Changemaker Interview

I met the amazing Jeannine Rivers Colburn last summer when I was reaching out to the world to invite participation in a course I developed called “Tender and Brave:  Authentic Anti-racism for the Well-Intentioned White Woman”.  As an African American woman, something about that title didn’t hit Jeannine quite right.  Who was this Patti Talbot?  What was she up to and what qualified her to teach such a course?  Instead of just stewing about what […]

I met CJ Peterson, our special guest in this episode of the Blue Roads Changemaker Series, through a “matchmaking” service for podcasters.  When she was kind enough to interview me for her podcast “The Journey is Real” about my work to cultivate homegrown changemakers (airing in late June), we got to talking afterward about her own work as a Changemaker.  C. J. generously agreed to be a guest for the Blue Roads Changemaker Podcast so

Every effort to create a better world takes substantial energy as well as resources.  Lisa Riggs has come up with a creative solution to fundraising that is helping CHANGEMAKERS reach their goals in a fun and engaging manner by selling something everyone needs at one time or another – SOCKS!  Her socks are designed in collaboration with the organizations she serves to project the message and align with their goals.  While her socks can represent

Dr. Darren Minarik was interviewed about his change-making work using the Blue Roads Changemaker Framework:  Homegrown Solutions for a Patchwork World.  I first met Darren in the School of Teaching and Educational Leadership in 2008. Darren was teaching special education courses and also had experience in social studies education. Specifically, Darren taught an introduction to special education course specially tailored for students preparing to teach social studies in grades 6 through 12. Darren was a

I had the great good fortune of rooming with Elizabeth Hummer during a study trip to Ecuador in 2015 as part of a field experience through World Savvy’s Global Competence Certificate Program.  Not only did she help me get by because of the Spanish language proficiency I do not possess, but throughout the trip, I was fascinated by her ability to connect with everyone we encountered.  Every where we went, people were drawn to her

Today we welcome Dr. Ashley Taylor Repisky,  Director of Education and Lecturer at Rice 360 Institute for Global Health.  I first met Ashley in the summer of 2016 when we traveled together to Malawi for a month of working and learning with and from educators and healthcare workers there. Ashley was working on finding solutions to equipment shortages to address health challenges in hospital settings in and around Zomba while I accompanied university students learning

When Danielle Coughlin talks about being “twice exceptional”, she’s talking about kids who are both gifted and experiencing some kind of learning challenge.  She readily admits that this category describes her own experience of the world as well.  I met Danielle as a student at Radford University who traveled with a group I was supervising to Malawi to work in a village school there.  Her gifts for deep reflection and critical thinking were immediately apparent

This is Part 2 of a two part series featuring educator Angela Clevinger from Pulaski Virginia.  You’ll remember we left off after she talked about her homegrown roots as the daughter of a Klansman who changed her loyalties in her fifth grade year where she was inspired and motivated by her African American teacher, Mr. John Hocker.  She grew up to be a teacher working for equity and active in her local and state education

This is Part 1 of a two-part series featuring Changemaker Educator, Angie Clevinger.  I was fortunate to meet Angie at Radford University when I was teaching in the Educational Leadership Program there.  She was working on her licensure to be a school principal at the time and I could tell right away that she was something special. But when I read her writing, I knew that she was way beyond “special”.  Magical would be the

Kelly Morris was interviewed by guest blogger, Dr. Betty Dore, using the Blue Roads Changemaker Framework:  Homegrown Solutions for a Patchwork World.   It’s easy to see why Dr. Dore was eager to interview this outstanding advocate for equity and access for all students.  Read on to learn how Kelly uses her own upbringing as motivation and inspiration to create better futures for the students she serves in Radford, Virginia.   I first met Kelly when