Through the Noise

Ernesto runs the show solo again today while Blake is creating a podcast for another organization (need help with yours? Get in touch!). We're excited to chat with Janet Koster, Executive Director for the Association for Women in Science, the only organization in the United States working at the intersection of STEM and gender. Women have traditionally been underrepresented in the sciences and as...

Ernesto flies solo again from the host chair as Blake is away traveling. We're excited to welcome back to the show Bethany Henderson, the Executive Director of DC SCORES, a Washington, DC-based organization that inspired a national organization and chapters around the country. DC SCORES provides free after-school programming to children in Washington, DC that includes team-based learning and activ...

We're happy to welcome Helena Berger of the American Association of People with Disabilities. She joins us today in her role as President and Chief Executive Officer for AAPD, but over the past (nearly) two decades, she has been held many crucial leadership positions within the organization, as well as advocating for disability rights for a quarter century. The AAPD recently acknowledged that the...

Today's guest is Linda Darr of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association. Passengers are The ASLRRA represents the business owners of the 565 short line railroads carrying freight throughout the U.S. Many are small business owners, including smaller, family owned short line railroads. These also include short line excursion cars such as the ones used for Whistle Stop tours for poli...

We're happy to welcome Blake back to his host chair and theproper operation of the sound effects for Through the Noise. Shannon Steene ofthe Carpenter's Shelter in Alexandria, VA also joins us again on the show. We spoke with him over a year ago when he was new to the role of Executive Director and today we get to see what he's been working on in the past year. They have made major progress on exp...

On this episode of Through the Noise, it's the return of the Revenue Architect himself, Dave Wakeman of Wakeman Consulting Group. As always Dave specializes in helping everyone from nonprofits to Fortune 1000 companies to political advocates to fully realize their support bases. This week, Dave talks to hosts Blake and Ernesto about the challenges inherent to working with donors for charities and...

So you're thinking about jumping out of a plane - for fun, of course. But how easy is it to pull that off, let alone pull the ripcord? On this week's episode, hosts Blake Althen and Ernesto Gluecksmann talk skydiving with guest Nancy Koreen, Director of Sport Promotion with the United States Parachute Association (USPA). With both a national and international presence, the USPA is a nonprofit orga...

What do boating, flooring, wine, guitars all have in common? Wood is the easy answer. But the industry behind wood is far more complex, and there's a lot to learn for anyone looking to get into it. For this episode of Through the Noise, Blake and Ernesto talk with Cindy Squires, Executive Director for the International Wood Products Association (IWPA). Whether you're an emerging business or an eme...

Chris Abraham of Gerris digital is a recognized leader in digital marketing and he joins us on Through the Noise for the second time to talk strategies nonprofits can employ to get their work out and get the word out too. He last joined us in June, 2015 so we're pleased to chat with him again and see what's changed since then. Pick up some useful strategies for getting more attention online and ho...

Mickey Panayiotakis joins us again as a guest host during Blake's absence as we welcome Justin Draeger, the Executive Director of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. While paying for college and student loans are two of the most stress-inducing topics for families, NASFAA works to ease the process by providing training and assistance to over 20,000 professionals at 3,...

During Blake's absence, we've invited a guest host, Mickey Panayiotakis, of Infamia as we welcome our guest Patrick Atagi from the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association. Wooden pallets are one of those unique items that many people do not think about often but without which, the hauling of freight of all varieties would not be possible. There's nearly two billion pallets in the United Sta...

Today we bring you an unusual show -- Ernesto hosts Through the Noise alone while Blake is away. Our guest is Ronald Painter, CEO of the National Association of Workforce Boards. Representing nearly 550 Workforce Development Boards and their more than 12,000 members, the NAWB strives to ensure that the workforce has the training and resources available to become effective employees in the rapidly...

Rebecca Vandall and Dawn Williams of the Mortgage Bankers Association join Blake and Ernesto in the studio to talk about their work representing all members of the real estate finance industry. Ms. Vandall is the Director of Program Development and Dawn Williams is the Vice Present of that department and they are part of a team that pulls off an impressive 20 major meetings per year as well as 5 m...

Water is crucial to every form of life -- water is life, according to many -- and has been in the news quite a bit recently, so we've invited someone on the show to talk about water irrigation for both agriculture and landscaping. Deborah M. Hamlin is the CEO of the Irrigation Association which represents 1700 companies involved in every aspect of irrigation from manufacturers of parts to installa...

Elissa Myers takes a break from solving the problems of many nonprofits in order to join us today on Through the Noise to talk about revenue generation -- something we all need to hear. Though her email signature identifies her as a "Marketing Wizard," her official title is "Director of Revenue Generation" with the Drohan Management Group. We'll address the prevalent -- and damaging -- misconcepti...

Val Giddings is a Senior Fellow at the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation and joins us today to talk agriculture, GMOs, and sustainability, and facts. ITIF is a think tank that been around for just over a decade with the mission to "formulate, evaluate, and promote policy solutions that accelerate innovation and boost productivity to spur growth, opportunity, and progress. "Alternative...

Today we're speaking with Joseph Colangelo, the Founder of Bear Analytics, a small firm dedicated to providing associations with analytics they can use to transform their events. They focus on actionable analytics -- giving you information you can actually use to improve your organization's tradeshows, conventions, exhibits, and services. Want to find out more about your audience or who is attendi...

We're thrilled to welcome Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association. He joins us on the heels of one of the world's most popular conventions, the "Gadget Show" which CTA hosts every January in Las Vegas -- the only city equipped to handle their 175,000 attendees, 4000 exhibitors, and 1000 speakers. For the CES, they "build a city in a week" in order to house their growing attendance...

Michael Fischetti is the Executive Director of the National Contract Management Association and he joins us on Through the Noise to discuss the ins and outs of contract management, who does it, and why we need it. With 20,000 members, the NCMA is the professional association for professional contract management, including those that work with government agencies. Contracting officers are required...

Nonprofit boards and staff are often too busy and, let's face it -- unprepared -- for the task of finding a new executive to head the organization and so they turn to professionals for help and we've brought one on the show for you today. Pamela Kaul is the President of Association Strategies, Inc. and her company manages the executive search from top to bottom to ensure that the org has access to...

As a country, we've started 2017 with a lot more healthcare uncertainty and insecurity than recent years. Costs are rising and the Affordable Care Act remains on the chopping block of many Republicans, leaving those seeking healthcare with high premiums for minimal procedures. So we've invited David Sloves to join us on the show by phone to address some of the concerns facing nonprofits. As CEO of...

Tara Palacios of Arlington Economic Development joins us to talk about her role as BizLaunch Program Lead and how she helps prospective businesses owners become successful business owners. AED works with for-profit and nonprofit businesses of all sizes and Ms. Palacios worked for a decade with AED's nonprofit capacity building program and she encourages nonprofits to seek their services as well. T...

We're thrilled to welcome Megan Beyer, Executive Director of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. She was appointed to the position when Obama decided to break with tradition and staff the committee with artists instead of philanthropists. Join us for a discussion on the arts and their transformative role in education as we explore the question "Why are the arts always the fir...

Our guest today, Jeff De Cagna, will change the way you think about your approach to board recruitment, management, and collaboration. Charging that nonprofit organizations of all ages, sizes, and missions are missing a crucial opportunity for growth and relevance by under utilizing their boards, and that boards are similarly wasting their skills, time, and connections by focusing on the minutiae...

Though most of our guests are from nonprofits, occasionally we bring in a subject matter expert to offer advice relevant to all nonprofits. Today we're excited to bring you a wealth of knowledge on communications from Dionne C. Clemons, Professor of Strategic Communications at Howard University. In order to grow your organization, it's essential to have a communications plan that fits with your or...