Hey Amarillo

A conversation with Keely Brown, one of the co-founders and directors of Colorful Closets , a nonprofit that provides mini-wardrobes to children in need. Keely tells her organization's origin story to host Jason Boyett, but also shares her personal story—and it's a surprising one. How does a young, vibrant family in a higher-income part of town suddenly end up on the skids, finding themselves with...

A conversation with Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart , the president of Amarillo College. Born in Slaton and educated at WTAMU, he succeeded Dr. Paul Matney at AC in 2014—and was almost immediately met with a funding crisis. With host  Jason Boyett, Lowery-Hart talks about navigating that crisis, learning hard lessons about leadership, and how AC came out stronger on the other side. The two dive deep into...

A conversation with Jenny Inzerillo , the music director at HPPR and host of High Plains Morning , weekdays from 9am to noon on High Plains Public Radio. In 2015, Jenny arrived here from Chicago and St. Louis, which brings her a unique perspective as a former outsider who has become a passionate insider. With host  Jason Boyett, she talks about public radio, the local music scene, and why the Texa...

A conversation with Koben Puckett , a local cowboy and Canyon resident who suffered a spinal cord injury while competing in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. The 2008 injury left him a quadriplegic. Now he's a paraplegic and making enormous strides in his recovery. With host  Jason Boyett, Koben discusses his career, his injury, the role of stem-cell therapy, and the invitational bull-ri...

A conversation with Rachael Edwards , a longtime Amarillo artist known for a diverse body of work, including her annual Back Alley Gallery shows and the enormous mural at Six Car Pub & Brewery. With host Jason Boyett, Rachel describes her upbringing as the daughter of two local jazz musicians, how she has built an art career in a constantly shifting world, and how the idea for her next Back Alley...

A conversation with Jeff Wyrick, a production planner at Caviness Beef Packers and the founder of Shakehands Pong , a local table tennis circuit with an outsized influence and incredible story. With host Jason Boyett, Jeff discusses his wide-ranging career—which has included two stints at Hastings—as well as the Shakehands origin story and the importance of creating community among adults. This ep...

A conversation with Maria Garcia, program director for Uniting Parents , a nonprofit Coalition of Health Services program for parents of children with disabilities. Maria is the daughter of first-generation migrant workers and became the first member of her family to attend college. With host Jason Boyett, she discusses her upbringing, how she became an educator, and why it's so important to conne...

A conversation with Justin Howe, a local entrepreneur and the owner of  Texas Tea in Amarillo. After the success of these iced tea concepts, Howe has turned Texas Tea into a franchise model called HTeaO , with franchise locations from Texas to Florida. With host Jason Boyett, he details his entrepreneurial journey from aviation to construction to tea, and how Amarillo's community DNA became an int...

A conversation with Ryan Parnell, director of the 24 Hours in the Canyon Cancer Survivorship Center . This community center offers free programs and services for adults during and after cancer treatment. The center began with the nationally recognized  24 Hours in the Canyon event, which takes place June 1-2, 2019. With host Jason Boyett, Ryan explains the origins of 24 Hours and the vital role th...

A conversation with Lisa Blake, Executive Director of Leadership Amarillo & Canyon . After a career in banking, Lisa took the helm of this nonprofit leadership development program several years ago. Then in 2016, she stepped in to spend a year as a member of Amarillo's City Council. With host Jason Boyett, Lisa digs into the challenges of city government and what her behind-the-scenes access has t...

A conversation with Hayden Pedigo in front of a live audience at ArtsFest. Hayden is an experimental guitarist with a growing reputation who ran for City Council this most recent election cycle. He didn't get elected, but he got a generation of younger citizens interested in local politics—and gained plenty of outside attention in the process. With host Jason Boyett, Hayden details his upbringing,...

A conversation with Doshon Johnson, who founded a nonprofit working to build new apartment homes in the North Heights—the first new development in that community in decades. With host Jason Boyett, Doshon talks about growing up in poverty, how his compulsion to provide for his family got him in trouble, and how a stint in prison changed his life. Today Doshon strives to bring change and growth to...

A conversation with Katrena (Kat) Volden, head coach of the Bomb City Bombshells, Amarillo's local roller derby team. When she's not practicing or competing against skaters from all over the state, she works with kids with special needs. With host Jason Boyett, Kat talks about roller derby's history in Amarillo, dispels misconceptions about this full-contact sport, and shares how her childhood at...

A conversation with Salad Dualle, a former medical doctor in Somalia and now a medical translator and owner of a local trucking company based in Amarillo. Salad came to the United States several years ago to find opportunity and escape threats on his life from jihadist group Al-Shabaab. He speaks to host Jason Boyett about the immigrant experience in Amarillo, detailing how West Texas and Somalia...

A conversation with Danny Melius of Nuke City Veg , a multi-location commercial farm operating within the Amarillo city limits. A former programmer for Hastings Entertainment, Danny transitioned from IT to urban farming after the Amarillo-based retail chain shut down its stores in 2016. Danny tells host  Jason Boyett about his punk background, forced career reinvention, and unique ongoing partners...

A conversation with Deanna Hurt, the creative entrepreneur behind The Ruffled Cup . Deanna moved to this area to attend WTAMU, then launched the city's first cupcake-only bakery back in 2010.  With host Jason Boyett, she tells how she got started, explains how Amarillo customers are different from Lubbock customers, and introduces a new venture: Biscuits.  This episode is sponsored by Cara Hendric...

A conversation with Roman Leal, who is the owner and founder of  Evocation Coffee with his wife, Amy. The couple created their business when they were teenagers and have built it into a thriving, influential enterprise—and now they're stepping away. With host Jason Boyett, Roman tells the Evocation story and reveals what's next for him personally and what's next for the business. This episode is s...

A conversation with Jill Gibson , chair of the Matney Mass Media program at Amarillo College. After earning degrees from Stanford and Northwestern, Jill arrived in Amarillo as a TV broadcaster expecting to quickly move on to a larger market. That was 25 years ago. She and host Jason Boyett discuss why she's still here, what she discovered at Amarillo College, and why AC's media students are so suc...

A conversation with Brooks Boyett, the founder of Mission 2540 , a local ministry focused on low-income apartment complexes. Yes, Brooks is the brother of host Jason Boyett. But he's also a professional magician, a CrossFit instructor, and a fierce advocate for children in poverty. He and Jason discuss how his career began and why it's so important to know our neighborhoods and our neighbors. This...

A conversation with Carolyn Terrell , Head Director of the Amarillo High School Choral Department. Carolyn has taught music education to public school students of all ages, and shares about the lifelong value of teaching students to sing. With host Jason Boyett, she praises the local fine arts community and explains why learning to take risks is so vital for impressionable teenagers. This episode...

A conversation with Jacomo Bairos , music director for Amarillo Symphony . Since joining the Symphony in 2013, this Florida native has co-founded the acclaimed Nu Deco Ensemble and now guest conducts for orchestras all over the world. With host Jason Boyett, Jacomo describes Amarillo's strong arts culture and talent pool and shares how his career has grown since he first arrived. This episode is s...

A conversation with Mildred Darton, president of the North Heights Advisory Association. Mildred grew up in the North Heights and attended Carver High School in the 1960s, during segregation. With host Jason Boyett, she shares the history of this predominantly African-American neighborhood, the destructive impact desegregation had on the community, and what the North Heights still needs today. Thi...

A conversation with Patrick Burns, the founder and co-owner of Palace Coffee Company . After opening the first Palace location in Canyon in 2011, Patrick has seen his business expand into Amarillo and gain notoriety in the craft coffee world. With host Jason Boyett, he shares the Palace origin story, why he's more interested in people than coffee, and why he feels every coffee shop in the city (no...

A conversation with Karen Welch, the senior content producer for Panhandle PBS . Before that role, Karen spent 25+ years as a reporter for the Amarillo Globe-News . She now has nearly three decades of experience reporting about Amarillo's city government, business community and more. With host Jason Boyett, she shares her most memorable assignment, explains why community newspapers are so vital, a...

A conversation with Bruce Moseley, executive director of the Turn Center . Bruce didn't plan to end up in the nonprofit world—he's an attorney by trade—but found his calling at this organization that provides therapy for children with special needs. With host Jason Boyett, Bruce details his meandering career path and explains how the Turn Center's groundbreaking autism study has brought internatio...