Voices in Advocacy Podcast

This trade group which is 125 years old and has more than 1,000 member companies is the leading organization in North America advancing construction and agriculture equipment manufacturers in the global marketplace while using some unique programing to achieve their advocacy goals.

ABOUT the GUEST

Wade Balkonis is the Director, Grassroots Advocacy at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). A 125-year-old trade association, AEM consists of more than 1,000 member companies, representing 200+ product lines in the off-road agriculture, construction, mining, and forestry equipment industry. Wade is responsible for the 10+ year old I Make America campaign which advocates on behalf of the 2.8 million men and women of the industry. Prior to this position, Wade managed the PAC and grassroots programs for Walgreens and H&R Block, worked in constituent relations roles for a Member of Congress and the Mayor of the City of Milwaukee, and worked in Office of Federal Contract Compliance (OFCCP) for private industry.

Thank you to our sponsor: Rap Index, tell them Roger sent you.

https://www.rapindex.com

This podcast is dedicated to the art of advocacy.

Contact Voices In Advocacy at:

www.VoicesinAdvocacy.com

480 488-9150

At Voices in Advocacy, we work with organizations that want to inspire, educate, engage, and activate their supports to become even better influential advocates

This organization has over 760,000 members with over 8800 chapters. It is among the largest youth organizations and the largest career and technical student organization in the United States. Today we speak with the Advocacy and Literacy Officer of the National FFA Organization, known to many as the Future Farmers of America.

ABOUT the GUEST

Celya McCullah Glowacki, the Advocacy and Literacy and Ag Based Experiences Manager at the National FFA Organization. Prior to joining National FFA, Celya was the state program leader for agriculture education at the Indiana Department of Education. She is a native of Oklahoma and graduate of Cornell with a Bs in Communication.  She is actively involved with the Miss Agriculture USA program, a non-profit that celebrates and promotes agriculture, where is she currently the National Elite Ms Agriculture USA. Celya is passionate about mentoring Native American and Indigenous youth as a member of the Cherokee tribe. And to add to all of this, she is an Emmy winner from her time at ESPN.

Thank you to our sponsor: Rap Index, tell them Roger sent you.

https://www.rapindex.com

This podcast is dedicated to the art of advocacy.

Contact Voices In Advocacy at:

www.VoicesinAdvocacy.com

480 488-9150

At Voices in Advocacy, we work with organizations that want to inspire, educate, engage, and activate their supports to become even better influential advocates

On today’s show we talk with a distinguished professor of communications at the highly esteemed Carnegie Mellon University on the topic of Storytelling – which is recognized as an important component to a successful advocates’ meeting with elected officials. We speak with Ed Barr, Communications Coach for select master’s students at Carnegie Mellon University located in Pittsburgh, PA.

ABOUT the GUEST

Ed Barr is a Communications Coach for select master’s students at Carnegie Mellon University located in Pittsburgh, PA. Professor Barr has also taught at the Heinz College of Public policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University. He is the author of 101 Tips For Improving your Business Communication and two additional books on communications and marketing.

Thank you to our sponsor: Rap Index, tell them Roger sent you.

https://www.rapindex.com

This podcast is dedicated to the art of advocacy.

Contact Voices In Advocacy at:

www.VoicesinAdvocacy.com

480 488-9150

At Voices in Advocacy, we work with organizations that want to inspire, educate, engage, and activate their supports to become even better influential advocates

You can see the signs of advocacy success - especially locally, as we talk with the Vice President of Advocacy for the International Sign Association, Mr. David Hickey.

ABOUT the GUEST

David’s main goal in his professional life to is to help government officials understand the value of signs and to enact regulations at the local, state and federal level so that businesses and communities benefit. Before starting at ISA, David spent six years on Capitol Hill, working as a legislative assistant in the U.S. Senate and as legislative counsel in the U.S. House of Representatives. While working in the Senate, he attended Catholic University law school at night, where he graduated in 2003. Since 2011, David and his ISA Advocacy team have educated nearly 8,000 local government officials, and they have helped hundreds of jurisdictions all over America develop reasonable and beneficial sign regulations.

Thank you to our sponsor: Rap Index, tell them Roger sent you.

https://www.rapindex.com

This podcast is dedicated to the art of advocacy.

Contact Voices In Advocacy at:

www.VoicesinAdvocacy.com

480 488-9150

At Voices in Advocacy, we work with organizations that want to inspire, educate, engage, and activate their supports to become even better influential advocates

The power of storytelling in the face of personal tragedy. We speak with Julie Walker of the Peyton Walker Foundation. In 2013, life threw her a huge curve ball with the tragic and unexpected death of her 19-year-old daughter. Her response to this devastating tragedy was to dust herself off and immediately launch a nonprofit foundation to keep what happened to her daughter from ever happening again to any parent.

ABOUT the GUEST

Julie Walker is a mother, award-winning advocate and Executive Director of The Peyton Walker Foundation where she works tirelessly to provide training and education to thousands on CPR and AED use.  Additionally providing free heart screenings for teens.

Thank you to our sponsor: Rap Index, tell them Roger sent you.

https://www.rapindex.com

This podcast is dedicated to the art of advocacy.

Contact Voices In Advocacy at:

www.VoicesinAdvocacy.com

480 488-9150

At Voices in Advocacy, we work with organizations that want to inspire, educate, engage, and activate their supports to become even better influential advocates

America's Brightest Students Create Life Transforming Technologies for Our Country's Wounded Heroes. A fascinating look at the work behind the Quality of Life Plus program and how they advocate daily for veterans, first responders and others that serve our community.

ABOUT the GUEST

Mark Robbins was selected to be executive director of Quality of Life Plus in July 2021. His career has spanned the nonprofit world. He has worked in college admissions, for various trade associations, and has served as executive director for two other nonprofit organizations, including one that served injured service members and their families. Mark is looking forward to working with both the higher education community and veterans with QL+.

Mark is a native of Norristown, Pa., and a graduate of Penn State University. He enjoys rooting for the Nittany Lions, all Philadelphia sports teams, and in his spare time goes biking. He and his wife, Dianne, live in Vienna, Va., and have three grown daughters and two grandchildren.

Thank you to our sponsor: Rap Index, tell them Roger sent you.

https://www.rapindex.com

This podcast is dedicated to the art of advocacy.

Contact Voices In Advocacy at:

www.VoicesinAdvocacy.com

480 488-9150

At Voices in Advocacy, we work with organizations that want to inspire, educate, engage, and activate their supports to become even better influential advocates

We look back on this memorable interview with Mary Kate Cunningham of the American Society of Association Executives. Find out how ASAE and their members play an important role in how associations make America stronger. 

Guest Mary Kate Cunningham, CAE, is the Sr. Vice President of Public Policy at ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership. Since taking the reins of ASAE’s public policy department in 2018, Mary Kate has grown an effective, results-oriented advocacy team; garnered bipartisan support for association issues on the Hill; and expanded ASAE’s grassroots network. Mary Kate previously worked for the House Armed Services Committee in the Communications Office. In 2019 she was named a Leading Association Lobbyist by Association Trends.

This podcast is dedicated to the art of advocacy.

Contact Voices In Advocacy at:

www.VoicesinAdvocacy.com

480 488-9150

At Voices in Advocacy, we work with organizations that want to inspire, educate, engage, and activate their supports to become even better influential advocates.

We look back on this memorable interview with Gail Adams of International Association of Geophysical Contractors. Gail comes with extensive high level Washington DC experience and during this interview she explains advocacy as an art and discusses what one needs to know about a person’s real advocacy why.

Gail has more than 20 years of experience in the environment and natural resources public policy arena and working with states and local government. She has more than 30 years’ experience in public affairs, non-profit organizations, and governmental affairs.

She is the former Director of the Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (OIEA) for the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), Immediate Office of the Secretary. Her responsibilities were to establish and maintain relationships between the Department of the Interior and Governors, state and local elected officials and the more than 6000 stakeholders and organizations that represent interests related to DOI.

Prior to her appointment, Gail served as the Governmental Affairs Officer for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on loan from FEMA to the U.S. Coast Guard. Gail received the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Award, the highest public recognition given by the Commandant of the Coast Guard for her work on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

As the Oil Spill Governmental Affairs Officer, Gail oversaw Intergovernmental Affairs, Congressional Affairs, the Non-Governmental Organization Interaction Unit, VIP and International visits as well as some aspects of Community Relations for the entire Gulf Coast. She also served as the governmental affairs advisor to the three Coast Guard Federal On-Scene Coordinators as a member of their Command Staff for the response.

She is the former Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, Department of External Affairs for FEMA’s Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office headquartered in New Orleans.  As the IGA Director, Gail headed intergovernmental operations for Louisiana offices for Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike. Gail also coordinated all foreign delegation meetings coming to Louisiana to learn lessons of response and recovery efforts.

This podcast is dedicated to the art of advocacy.

Contact Voices In Advocacy at:

www.VoicesinAdvocacy.com

480 488-9150

At Voices in Advocacy, we work with organizations that want to inspire, educate, engage, and activate their supports to become even better influential advocates.

We look back on this memorable interview with Cody Lyon of the American Farm Bureau where among the many items we discussed is his advocacy work in defending and protecting the family farm.  Cody is the Managing Director of Advocacy and Political Affairs programs with the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Cody Lyon 

Managing Director of Advocacy and Political Affairs

American Farm Bureau Federation

Https://www.fb.org 

Cody Lyon is the Managing Director of Advocacy and Political Affairs programs with the American Farm Bureau Federation. He leads, directs and implements Farm Bureau’s national grassroots advocacy and political affairs programs, including the development and implementation of national strategic initiatives.  He also directs the grassroots policy development process for Farm Bureau.

This podcast is dedicated to the art of advocacy.

Contact Voices In Advocacy at:

www.VoicesinAdvocacy.com

480 488-9150

At Voices in Advocacy we work with organizations that want to inspire, educate, engage, and activate their supports to become even better influential advocates.

We look back on this memorable interview with former U.S. Senator from Alaska, Mark Begich. Mark and I got together back in April and among the many items we discussed was how does an elected official make policy decisions when they are pulled in many directions.

This podcast is dedicated to the art of advocacy.

Contact Voices In Advocacy at:

www.VoicesinAdvocacy.com

480 488-9150

At Voices in Advocacy we work with organizations that want to inspire, educate, engage, and activate their supports to become even better influential advocates.