The Gap Minders

GAPTIVISTS LIVE HERE Jose Cruz hosts Kwofi Reed, CEO of San Diego Habitat for Humanity, on "The Gap Minders" podcast. Reed shares his journey from southeastern San Diego to Fisk University and Georgetown Law School, highlighting his passion for affordable housing. He discusses Habitat's mission to help low-income families achieve homeownership, emphasizing the importance of community involvement a...

GAPTIVISTS LIVE HERE Jose Cruz hosts "The Gap Minders" podcast, focusing on addressing various societal gaps. Guest Jim Callaghan, CEO of Turn Behavioral Health Systems, discusses his journey from Orange County to Pennsylvania, his education at Cal State Long Beach, and his career in civil engineering and construction management. Callaghan transitioned to healthcare, leading Turn Behavioral Health...

GAPTIVISTS LIVE HERE "The Gap Minders" podcast, hosted by Jose Cruz, features Richard Lederer, a linguist and author. Richard discusses his passion for language, his column in the Union-Tribune, and his 14-year tenure on "Away with Words". He highlights his unique approach to language, including etymology, word games, and humor. Richard shares his journey from Haverford College to Harvard Law Scho...

GAPTIVISTS LIVE HERE Jose Cruz hosts "The Gap Minders" podcast, focusing on addressing various gaps in San Diego, including education, racial, and economic disparities. Guest Rafael Parra, executive director of RafaBids, discusses the lack of African American and Latino participation in city contracts, often due to the large scale of projects. RafaBids aims to bridge this gap by promoting smaller...

GAPTIVISTS LIVE HERE Jacqueline Reynoso, founder and CEO of Quisqueya, discusses her journey from National City to becoming a public policy advocate. She highlights her work on the binational trolley crossing project, which aims to extend the San Diego trolley into Tijuana, and her role in community development and economic growth. Reynoso emphasizes the importance of stakeholder engagement and br...

GAPTIVISTS LIVE HERE Dr. Rebecca Mendiola, CEO and founder of Collective Impact Solutions, discusses her nonprofit's mission to bridge systems and communities, focusing on marginalized families and youth. She emphasizes the importance of systems change and transformation, working with school districts, city and county departments, and community-based organizations. Mendiola highlights her extensiv...

GAPTIVISTS LIVE HERE Liz Bui, CEO of Yulex Brand Corporation, discusses her journey from a Vietnamese refugee to a patent lawyer and entrepreneur. She highlights the importance of education and role models, particularly for underrepresented groups. Yulex focuses on natural rubber alternatives to synthetic materials, addressing environmental concerns and health risks associated with synthetic produ...

GAPTIVISTS LIVE HERE Jose Cruz hosts the "Gap Minders" podcast, focusing on addressing various gaps in society, including education, racial wealth, health, and literacy. In this episode, he interviews Bob Lehman, Executive Director of San Diego Arts Matters, about his journey from Indiana to San Diego, his work in the arts, and his role in advocating for arts funding and support. Lehman discusses...

GAPTIVISTS LIVE HERE The "Gap Minders" podcast, hosted by Jose Cruz, discusses the various educational, racial, wealth, health, and literacy gaps in America, particularly in San Diego. In this episode, Jose interviews Fred Buggs, a Regional Director from the California Department of Education, who oversees expanded learning programs in San Diego, Orange, and Imperial Counties. Fred emphasizes the...

GAPTIVISTS LIVE HERE The "Gap Minders" podcast, hosted by Jose Cruz, discusses the work of Sarah Tuakli-Cooper, Executive Director of the Elementary Institute of Science (EIS). EIS, a 61-year-old organization, focuses on STEM education for children from grades 1 to 12, particularly in high-need communities. The program serves 11 schools in the Lincoln cluster, providing intensive science education...

GAPTIVISTS LIVE HERE The "Gap Minders" podcast, hosted by Jose Cruz, discusses the various gaps in society, including educational, racial, wealth, health, and literacy disparities. In this episode, Jose interviews Margaux Stack-Babich, Director of Community Outreach at UCSD Morris Cancer Center. Margaux emphasizes the importance of health equity and addressing cancer disparities through data-drive...

The "Gap Minders" podcast, hosted by Jose Cruz, discusses the concept of the wealth gap, emphasizing that it is not a natural gap but a manufactured one. Cheryl Morrow argues that the wealth gap is a barrier created by historical and systemic issues, not a simple disparity in wealth. She advocates for self-reliance and entering industries where black people can outperform, as her father did. The c...

The "Gap Minders" podcast, hosted by Jose Cruz, discusses the San Diego Food Bank's efforts to address food insecurity. Casey Castillo, CEO, highlights the food bank's role in providing nutritious food, distributing over 50 million pounds last year, with 45% being fresh fruits and vegetables. The food bank serves over 400,000 people monthly, aiming to reach 800,000. They emphasize the importance o...

The Gap Minders is proudly reposting this excellent episode features a riveting discussion between Nancy Sasaki, the CEO of United Way of San Diego County, and Jose Cruz, CEO of the San Diego Council on Literacy. Throughout this episode, Nancy and Jose reflect on their journey during the collaboration on closing gaps, celebrating their milestones and reminiscing on their favorite moments. The disc...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Ryan Norr, the Owner of San Diego Audio Visual, the recording studio for each and every episode of The Gap Minders.  Ryan has been there listening to each and every guest, so this is a very reflective episode on what he has heard through 121 prior episodes!   What we hear right out of the gate from this husband, father of two yo...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Catharine Kaufman, an author, columnist, and educator.  Listeners are treated to an oral charcuterie board of thoughts, discussion on healthy eating, books she's written and even bone health from "The Kitchen Shrink"  (and recovering attorney!).   We hear right out of the gate through her voice that Catharine is uber-passionate...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Sue Parks, the President and CEO of Orange County United Way.  Parks has a long history with Orange County United Way, having served as a board member and a founding member of the Orange County United Way’s Women’s Philanthropy Fund. Prior to leading Orange County United Way, Parks was an executive at several Fortune 100 and For...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Kazeem Omidiji, theDirector of Community Relations at San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). Kazeem talks about how his journey from Nigeria to the US impacted his life. He remembers how the middle school library turned into a haven where he discovered a love for reading, grew knowledgeable about global flags, and adapted to...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Dr. Maria Murray, Founder, President, and CEO of the Reading League. They discuss the mission and impact of The Reading League, a nonprofit focused on advancing the awareness, understanding, and use of evidence-aligned reading instruction, commonly referred to as the science of reading.  Maria emphasizes the significance of this...

In yet another excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by John Thill, an author, a learning and development specialist, and a literacy advocate.  When we say author, we mean storyteller.  A story of love, family, California history and how families are made.  "A California Love Story" starts in the 1920s with John's grandparents, future husband and wife Ray and Dora and their 20...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Gregory Smith, the Chancellor of the San Diego Community College District . What a journey.  The feeling that Gregory Smith must have when he visits any of the four colleges within the District.  The feeling of once having been a community college student to now running four community colleges which serve over 90,000 San Diegans...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Allison Ohle, the Executive Director of the Diamond Educational Excellence Partnership (DEEP). Listen to Ohle talk about the efforts her group is making to raise the literacy rates in San Diego Unified's elementary schools. The three primary goals of Deep, also known as the Diamond Educational Excellence Partnership, are to supp...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by children's book author RaShonne Darling who published the book, The Curl Girls: Every Curl is Magic. RaShonne was inspired to teach her daughter Olivia to value her natural curls since she wanted straight hair. Four curly-haired superheroes in the story empower Olivia by revealing the magical powers hidden within her curls. RaSh...

In yet another great episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Dr. Ellen Neufeldt, the President of CSU San Marcos, one of the top universities in the country for social mobility.  To be more specific, Dr. Neufeldt leads a university ranked in the top 1% nationally in supporting students as they move up in life, change their own story arc, become role models for their families, all while...

In this excellent episode, Nancy and Jose are joined in the studio by Carrie Scott, a longtime champion of literacy and the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the San Diego County on Literacy.  And it all happened for Carrie somewhat serendipitously - she saw a sign looking for volunteers to help folks learn how to read and she decided to use the payphone and call them!  The rest is history....