocacy Campaign Manager at The Trevor Project . As you can guess, he has a broad range of experience from his early career adventures, and he shares with us about that journey as well as how he lives out hi...

Today’s episode is a special one because it features a guest who both, until very recently, worked for a non-profit organization as well as having founded his own, Don Abram . At the time of our conversation, Don was a program manager for Interfaith America , an organization that aims to inspire, equip, and connect individuals and institutions to unlock the potential of America’s religious diversi...

This episode features a young woman with a passion for working with conflict-affected populations, Karenna Öner . Karenna is a first-generation American with a long-standing interest in conflict studies and human security. While she has recently moved on from this role, in this episode she shares about her work as a caseworker for the International Rescue Committee . She’s lived abroad and applies...

With the midterm elections having just happened and a major issue of them seemingly being the integrity of our democracy, I decided to speak with a guy who works to improve our democracy and make our elections fairer, Matt Oberstaedt . Matt is a social media associate at FairVote . He graduated last year from George Washington University, having studied political science, and has worked on politic...

This second episode of the second season features a young woman named Brooke Allison . Brooke is a program manager at MAP International , a Christian nonprofit organization that works to provide medicines and health supplies to those in need around the world. She shares with us what led to her working in the nonprofit sector, how her earning an MPA has impacted her career, and much more. You can c...

We are officially live for season 2! After a year off to focus on other projects, I'm back for another 20 episodes. Our first guest this season is an optimistic young woman who has a real heart for helping people, Libby McClayton . Libby is a volunteer engagement specialist at the National MS Society . She worked as an Americorps member for two years and has worked for a couple of other organ...

On this, the 20th episode of Aspiring Altruists, you’ll hear from a young woman with a passion for working for animal welfare, Jessica Simpson . Jessica is a Public Policy Specialist at The Humane Society of the United States . Her early career has taken her across the US, working as a park ranger in North Carolina, for both a smaller Humane Society and an animal hospital in Colorado, to now worki...

This episode features a young woman who has always had an interest in environmental issues, Catherine Pollack . Catherine, who also goes by Kitty, is a Program Associate with the Energy and Environment Program at The Aspen Institute . She has moved around a bit in her early career, having an internship in the Bahamas, studying undergrad in Vermont, and then getting her start with Aspen out in Colo...

This episode features a guy who has had a wide variety of early career experiences but has a passion for mission-focused work, Joshua Gilstein. Josh is a Strategic Process Improvement Analyst at the American Red Cross. He’s an experienced project manager and has a strong desire to solve problems so that important work can get done more efficiently and effectively. Josh is passionate about social j...

This episode features a young woman who is focused on environmental impact in a non-traditional way, Stephanie Piperno . Stephanie is the Trails Coalition Manager at the Washington Area Bicyclist Association . Thus far in her early career, she has moved from working with a government agency, the National Park Service, to working in a more corporate environment at REI, to now being here in the non-...

This episode features someone who has a true passion for creating healthy and sustainable places for all people, Becca Buthe . Becca is a Research Analyst for Smart Growth America where she works on projects relating to economic development, land use, and transportation. She studied civil engineering in undergrad before earning her master's in urban and regional planning followed by taking he...