Ameritocracy

Sidebar Conversations welcomes back Barry Richards! This episode's topic is the ethical complexity of AI and the impact we are starting to see in society and the workforce. 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 an...

This week, host Troy Edgar met with Mohammad Khan, Managing Attorney at  MNK Law at our L.A. studio. Mohammad is a respected lawyer in the business world and he shares his insights on navigating the legal landscape of contract, labor, and employment law. Troy and Mohammad discuss the three situations and questions entrepreneurs should consider when selecting legal representation for their startups...

This week, host Troy Edgar traveled to   Santa Monica and met with Kara Bilkiss, Vice President of Mobile Commerce at Activision Blizzard . Kara and Troy worked together at  Disney in 2013 and 2014 and continued to stay in touch.  At Activision Blizzard, Kara leads the mobile commercial strategy for franchises including: Call of Duty Mobile, Diablo Immortal , Warcraft Rumble , and Candy Crush Saga...

This week, host Troy Edgar dives into the life and contributions of Alexander Hamilton, one of America's founding fathers. Hamilton's life exemplifies that not everyone starts at the same place and sometimes you have to create your own opportunities.  In this episode, we'll explore how Hamilton built his success from immigrant to the first US Secretary of Treasury and how he laid the groundwork fo...

We are celebrating one year of the Ameritocracy Podcast with a special anniversary episode! Join host Troy Edgar as he delves into the podcast's mission of exploring personal and professional growth, reflects on the past 52 episodes, and unveils Producer Sarah's favorite episodes. We want to hear yours too! Share your favorite Ameritocracy Podcast moment with us in the comments on LinkedIn , Insta...

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 Washin...

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 jud...

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.  A...

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.   T...

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 th...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 int...

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, n...

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 possibilitie...

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 a...

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...

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,...

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 pro...

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 Gia...

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...

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, In...

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 r...