Deconstructing Dallas

The Deconstructing Dallas crew speaks with Nadine Lee this episode, President & Chief Executive Officer of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). Before coming to DART, Nadine was the Chief of Staff for Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). She also led the development and implementation of the Flatiron Flyer Bus Rapid Transit for Denver’s Regional Transportation District (R...

This week, Deconstructing Dallas hosts Shawn Williams and Ryan Trimble were joined by YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas President/CEO Curt Hazelbaker. Curt, who has been the CEO since 2017, actually began his YMCA career 40 years ago as a day camp counselor. Moving up through the ranks of the organization Curt has a keen understanding of the inner workings of the YMCA and why their services are more imp...

Chief Eddie Garcia stopped by to talk to Allyn Media’s Shawn Williams & Ryan Trimble about what led him to Dallas and what he plans to do now that he’s here. Chief Garcia is Dallas’ first Latino Chief of Police in the department's 140 year history. A Puerto Rican immigrant, Chief Garcia has spent 30 years in law enforcement. From SWAT to VICE and a bit of everything in between, Chief Garcia brings...

Dr. Eric A. Johnson, Chief of Economic Development, Housing and Neighborhood Services for the City of Dallas, joins Shawn and Ryan on Deconstructing Dallas. Tune in to hear about Johnson's transition to Dallas (moving here just one week before the COVID-19 shutdown) and why he considers himself a creative disrupter with a competitive spirit. Johnson discusses how Dallas differentiates itself from...

Shawn Williams and Ryan Trimble welcome Christine Perez, Editor of D CEO, on Deconstructing Dallas by way of the MZ Virtual Studios in Cyberspace. From the days of hobby writing as a young girl to winning the 2021 Editorial Excellence Awards, Perez shares her journey in learning from the best in the business in our "can-do" city of Dallas. Founded by the late Wick Allison, Perez talks about what s...

Tune in to hear Shawn and Ryan break things down with Jason Stanford, co-author of New York Times bestselling book, Forget the Alamo. Stanford discusses how he and co-authors Bryan Burrough and Chris Tomlinson came to write this historical piece and the most recent events that led to its flying off library shelves. If you’re still waiting for your copy, Forget the Alamo challenges misconceptions o...

Philip Hiatt Hague, Executive Director of the Circuit Trail Conservancy (CTC) joins Shawn and Ryan as their first in studio guest since March 2020. Philip explains why Dallas consistently ranks among the least bikeable cities, systemic challenges with transportation, and how active transportation (anything but your car) makes a city more robust. In partnership with the City of Dallas, CTC is soon...

Former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Joe Straus talks about his family's political history in Texas and his own entry into politics. He also discusses the decision he and his wife made to join a Black Lives Matters march in the Terrell Hills community of San Antonio. Speaker Straus also talks about his organization Texas Forever Forward and their work to produce better policy outco...

Jerry Hawkins, Executive Director of Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (DTRHT) join Ryan and Shawn on this episode. DTRHT is part of a national 14-place initiative by The W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Jerry explains the reckoning that's needed in order address the lingering effects of racism, and discusses some of the historical events that still have an impact on Dallas today. Jerry also t...

Dale Long grew up in racially turbulent and thoroughly segregated Birmingham, Alabama. He was in the 16th Street Baptist Church the day it was bombed by Ku Klux Klan members, killing Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley and Denise McNair. Dale recalls his memories from the moment the bomb went off and the events that followed, along with other notable memories from his childhood. Lo...

Lynn McBee takes the cake as the first ever returning guest on Deconstructing Dallas. From the MZ Studios Virtual Studios in Cyberspace, Shawn and Ryan speak with Lynn McBee - CEO, Board Chair, biochemist, runner, former Dallas Mayoral candidate, philanthropic extraordinaire, among many other worn hats. McBee talks about her role as CEO at Young Women's Preparatory Network and what it means to hav...

From Christian ministry to recent Editorial Writer at The Dallas Morning News, Ryan Sanders shares his journey and life calling to being a writer. Sanders discusses DMN candidate questionnaires and endorsements, working with the editorial board, and the shifts in content creation during a distant and digital year. Sanders is also author of two books, Unbelievable and Now & Then. And a question for...

Trammell S. Crow joins Shawn and Ryan to talk all things EarthX and the environment on Deconstructing Dallas. Trammell tells how he accidentally planned the largest environmental gathering in the world (because everything's bigger in Texas) and how their one-day event grew into a larger global movement. From the unintended blessings of COVID extending their reach to addressing significant environm...

Shawn Williams and Ryan Trimble welcome Ollie Chandhok, Market President and Publisher of Dallas Business Journal (DBJ), into the virtual MZ Studios in cyberspace. Ollie dives into data, his views on how the pandemic has changed the way people view news, and that 'Dallas swagger' he's come to love during his time here. As one of the largest business newsrooms in the state of Texas, Ollie discusses...

From the virtual MZ Studios in cyberspace, Shawn Williams and Ryan Trimble visit with Luis Briones, Texas Public Policy and Government Affairs Director at Airbnb. A South Texas native, Briones is now seeing Dallas through the lens of hosts and visitors throughout the city. He speaks on the reality of ‘party homes’ in short term rentals, hotel occupancy tax, and how Airbnb is helping some hosts buy...

From the virtual MZ Studios in cyberspace, Shawn Williams and Ryan Trimble catch up with former State Rep. Dan Branch (R-Dallas). Our hosts visit with Rep. Branch on his memories from his first election and the impact of his signature higher education legislation. They also dive into Branch’s work to preserve a critical piece of American history: the site where President Lyndon Johnson was sworn i...

Shawn Williams and Ryan Trimble sit down (in the virtual MZ Studios in cyberspace, that is) with Stephanie Keller Hudiburg, Executive Director of the Deep Ellum Foundation. Tune in to hear Stephanie’s take on all things Deep Ellum - from the district’s rich historical roots in blues and jazz, to the economic powerhouse it has become today with over 400 businesses, to it’s recent recognition of a c...

Executive, lobbyist, public speaker, author, and movement maker Terri Broussard Williams joins Ryan Trimble and Shawn Williams on Deconstructing Dallas. If you need an extra jolt of do-good, feel-good influence in 2020, look no further than tuning in with Terri Broussard Williams as she discusses her work of inspiring others to create change and turn moments into movements, shares the values she's...

On today’s episode of Deconstructing Dallas, President and CEO of Communities In Schools Dallas Region (CISDR) Adam Powell talks about the uptick in depression, mental health and suicidal ideations amongst our youth and the work CISDR is doing to bridge this gap. While mental health does not discriminate, Powell says the response often does. That’s why he’s committed to the work they do inside the...

Sharon Grigsby, Metro Columnist at The Dallas Morning News (DMN), joins Shawn Williams and Ryan Trimble at the MZ Studios Dallas Virtual Studios in CyberSpace. On Deconstructing Dallas, Grigsby discusses joining DMN right out of college, why the past eight years have been the best part of her career, and the transition to a remote newsroom since COVID hit in March. Deconstructing Dallas also gets...

Shawn Williams and Ryan Trimble kickoff the Fall season of Deconstructing Dallas with some sports talk before diving into all things technology with newly hired Chief Information Officer for the City of Dallas, Bill Zielinski. With the pandemic having launched us into a world even more reliant on technology - from virtual school classrooms to hosting City Council meetings online - Zielinski discus...

Dallas Mavericks Assistant Basketball Coach Jenny Boucek talks about her playing career which was cut short by injuries and her second career as a coach in the WNBA and NBA. Coach Boucek is the 3rd female coach in NBA history and the only single mom coaching in The Association. Coach also shares what it was like coaching Sue Bird when she was with the Seattle Storm and tells us what it's like to c...

Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Ellis discusses his second career in writing, producing and acting. Ellis gives Shawn and Ryan his thoughts on the NFL's most recent remarks about racism, Colin Kaepernick and a current player's platform, and how he celebrates Juneteenth each year, along with his commitment to make it a national holiday. While 'Carter High' was his initial work, Ellis' most...

Rev. Elizabeth Moseley, Associate Pastor at Highland Park United Methodist Church, comes on the show to share her perspective of being a female pastor in a male-dominated industry and the role of women faith leaders in facing racism and injustice. In this episode of Deconstructing Dallas' Where Do We Go From Here?, Rev. Moseley opens up to Shawn Williams and Ryan Trimble about how she believes the...

In this episode of Deconstructing Dallas' Where Do We Go From Here? series, Shawn Williams and Ryan Trimble welcome Bob Sturm of The Ticket onto the show. With more than two decades of covering the Dallas Cowboys, Sturm isn't here to talk about football, but rather he joins them for a discussion in all things white guilt v. empathy, patriotism, Jesus' teachings, Drew Brees and the NBA. Listen in t...