State Lobbying Heroes

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Have an interesting way to disseminate information with Tom Fetzer Mar 11, 2021

Show notes

Born in Concord, NC, Tom Fetzer was always into sports. The reason? His father was a football coach and his mother coached girls tennis. Tom lived in Chapel Hill until 6years old and then moved to Raleigh. As a youngster, he loved to read and write. English, history and civics were his favorite topics. During high school, he was always intrigued by politics and Winston Churchill was his favorite political figure. He chose Wake Forest to major in politics. Tom graduated in 1978 right when Reagan was running for President. He was inspired to make a difference and so went to Washington for a year to work on campaigns. When Tom came back to Raleigh, he ran for congress but lost. That did not deter Tom. He went on to work for different administrations, gained experience in policy and then became the Mayor of Raleigh in 1993 when he was just 38 years old. Join me in learning the wisdom, experiences and personal life story of Tom Fetzer in this next episode.

Have a strong work ethic and integrity with John Wall IV Feb 17, 2021

Show notes

John was born in Charleston, South Carolina but spent his childhood in Alabama where he loved being outdoors, swimming and fishing. Coming from a family with a history of serving others, he believed in service and served as the student body secretary in high school. After high school, John deferred an appointment to West Point and opted to attend Old Dominion University on an athletic and academic scholarship. While swimming at ODU, he pursued political science and history degrees as a way to prepare him for law school. At the beginning of his junior year at ODU the tragic events of Sept. 11th occurred and changed John's plans significantly. Passionate to serve for the country, John reapplied to the United States Military Academy at West Point. As destiny would have it, John entered West Point as part of the first class after Sept. 11th and later graduated in 2006, exactly 95 years after his great-grandfather's (Colonel John F. Wall) graduation in 1911 and 50 years after grandfather's graduation in 1956 (Lieutenant General John F. Wall) . John then served in the United States Army for 6 years as an Airborne Infantry Platoon Leader with the 82nd Airborne Division and as a Ranger Platoon Leader and Company Executive Officer with the 1st Ranger Battalion. After 5 deployments, he left the Army, got married, and moved to Columbia, SC to start law school at the University of South Carolina. What happened after the law school that made John dive into government relations? We learn about John's experiences in this next episode.

Negotiate, be likable and stay humble with Tami Fitzgerald Jan 26, 2021

Show notes

Tami Fitzgerald was born in Texas. She was very active in student government during her school years. Her mother inspired her to be in politics which led her to pick political science in Oklahoma State University. She worked as in intern for a senator in constituent services while she was in undergrad. Tami then went on get her Law degree in University of Oklahoma because she was very interested in constitutional law. After graduating from Law school, she practiced oil & gas law in Oklahoma for 6 years. Tami then was on a hiatus to be full-time mom to her kids. What happened after that to make her move to North Carolina to be a lobbyist? How did her career then shape up to be an Executive Director at NC Values Coalition? It was my honor to have Tami share her experiences and wisdom about her career in this next episode.

Listen, learn and be persuasive with Zach Johnson Jan 02, 2021

Show notes

Zach Johnson grew up in South Dakota before he moved to Georgia when he was 14. Loved playing baseball while also working different kinds of jobs in high school. Started out with a business degree in Georgia Military College and he loved the structure and discipline the college offered. Right after that, he went on to get his political science degree from Georgia College State University. During his junior year, he also ran for city council of the district at the age of 23. He lost that campaign but it was the best thing happened to Zach. Why? Zach explains the reasons, his experiences in this next episode.

Be friendly, read and have patience with Kenny Hastie Jan 02, 2021

Show notes

Kenny Hastie is a native of Columbia South Carolina but was born in Augusta, Georgia. During childhood, his dad was in the army and they moved around every 3 years. His dad joined the law school as a second career right when Kenny was going into high school in Columbia, South Carolina. Kenny wanted to follow the footsteps of his role model, his father and eventually got his Law degree from University of South Carolina. His mom's sister was community organizer and was actively involved in policy making and Kenny used visit her office. Was that the reason why Kenny chose to become a lobbyist? We delve into the personal story of Kenny Hastie.

Never put yourself above anyone with Paul Mott Dec 02, 2020

Show notes

Paul Mott, a resident of North Carolina, is a grass roots specialist from NC Electric Cooperatives. He received a Bachelors in political science from NC State. Paul had a variety of internships. It included voter registration, campaign internships, internship with the governor and as a legislative assistant at the assembly. How did he earn these internships and what was his experience like? We learn all about it from Paul in this next episode.

Saying Thank You with Leanne Winner Nov 12, 2020

Show notes

Leanne Winner is the director of NC School Boards Association but when she was growing up in Asheville, North Carolina, she had very little inclination towards education. Her father was a state senator and her mother was a school board member. Leanne went on to get a Bachelors and Masters degree in Economics. After graduation, she initially thought to run for senate as well. Now those are the dots, let's see how they all connect and steer Leanne to government relations in Education in this next episode.

The value of honesty with Bob Kaylor Oct 31, 2020

Show notes

Bob Kaylor grew up in Wilmington with no interest in politics. He was always passionate about sports and fascinated about history. Move to Greenville, East Carolina to get his degree in Political Science. Bob then joined active duty in Air force as an intelligence officer serving in Vietnam. How did he then decide to get a Law degree and then become a lobbyist? We talk about it in this next episode.

The role of a mentor with Jillian Totman Oct 16, 2020

Show notes

Jillian Totman grew up on the east coast of North Carolina. She was very active in student government and thoroughly enjoyed advocating for fellow class mates. Jillian started her degree in Accounting but then her interest in politics eventually made her switch to political science. She then went on to study Law to learn the intricacies of regulations. Advocacy, political research and role of mentorship - we talk all about it in this next episode with Jillian Totman.

Your reputation is all you have with Lisa Martin Oct 16, 2020

Show notes

My next guest is Lisa Martin from Capitol Advantage Associates. Now a resident of North Carolina, Lisa grew up in Colorado and earned her Degrees in Natural Resource management and Urban planning. Her first stint was as a planner in Virginia. She even visited Taiwan for a brief period on a Transportation planning project. How do all these experiences shape her career eventually into a lobbyist? Let's learn about Lisa's career path and her wisdom in this episode.

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