Experiential Development Resources, EDR, is your premier resource for mobile team building and group development services. With a commitment to excellence, our three facilitators, Leigh, Tony & KC, collectively bring over 60 years of experience in the experiential education industry along with multiple TAMU degrees and industry certifications.
Rooted in creating connection by allowing people to bring their authentic selves to the conversation, we specialize in making personal and inter-personal growth both enjoyable and fulfilling through purposeful play and risk-free learning. Catering to a diverse clientele, including youth sports teams, college organizations, collegiate athletes, teachers, junior and high school students, youth groups, local companies, chamber of commerce members, corporate organizations, and elected officials, our services are designed to meet your groups unique needs. SARAH, & TJ CHAT WITH LEIGH & KC ABOUT - How EDR Started - What their background is - Risk Management - What they offer RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: - https://www.edrplay.com/
Alyssa Duany serves as the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the Center for Nonprofits & Philanthropy. She leads the Center's marketing initiatives by creating promotional materials, strategically planning and managing marketing campaigns, and coordinating with other MarCom departments.
SARAH, JAMIE, & ALYSSA CHAT ABOUT
The Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy (CNP) staff including William Brown, Kenneth Taylor, Nicole Collier, Denise Parker, Alyssa Duany, & Christopher Hudak join Coffee Talk to discuss Denise Parker’s retirement & reflect on working together.
The Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy (CNP) supports a vibrant nonprofit and philanthropic sector in Texas and beyond, through high quality research, professional outreach, and engaged learning.
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Denise Parker, Class of ‘77, joined the Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Bush School of Government and Public Service in October 2017. Prior to joining the Center, Denise worked for an international nongovernment organization, IMA World Health, from 2008 to 2017, where she gained extensive nonprofit experience. She was a senior finance officer, working, mentoring, and building the institutional capacity of in-country finance staff in South Sudan, Tanzania, and Kenya. She managed and implemented financial processes and procedures for multi-year public health projects with diverse contract structures. Other duties included monitoring and managing foreign currency and cash management processes to assure the program activities could be funded and implemented and all activities complied with contractual requirements and accounting principles. She is proud of her work to improve the lives of people in low-income and middle-income countries, particularly the most vulnerable in the failing state of South Sudan.
Volunteering is also part of her schedule. She currently is on the Development Council for the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences and the Board for the Texas A&M University Women’s Club as scholarship chair. She delivers Meals on Wheels and serves as secretary for the Friends of the Bryan College Station Libraries Board.
SARAH, JAMIE, & BRIELLE CHAT WITH THE CNP STAFF ABOUT
• Denise Parker’s Retirement
• Center For Non Profit Events
• Team Culture within the CNP
• What has changed over the years at the CNP
RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
https://bush.tamu.edu/nonprofit/people/dparker/
https://bush.tamu.edu/nonprofit/people/
https://bush.tamu.edu/faculty/ktaylor/
https://bush.tamu.edu/nonprofit/people/ncollier/
https://bush.tamu.edu/nonprofit/people/aduany/
Today we welcome Vivian Ivory & Hilani Quinones. Both participated in the new Bush 285 Class as Peer Mentors.
Vivian is a sophomore honors international studies major, minoring in French language and women & gender studies. She grew up overseas but moved to Houston, Texas in high school. After graduation she decided to come to Texas A&M. On top of being a Peer Mentor, she is an officer for both the Aggie French Club, and the Council of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities. She is a student worker in the Bush School Undergraduate Advising Office and works closely with our undergraduate advisors and department head. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in therapy or counseling, at a non-profit organization.
Hilani is currently a sophomore Honors Political Science major double minoring in History and English and pursuing a Legal History Certificate. She is from Brownsville, TX and on top of being a peer mentor she is a news reporter for The Battalion. Her future goals include earning a Juris Doctor in law and holding a career as an attorney and working in public policy or media.
SARAH, JAMIE, VIVIAN, & HILANI CHAT ABOUT
RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Today we welcome Joe Recio. He is originally from Houston, Texas, graduated in 2009 with a BA in Sociology from Sam Houston State. Originally, he had planned to go into teaching at the junior college level, but after grad school didn't well (oops!), I went through a winding road of jobs inside and outside of academia. He joined The Bush School as our Undergraduate Recruiter on January 2nd of this year, and celebrated 10 years within TAMU on January 31st!
SARAH, TJ, & JOE CHAT ABOUT
• What is your position within the Bush School?
• How long have you worked here?
• What was the main draw to the School?
• What is your favorite part about your position?
• Is there anything you’d like to share for anyone considering the Bush School; faculty, staff or student?
RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
• https://bush.tamu.edu/advising/contact/
• https://www.shsu.edu/academics/sociology/
• https://studentsuccess.tamu.edu/academic-advising
• https://collaborations.tamu.edu/admissions-undergrad/undergrad-recruitment.html
Clay Bryan grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. He has no relation to Bryan, Texas; has definitely checked. Proud husband and father. He joined the Air Force in 2005, spent 7+ year’s in Washington D.C. working for the Intelligence Community in varies capacities. In 2013 he moved to San Angelo, TX where he was first introduced to Higher Education Administration. He met is wife Kate in 2014, married in 2015 and left the Air Force. He completed his Bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University –Commerce, after receiving 3 Associates degree in Applied Science, Technology & Military Science, Applied Science, Intelligence Studies & Technology and Science, Psychology. In 2017, he had the opportunity to attend the Bush School’s event with Ambassador John Negroponte, former Director of National Intelligence, after this he joined the Bush School. He had what he says is, “the opposite Bush School” experience; not pursing public service because of the Bush School, rather pursed the Bush School because of public service. He is currently working on his Masters of Business Administration and is a Senior Administrative Coordinator of the Dean’s Administration staff at the Bush School of Government & Public Service.
SARAH, TJ, & CLAY CHAT ABOUT
RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Brielle Cooper was born in Louisville, Kentucky, but because she is the child of a military family, she considers San Antonio, Texas home. She attended high school on a military base and got accepted into Texas A&M University where she studied Communication with a minor in Business and earned a Strategic Communication certificate. She worked her way through school, while also becoming a marketing intern for a tech startup company. After graduation, she went to work at Disney World as the multicultural engagement and partnerships intern. She enjoys reading, spending time with her family, traveling, and finding the best food spots.
SARAH, TJ, & BRIELLE CHAT ABOUT
RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tamuannenberg/message
Ashley is an Assistant Director of Career Programming in Graduate Career Services at The Bush School. She is passionate about helping students develop and achieve their personal, educational, and professional goals through training and conversations. Outside of work, Ashley loves to read and always has a book or her Kindle in her bag, listens to all kinds of music and keeps it playing in her office all day, and has an entirely ridiculous dog named Topher Bubbles.
SARAH, TJ, & ASHLEY CHAT ABOUT
RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Peg is the Senior Administrative Coordinator for the International Affairs at the Bush School. I started at TAMU in January 1986, and worked my way through various departments at the university until September 2006, when I left the university and began working for a local business that had secured a fairly substantial DoD contract making protective equipment for military vehicles and personnel. I came back to TAMU in general and the Bush School in particular in August 2016, and I'm still here. I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education from Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, NE. Moved from Nebraska to College Station Labor Day weekend 1985 and just never left!
SARAH, TJ, & PEG CHAT ABOUT
RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Crystal Riles is the Director of Community & Culture at the Bush School of Government & Public Service. She earned her B.A. in English from Texas A&M University, followed by her M.S. in Nonprofit Management from Our Lady of the Lake University. Crystal’s current responsibilities span advising college, unit and student leadership on all issues related to building and sustaining a collaborative learning community and inclusive work culture. Her portfolio includes support for international, first-generation, military, veteran, and historically marginalized student populations. Her umbrella also encompasses diversity, equity and inclusion issues and solutions surrounding faculty, staff and students. Crystal also brings dedication and experience to public service, having served as a volunteer for Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas, Ronald McDonald House, Hands on Atlanta, Atlanta Community Food Bank and Texas Association for College Admissions Counseling. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Higher Education Administration, with a research focus on sense of belonging, identity, African American/Hispanic women and the barriers they experience navigating higher education. Crystal aspires to join the professoriate in her future, while continuing to climb the ladder of higher education administration.
SARAH, TJ, & CRYSTAL CHAT ABOUT
RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Dr. Dwight Roblyer ‘84 is a senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science and has taught over 17,000 young Aggies since 2013, working for their success here at TAMU and in their future professions and communities. He served for 26 years as a US Air Force officer in various assignments including satellite operations and politico-military wargaming, as well as earning his TAMU Ph.D. in International Relations. After his military retirement, he joined the faculty here, rediscovering his fondness for college undergraduates and his passion for teaching. Dr. Roblyer’s single focus is on his students, seeing them always as individuals with infinite worth and potential. His pedagogical style has been characterized as “pastoral” as he invites and equips his students to contribute to the promise of our democracy while meeting them as often as he can at their points of need. Aggie students have named him as Campus Muster Speaker and as a namesake for both Fish Camp and T-Camp. He has also received the University Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching from the Former Student Association, the University Honors Director’s Award, the Partners in Learning Award of Excellence for Accountability, Climate, and Equity, and the Residence Life Honoring Excellence Award.
SARAH, TJ, & DWIGHT CHAT ABOUT
RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Julia Lawrence (she/hers) came to the Bush School in 2016, she currently serves as the Administrative Coordinator II for the International Affairs department at the Bush School. From coordinating events to approving degree plans, Julia works with the faculty and students of the International Affairs department to ensure the running of the department. Her door is always open and she has a constant supply of chocolates and mints. Outside of work, Julia is an avid reader, true crime podcast fan and dog mom to the most spoiled pupper out there.
SARAH, TJ, & JULIA CHAT ABOUT
Kassandra is a two time Ag, and one of those times happened to be at the Bush School. She loved the school so much she ended up getting a job there. When not working (or bringing her dog to spread some joy), you can find her on the local theatre circuit...and that's about it. She doesn't really leave her house. When home she'll do introvert things, like read or play some video games or watch movies or do art. It's a simple life, but a good one. Eventually she will dive into her greatest passion, Space, but that's really for another day.
SARAH, TJ, AND KASSANDRA CHAT ABOUT:
RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Onsite at Vino Boheme with owner, Krisit Petty to discuss event space & catering options as well as the background of both Vino Boheme & The Village Cafe.
CONNECT WITH US
Today Sarah & TJ sit down with the wonderful Bryan native and owner of Caffe Capri, Rami Cerone. What do you think the Bush's favorite dish was?
CONNECT WITH US
For the Fall we had many local business come and showcase their amazing cuisines, beverages, and event spaces.
CONNECT WITH US
