Shows
Built By PeoplePaul Brubaker, VP Human Resources - US at KARL STORZNavigating HR and Business Metrics with Paul: Insights from a Veteran HR Leader
In this episode of the Built by People podcast sponsored by Previ, host Dave D'Angelo welcomes Paul, a seasoned HR executive with a diverse career journey. From starting in finance at an oil and gas company to becoming the head of HR at Karl Stortz, Paul shares insights into the intersection of finance and HR, the value of hiring veterans, and the importance of networking. He also discusses balancing business metrics with the human element in HR decisions, the value of ROI in HR activities, and...2025-02-1417 min
The Coach Bru PodcastWhat Mike Tyson & Your Business Have In CommonToday’s incident between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul is a masterclass on how to handle the competition in your industry.2024-11-1509 min
The PowerBreak Podcast261 - The Test Of ExpedienceJoin Bob and JT as they discuss Bob's recent blog, found at www.bobbrubaker.com in which Bob lays out Paul's test of expedience when it comes to knowing what a Christian can and cannot do. Instead of making things a simple black and white, there is a test, actually two verses centered around the word, "expedient." Check out today's podcast. 2023-08-1531 minThe PowerBreak Podcast260 - Lite AfflictionBob and JT discuss Paul's statement in 2Corinthians 4, in which he called the affliction he was in as "light and momentary" affliction. Based upon Bob's recent blog by the same title found at www.bobbrubaker.com the guys reach into the perspective of Paul and demonstrate how all of us can call whatever we are in as "lite." Check it out.2023-08-0830 min
Smashing the PlateauHow to Turn Relationships into Business Success Featuring Paul BrubakerIn today's episode of Smashing the Plateau, host David Shriner-Cahn interviews business leader Paul Brubaker about networking and building real relationships that lead to growing revenue. Paul discusses his career, which has included time in finance and operations as well as consulting and offers advice on how to approach networking in a way that leads to successful relationships. He emphasizes the importance of building trust and being honest about what you can and can't deliver, as well as knowing when to refer others to people who have the expertise you lack. Paul also talks about the value of being...2023-01-0224 min
UnspooledTop 3: Ed BrubakerAcclaimed comic book writer and artist Ed Brubaker (Criminal, Reckless) joins Paul & Amy to talk about three of his favorite films, including a bruising film noir and a futuristic romance. He also shares his fantasy casting for Jack Reacher and his take on Inception!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices2021-10-261h 04
Boxing Chat with Paul Nasari 2BACR 100.9FMJack Brubaker talks about a fine career.Jack Brubaker talks about a fine career.2021-04-1026 min
sick and hAlarious: Encountering God in it AllEpisode 32: Deep Dive HeloiseOn this month’s deep dive Abigail takes Layne deep into history to learn about the fascinating medieval prodigy and theologian Heloise. This is a story of many twists and turns and history has suggested Heloise suffered from a tragic love story, but maybe she suffered from abuse. Layne and Abigail also tackle one of the toughest scriptures in the whole Bible-the one where Paul tells women to stay silent-but they take a closer look and feel confident to continue speaking and teaching. Join them and encounter God in the story of Heloise!sickhapodcast.com2021-02-241h 16
Maui Real Estate RadioClint Hansen R(B) interviews Reta Chin from Fidelity National Title and economist Paul Brubaker.Clint Hansen R(B) interviews Reta Chin from Fidelity National Title and economist Paul Brubaker.2021-02-241h 07
SIX-GUN JUSTICE PODCASTSIX-GUN JUSTICE PODCAST EPISODE 17—MAVERICKIt's time to push through the batwing doors and start living on Jacks and Queens for Episode 17 of the Six-Gun Justice Podcast. Have a seat at the poker table with Paul and Rich as they deal in one of the most fondly remembered Western TV icons—The cardsharp and reluctant hero known as Maverick... 01:20 — Rich reviews PULP, a new graphic novel by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips.03:16 — Props to our behind-the-scenes friends, Ed Robertson, Lee Goldberg, and Max Allan Collins04:18 — Roy Huggins and the Origin of Maverick08:54 — Not a Comedy West...2020-09-2846 minThe Coach Bru PodcastBut My Business Is DifferentWe often brainwash ourselves into thinking “our business is different” or “our industry is different.” Or that political campaigning must be different than entrepreneurship. This misconception couldn't be further from the truth. The fundamentals are fundamental in every industry and when you can create a system, you bring calm to chaos and clarity to confusion.
Whether you’re a politician or entrepreneur, you’re in the same business. You’re first and foremost in the relationship business, then the business of whatever field you work in. A campaign, whether it’s a political campaign, a crowdfunding campaign or a business-devel...2020-03-101h 25
Zero's JourneyThe Demon of ScatteryLuke and Joy dive into discussion of another norse-themed fantasy novel, The Demon of Scattery by Paul Anderson & Mildred Downey Broxon. Featuring: Vikings, Christians, Celtic deities, and a big snake. 2018-01-291h 23
The BackgrounderEpisode 82: Loretta WeinbergWhen Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg began attending Port Authority meetings, she began uncovering the scandal that we’ve come to know as “Bridgegate.” On this episode, the incomparable and indomitable Senator Weinberg gives her thought about the upcoming trial, talks about her life as an elected official, her special relationship with Governor Christie, and she gives her advice to any young people who may aspire to fill her shoes.2016-09-1300 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 81: Buzz AldrinBuzz Aldrin, Montclair’s man on the moon, has led an extraordinary life in the years leading up to – and since – his historic voyage on Apollo 11. Just days before he returns to Montclair for the dedication of a middle school in his honor, Aldrin talks about some of his memories of living in Montclair, where President Kennedy originally wanted to send astronauts in the 1960s, and when and how we should be landing on Mars.2016-09-0500 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 80: Benjie WimberlyIf you don’t know N.J. Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly through his political and government credentials, you almost certainly know him as the legendary football coach who brought Super Bowl Champion Victor Cruz and T.J. Clemmings to the NFL. But even that description falls short of describing the person that Benjie Wimberly has become to the people of Paterson, N.J. (where people call him “Coach” more often than “Assemblyman.”) In this episode, Wimberly talks about football, the roughly 30 years he has spent as a coach, and how he would coach our state’s third largest city to achieving it...2016-08-2700 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 79: Heather HowardHeather Howard rose to prominence when she served as New Jersey’s State Health and Senior Services Commissioner in Governor Jon Corzine’s administration during the height of the national health care reform debate. Six years after the Affordable Care Act (ACA) a.k.a. “Obamacare” became law, Howard is traveling the country helping states to implement the ACA. She is also on the faculty of Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs where she is teaching about the nuanced world of policy making as it relates to health care, and she is an elected Democrat o...2016-08-2000 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 78: Gordon MacInnesGordon MacInnes, President of New Jersey Policy Perspective, knows Trenton and Jersey politics. He served two terms in the Statehouse, first as an assemblyman and later as a state senator – no small feat for a Democrat who hails from Republican-dominated Morris County. He also served as New Jersey’s Assistant Commissioner of Education and became known as the state’s “Abbott Czar” as he administered New Jersey’s Abbott school funding program. In this episode, MacInnes explains how New Jersey has the option of putting the Transportation Trust Fund and public pension funding liability problems on the desks of the next gov...2016-08-1200 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 77: Student Loan Debt with Deanna Maria Norcross & Vincent CimillucaSchool may be out for the summer but New Jersey’s student loan program has come under fire since a July 3 Propublica/New York Times story. “State sanctioned loan sharking” was how one person quote in the story described the state’s Higher Education Student Assistance Authority and its loan program, NJ CLass. In this episode, Deanna Marie Norcross and Vincent Cimilluca talk about their personal connection being saddled with student loan debt in New Jersey, how it’s stunting the future they want to have together, and the activist group they’ve started, desclassifynj, to help find solutions to student d...2016-08-0500 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 76: Harry PozyckiAnyone with a political hangover from the past two weeks’ conventions will want to hear from Harry Pozycki, founder and chair of The Citizens Campaign. He has a lot to say about how much power we the people in the cheap seats of government really have, and how we can go about using it. He shares a lot of the knowledge he picked up in his extensive career in public service, during which he held offices including Middlesex County Freeholder and Chair of the Middlesex County Democratic Committee. Whether you believe your political voice has been heard this year or...2016-07-2900 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 75: Cathleen LewisCathleen Lewis holds a unique position in Transportation Trust Fund/Gas Tax debate as Public Affairs Director for the American Automobile Association in New Jersey. While she is a known proponent of raising the gas tax, Lewis offers an argument on how a 23-cents per gallon increase in the gas tax could actually save New Jerseyans from future property taxes increases. A council member of the Township of Lawrence - where she previously served as mayor – Lewis explains what the effects of Governor Christie’s executive order to stop work on the state’s transportation projects have been on the st...2016-07-2200 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 74: Jennifer BeckN.J. Senator Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth) has been making headlines this year opposing a 23-cents-per-gallon gas tax hike and being among the first Republicans to not support Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy. But there’s much more to Senator Beck. On this episode, Senator Beck gives us her read on the post budgetary climate surrounding the gas tax debate and the Transportation Trust Fund, she provides an update on her work on behalf of those affected by Superstorm Sandy, and she explains how she went from being a physics and math major conducting research at the Goddard Space Flight Cent...2016-07-1500 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 73: Julia Sass RubinTwo roads to school reform have diverged in New Jersey and Dr. Julia Sass Rubin of Rutgers University’s Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy isn’t thrilled with the choice. Dr. Rubin explains why neither of the proposals put firth by Governor Christie and Senator Sweeney make the grade, and gives her thoughts on how we should be going about reforming our schools. She also talks about charter schools and their effect on the education of those who don’t attend them. She explains the mission of Save Our Schools NJ, the all-volunteer organization she helped found that i...2016-07-0800 minThe BackgrounderBackgrounder CRF: Pump Your Own Gas In NJ!In this bit of a recent interview with that was rescued from The Backgrounder's cutting room floor (hence, the "CRF"), Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon explains why he believes drivers in New Jersey should be allowed to fill their own tanks at the gas pump.2016-07-0700 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 72: Patricia Campos MedinaPatricia Campos Medina is President of LUPE PAC, an organization aimed at getting more Hispanic women into elected office and keeping Latina incumbents in office, regardless of their political party. The mission of LUPE, which stands for Latinas United For Political Empowerment, is largely fueled by the fact that only one of New Jersey’s 565 mayors is Latina (Perth Amboy’s Wilda Diaz - Episode 59), and only 10 of the State Legislature’s 120 seats are held by Latinas. However, there’s more to Campos Medina than her current position. In this episode, she tells the story of how she came to the U...2016-07-0100 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 71: Jason O'DonnellFormer State Assemblyman Jason O’Donnell, a retired firefighter, rescued a woman from drowning a few weeks ago and proved that once a first responder, always a first responder. So does the same principle apply to O’Donnell’s political life? It wasn’t long ago when O’Donnell was not only in the State Assembly but was also a possible chair of New Jersey’s Democratic Party. O’Donnell talks about the day of the rescue that made headlines and whether a political comeback is in his future.2016-06-2400 minThe BackgrounderSpecial Edition: NJ's Transportation Trust FundAs New Jersey's Transportation Trust Fund is nearly depleted, and as lawmakers are considering a bill to raise the gas tax for the first time in nearly 30 years to drive revenue to the fund, The Backgrounder rewinds back to some of the conversations with people who have been on the front lines of the through the years (in some cases, decades). Former NJDOT Commissioner Jamie Fox, James Hughes of Rutgers University, Steve Adubato, Jr., Former Governor Thomas H. Kean, & NJ State Senator James Whalen are heard from in this special edition.2016-06-2100 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 70: Declan O'Scanlon/NJEA's Wendell Steinhauer & Ed RichardsonPractically everyone in Trenton agrees that something must be done to remedy New Jersey’s $43.7 billion pension deficit. It’s the question of what exactly to do about it that divides people. In this unique election year in New Jersey, where the candidates at the top of the tickets may very well be the questions on the bottom of the ballot this November, The Backgrounder looks at two sides of what to do about the pension crisis. First, N.J. State Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon (R-Little Silver) talks about his recently unveiled 3-point plan to address the pension crisis throug...2016-06-1700 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 69: Katie MeylerKatie Meyler forged a path from working class roots in Bernardsville, N.J. to helping children in West Point, Liberia that was cleared by her belief than we should all be working for something bigger than ourselves. That belief is the cornerstone of the organization Meyler founded called the More Than Me Foundation, which has been building and improving schools that help get children – especially sexually exploited girls – off the streets and into the classroom. More Than Me received a huge boost from a $1 million award from The JP Morgan Chase Foundation in 2012, and faced incredible challenges during the Ebol...2016-06-1000 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 68: Scott GurianScott Gurian is an award-winning journalist who knows no limits when it comes to getting a great story. He helped WNYC score a Peabody Award for his coverage of Superstorm Sandy, and he helped launch NJSpotlight.org’s environmental investigative series “Dirty Little Secrets.” But the lengths he will go to for a great story are soon to surpass several thousand miles as he documents his upcoming trip from London to Mongolia in a used car. The stories he gets will be featured on his new podcast called far from home (farfromhomepodcast.org), which just recently went online. In this s...2016-06-0300 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 67: Paula PoundstonePaula Poundstone’s observational humor has made her a one-of-a-kind performer on America’s stand-up comedy circuit, as well as a popular panelist on NPR’s weekly news quiz show “Wait, Wait. Don’t Tell Me,” (created and hosted by former Berkeley Heights resident Peter Sagal). Poundstone has played in nearly every major venue in New Jersey, and she’ll return on June17 to perform at The Levoy Theater in Millville. On this episode, Poundstone gives her perspective of the Garden State (informed by her many gigs here) and says what she believes is the greatest comedy film of all time. Also...2016-05-2700 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 66: Tom Kean, Jr.After serving in the State Legislature for 15 years, N.J. Senator Tom Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield) has clearly emerged from his father’s shadow and come into his own as a lawmaker and a formidable Republican player in New Jersey’s political arena. School choice and tax relief - including getting New Jersey taxpayers a break for charitable contributions - are among the issues topping his agenda. And Kean says he’ll run for statewide office again. But will it be for governor in 2017? Senator Kean answers the question and talks about a host of issues pertaining to New Jersey on thi...2016-05-2000 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 65: Thomas BrackenTom Bracken has never held an elective office. And yet as President & CEO of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, he is one of the most powerful voices in Trenton shaping public policy. Recently, as lawmakers engaged in the political jousting around the Atlantic City fiscal crisis, Bracken called on lawmakers to begin working with business leaders to help Atlantic City as they had agreed to do at the Chamber’s summit meeting last fall. In this episode, Bracken explains why people who don’t live Atlantic City should care about its future. He also talks about his work to k...2016-05-1300 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 64: Paul ReiserPaul Reiser is a comedian, writer and actor and well known as a native New Yorker. But before America saw Reiser in the classic film “Diner” or came to know Reiser as the star and creator of NBC’s hit TV series “Mad About You,” there was a time when he called New Jersey his home. In this episode, Reiser explains how he ended up in the Garden State, and talks about some of the highlights of his career that has included appearances in more than 20 major motion pictures including “Concussion,” the Oscar nominated “Whiplash,” and the upcoming horror movie “The Darknes...2016-05-0600 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 63: Ross GibbyAs a working actor, Ross Gibby is no stranger to uncertainty.
But nothing in his acting career has felt as uncertain as when he
and his wife learned they were raising a child with autism. In the
episode, Gibby talks about his appearances on TV shows like “Law
& Order: Special Victims Unit,” his unforgettable role on “Sex
In The City,” and being a part of a major film release like the
highly anticipated suspense thriller, “The Girl On The Train.” He
also explains how the uncertainty that came with raising a child
with autism became, over time, a gift.2016-04-2900 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 62: Hetty RosensteinFor 35 years, Hetty Rosenstein has been a voice for New Jersey’s middle class. Today, she finds herself on the front lines of two major issues in New Jersey: the current strike of 39,000 Verizon employees and the upcoming public question on a constitutional amendment that would require the state to make regular payments to public pensions. Rosenstein talks about both of these issues in this episode, as well as the need for a law to protection New Jersey’s children welfare workers on the job and a bit of how she came to start her career as a voice for...2016-04-2200 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 61: Patricia TeffenhartDoes hooking up on Tinder make a person more vulnerable to sexual assault? Do the rape scenes in the HBO series “Game Of Thrones” contribute to a culture that makes people more vulnerable to rape? Are expectant parents holding “gender reveal parties” part of the problem? Do those blue lights with call boxes found on college campuses make people any safer from sexual assault? These are tough questions and Patricia Teffenhart, Executive Director of the NJ Coalition Against Sexual Assault, gives us her answers in this episode. Teffenhart also talks about why, during this Sexual Assault Awareness Month, she is tryin...2016-04-1500 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 60: Michael MaronMichael Maron, president and CEO of Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, has achieved some notoriety as one of the most outspoken critics of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ’s OMNIA health plan. But it is his leadership of a faith-based – that is, Catholic – hospital (that happens to be where he was born) that has made Maron stand out in New Jersey’s health care landscape. In this episode, Maron explains why he believes OMNIA is bad for the future of health care in New Jersey, why Holy Name’s faith based mission is good for the health care...2016-04-0800 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 59: Wilda DiazWilda Diaz was first elected mayor of the City of Perth Amboy in 2008, upsetting the entrenched incumbent Joe Vas. The Star-Ledger characterized the condition of the city at the time Diaz took office as “teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.” Then, in 2012, Superstorm Sandy destroyed the city’s waterfront. In this episode, Diaz, who is incidentally the state’s only Latina mayor and the first Latina to be elected mayor, talks about the challenges she has led the city to overcome. She also explains why she wants the voters of Perth Amboy to return her to City Hall for a third...2016-04-0100 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 58: Donald Payne, Jr.Congressman Donald Payne, Jr. inherited a powerful legacy when he was elected to the seat that was held by his late father. But now he has emerged as a Congress member in his own right, feeling equally committed to serving the people of the 10th Congressional District and people throughout the United States. He recently returned from Flint, MI to hear from the people most affected by the lead-contaminated water crisis, and he has met with New Jersey’s leaders to try to avoid a similar crisis from happening here at home. As a member of the House Homeland Se...2016-03-2500 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 57: Vincent PrietoN.J. State Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto came to the United States from Cuba with his mother 45 years ago. Their lives in America began in a basement apartment in Union City and two bags of groceries his uncle gave them. From these humble beginnings, Prieto would eventually ascend to one of the most powerful positions in New Jersey’s state government. But it wasn’t by design. Speaker Prieto tells his story in this episode and gives his thoughts about the current trend in US-Cuba relations. He also tells a little about his relationship with Governor Chris Christie, and expl...2016-03-1800 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 56: Dawn ZimmerDawn Zimmer will seek a third term as Mayor of Hoboken. The formerly content to be a stay-at-home mom makes the announcement on this episode of The Backgrounder. She also talks about what she calls her “accidental” entry into Hoboken politics, and about the challenges she has faced during her tenure as mayor – including leading Square-Mile City’s recovery from Superstorm Sandy and the effort to obtain a $230 million federal Rebuild By Design grant to plan for severe weather resiliency. She discusses the city’s relationship with the state two years after her appearance on MSNBC with Steve Kornacki when she d...2016-03-1100 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 55: Ray LesniakFew people exemplify the political “Happy Warrior” as well as N.J. State Senator Raymond Lesniak. Since he was first elected to the State Legislature in 1978, Lesniak has taken on numerous progress causes – including fighting New Jersey’s settlement with Exxon-Mobil (announced one year ago). He has also taken on just as many political battles, and he has apparently loved every minute of it. Now that he has decided not to run for re-election to the State Senate, he has been considering a run to become New Jersey’s next governor. Before Senator Lesniak began his ascent to becoming one of the...2016-03-0400 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 54: Raj MukherjiN.J. State Assemblyman Raj Mukherji, Democrat from Jersey City, has become known as one of the lawmakers leading the charge on the expansion of casino gambling in New Jersey. What may not be as well known about him is that by the time he reached age of 20, he was already a young entrepreneur with a real estate portfolio and his own public affairs firm. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps just days after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and has earned a Masters Degree from University of Pennsylvania and a law degree from Seton Hall University...2016-02-2600 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 53: Junius WilliamsJunius Williams has been a cornerstone of civil rights activism in the City of Newark since the late 1960s. He’s fought to cultivate jobs in Newark, affordable housing in Newark. He even managed the campaign that got the first black mayor elected in Newark. Born in Virginia, Williams earned degrees at Amherst College and Yale Law School. As an attorney, he has represented the Rev. Jesse Jackson and in 1978, he was elected president of the National Bar Association. He has also been listed among Ebony magazine’s “100 Most Influential Blacks in America.” Today, he is the director of Rutgers...2016-02-1900 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 52: Shavonda SumterN.J. State Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter (D-Paterson) is thinking about running for Governor of New Jersey. Her name has not been among those regularly mentioned when politicos and pundits speculate about who will throw their hats in the ring. But given that the race isn’t until next year, Sumter still sees the field as wide open. In this episode, Assemblywoman Sumter talks about why she is mulling over a gubernatorial run. She also talks about her secrets to becoming the most prolific lawmaker in 2014 – as discovered by The Star-Ledger’s column “The Auditor” – when she succeeded in getting 16 bills signed...2016-02-1200 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 51: Holly SchepisiNearly a year ago, N.J. State Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi (R-Bergen) suffered and survived a brain aneurysm. Today, the attorney, wife and mother is beginning her third term in the state legislature. The term has started with some controversy. Schepisi recently made a trip to Cuba with a group of about 19 people including other members of the State Legislature. The trip drew criticism from those who said there were still some major issues to settle with the nation of Cuba before relations could be normalized. In this episode, Schepisi explains why she and her colleagues made the trip and...2016-02-0500 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 50: Matt KatzThis week, The Backgrounder covers the man who covers the governor. Matt Katz talks about his new book, American Governor: Chris Christie’s Bridge To Redemption. Much of the book comes from his five years of covering Governor Chris Christie. Ironically, covering the governor was an assignment that Katz initially didn’t want to take. In this episode, Katz explains why he ultimately decided to take the job of covering Governor Christie. He also recalls his experiences writing for The Daily Record and The Philadelphia Inquirer, and his first day on the job as a reporter for WNYC Radio. That...2016-01-2900 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 49: Steve AdubatoHere is Steve Adubato like you’ve never heard him before. Today, Adubato is known throughout New Jersey as one of the state’s most recognizable television and media personalities. But he actually started out in the political arena as New Jersey’s youngest member of the State Assembly. In this episode, Adubato recalls the lessons he learned from his political experience, how he made the transition into media and public television, and talks very candidly about what it was like to be raised by one of the state’s most influential political power brokers.2016-01-2200 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 48: Remembering MLK in New JerseyIn late March 1968, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to Paterson, N.J. and spoke to a standing room only crowd in the Community Baptist Church on Auburn Street. He came to drum up support for a march against poverty that was to be held in Washington, D.C. A few days later, Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis. In this episode, Russell Graddy, who was part of Dr. King’s security detail when he visited Paterson, talks about the Dr. King he had a chance to meet on several occasions and about the day he came to...2016-01-1600 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 47: Lou GreenwaldThere couldn’t be more significance to January 11th for N.J. Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald (D-Camden). Twenty-one years ago, his mother, Maria Barnaby Greenwald – Cherry Hill’s first woman mayor and Camden County’s first women freeholder – died as a result of a car accident. January 11th also marks 20 years since Greenwald was first sworn into the State Assembly, and 18 years since his oldest child was born. The day is also the last day in the current legislative session, and the last chance for Assembly Democrats to override Governor Chris Christie’s vetoes of two gun control bills. Green...2016-01-0900 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 46: Constantina MeisThink of any elected official – Democrat or Republican, national or local. They wouldn’t be in office without Constantina Meis and people like her. Meis is a young but seasoned expert in political field operations - the part of any campaign that goes directly to prospective voters: talking to people, connecting with people and getting them to vote. In this episode, Meis talks about her new national role as Executive Vice President of the Young Democrats of America, and how she intends to get young voters to the polls for the 2016 presidential election.2016-01-0100 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 45: Vince MazzeoLast November, while most New Jersey candidates ran for election in a sleepy political cycle, N.J. State Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo (D-Atlantic) was fighting in what he calls the toughest political race he ever had. The incumbent Democrat, and former mayor and councilman of Northfield, fought for reelection in one of the two most hotly contested Assembly seat races of the year. As he prepares for his second term in Trenton, Assemblyman Mazzeo talks about why he thinks he won reelection, and he discusses the major questions facing New Jersey including what to do about the $80 billion pension crisis...2015-12-2600 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 44: Jim WhelanBefore he was in the N.J. State Legislature, before he was Mayor of Atlantic City, N.J. State Senator James Whelan was a lifeguard patrolling the beaches of Atlantic City and he knew what it took to rescue someone in danger. In this episode, Senator Whelan talks about what its going to take to rescue the State of New Jersey from its current fiscal crisis that includes an $80 billion pension debt and a transportation trust fund that’s about to go bankrupt. He also talks about what it was like to dealing with Donald Trump during the years he...2015-12-1800 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 43: Mohamed KhairullahProspect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah has returned to his native Syria six times since 2012 despite the life-threatening dangers imposed by Bashar al-Assad’s despotism. With each trip, Khairullah has brought humanitarian aid to the Syrian people trapped by some of the most brutal regimes in the world – a regime that millions of Syrian refugees have fled and more Syrians are trying to flee. That is why when Khairullah heard New Jersey Governor Chris Christie say he would prohibit Syrian refugees from entering the state – even those as young as five years old – he called upon the governor to apologize. In this ep...2015-12-1200 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 42: Warren ZanesWarren Zanes, Ph.D. is the author of Petty, The Biography (Henry Holt & Co.) and the book is unique from other rock and roll biographies in that Zanes isn’t just a fan. He was a member of The Del Fuegos, a college rock band that was an opening act for Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers in the late 1980’s. Even that only scratches the surface of who Warren Zanes is. In this episode, Zanes talks about Tom Petty and his own life’s journey in which he earned his doctorate and a place on the faculty at New York U...2015-12-0400 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 41: Yael AverbuchYael Averbuch began her journey to become a professional soccer player at the age of nine. Today she is a national champion. She’s a midfielder for the 2015 National Women’s Soccer League Champions FC Kansas City and she plays midfield for the US Women’s National Soccer Team. When she played for the University of North Carolina, Averbuch captured the NCAA record for the fastest goal ever scored. These would be crowning achievements to many soccer players’ careers, but to Averbuch, they were stops along a very long journey. In this episode, Averbuch talks about her journey in becoming...2015-11-3000 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 40: Archange AntoineArchange Antoine has lived a life dedicated to progressive reform. As the Political Director of the New Jersey Clergy Coalition for Justice, he recently organized a demonstration aligned with the Black Lives Matter movement outside the Trenton Statehouse calling for community policing reforms. He’s active in the political arena as the Chairman of the NJ Young Democrats’ Black Caucus, and he holds an elective office as the President of the Roselle Board of Education. But his public service began at the grass roots level as he worked with the youth on the streets of Newark as a volunteer for...2015-11-2100 minThe BackgrounderSpecial Edition: Rob NorrisOn December 11, 1965 at the Summit High School auditorium a band took the stage that would leave an indelible mark on the world of music. They weren’t the headliner. They weren’t like The Beatles or any of the bands of the British Invasion that dominated the pop music scene at the time. They were Lou Reed, John Cale, Maureen Tucker and Sterling Morris – collectively known as The Velvet Underground – and it was their first show together. They were loud, dark and scary. “Evil had arrived,” said Rob Norris, who was a kid from New Providence in the auditorium’s crowd that n...2015-11-2000 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 39: Rachel CrampseyRachel Crampsey is a great Jersey small business success story. It wasn’t long ago that Rachel Crampsey was giving away bread she had made to her friends from her Montclair apartment. Then, about three years ago while raising three kids with her husband, in the midst of a market gripped by gluten-free mania, she bought a bakery. Today, her business – Montclair Bread Company – is thriving. She just opened a second retail location at the Montclair Public Library’s main branch. Her bakery operations are moving to one of the hippest redevelopment sites in town, and her main location on Walnut...2015-11-1300 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 38: Matthew Friedman & Emily HelckMatthew Friedman and Emily Helck are a married couple who share a unique bond. They both were diagnosed with, and survived, cancer before the age of 30. Matthew, who is known as one of the top political reporters covering New Jersey and is currently writing for Politico New Jersey, was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2008. He was 27. Then in 2012, Emily was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was 28. Emily, whose background includes working with artist William Wegman, documented her treatment with weekly photographs of herself that she compiled to make a video she posted on YouTube. The video has had mo...2015-11-0600 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 37: James J. FlorioAfter a huge anti-tax campaign against Governor Jim Florio, New Jersey became Florio free in ’93 as he was denied a second term. More than 20 years after Florio left office, has New Jersey been in any better shape since ’93? One problem New Jersey didn’t have before then was the pension crisis. Jim Florio was the last governor to fully fund the plan. He also paid down a huge state budget deficit and spearhead an assault weapons ban bill in New Jersey. In this episode, Jim Florio talks about his days breaking from Camden County Democratic boss Angelo Errichetti, what it too...2015-11-0200 minThe BackgrounderSpecial Edition: A Night In Trenton With SandyIf a demonstration happens in the middle of night and no one is around to see it, does it still make a point? That was the question that led The Backgrounder to go to Trenton on the night of Wednesday, October 28, the night before the third anniversary of Superstorm Sandy. There, Superstorm Sandy survivors, many who have been homeless due to the storm, were gathered across the street from the Statehouse for three days and nights to push for legislation needed to continue their recovery from Sandy. In the course of the night, two survivors bravely share their personal...2015-10-3100 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 36: Don Guardian and Henry WhiteOn a special double-feature edition of The Backgrounder, Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian and Police Chief Henry White talk about leading a city facing a multiple challenges. Atlantic City’s fight against poverty has been exacerbated by the closure of four casinos that put thousands of employees out of work. Meanwhile, the city’s police department has been facing a community relations crisis that has drawn the scrutiny of state and federal officials. Atlantic City is also where Superstorm Sandy made landfall and the city is still recovering from the disaster. But the Mayor and the Chief of Police are...2015-10-2300 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 35: Dominique LeeDominique Lee began his education reform efforts in Newark, N.J. before Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook bestowed $100 million on the city’s public schools. Lee is the CEO and founder of the BRICK Academy of Newark, which is aimed at meeting the needs of children growing up in poverty. In a candid interview, Lee talks about how he came to Newark from his boyhood home state of Michigan, and how his teaching experience at Newark’s Malcolm X. Shabazz High School drove him to working toward education reform. Lee also discusses Dale Russakoff’s book, The Prize: Who’s In Charg...2015-10-1700 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 34: Brigid Callahan HarrisonBrigid Callahan Harrison, Ph.D., is one of the most widely known political analysts in the state of New Jersey. She’s a political science and law professor at Montclair State University, but she isn’t holed up in an academic ivory tower. She’s engaged throughout the state, keeping an eye on issues pertaining to every level of government, making frequent appearances on television and providing her insights to many reporters covering New Jersey. Dr. Harrison talks plenty of politics in this episode, but she also covers where she comes from, what her family was like growing up and ho...2015-10-0900 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 33: Anna QuindlenIt’s been a while since Anna Quindlen has written a column for The New York Times or Newsweek Magazine. She’s a best-selling novelist now. Her latest novel, “Still Life With Bread Crumbs” (Random House) is now in paperback. But Quindlen continues to be just as unambiguous and provocative as she has ever been. In this episode, the Pulitzer Prize-winning former Hoboken resident calls out Carly Fiorina on her remarks about Planned Parenthood in the last GOP presidential debate. Quindlen also talks about her career, her family, her writing, her take on public discourse in America and why she uneq...2015-10-0200 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 32: Debra VizziDebra Vizzi has made the amazing journey from foster child to chief executive. Now, she has taken the helm of the state’s largest anti-hunger and anti-poverty organization, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, as its new President and CEO. Hunger was only one of the challenges Vizzi had to overcome as she was growing up. In this episode, Vizzi talks about how she was able to transcend her painful childhood to work for Terence Cardinal Cooke in New York City, achieve success in college and graduate school, and lead the charge against hunger and poverty in New Jersey....2015-09-2500 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 31: Tom Franklin
Tom Franklin, photographer and multimedia journalist, captured the most immortal image of 9-11, “Raising The Flag At Ground Zero,” and delivered some of the most hard-hitting breaking news photos and in-depth videos from the beats he covered in northern New Jersey. Now, after 23 years at The Record of Bergen County, Tom has left the newsroom and entered the classroom. He’s a full professor teaching journalism at Montclair State University. In this episode, Tom talks about his harrowing day covering 9-11, and the time he and the three firefighters in his unforgettable photograph went to the Oval Office...2015-09-1800 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 30: Thomas H. Kean
Thomas H. Kean has achieved great notoriety as the Chairman of the 9-11 Commission, a two-term Governor of New Jersey, and President of Drew University. But it has been Governor Kean’s nonpartisan brand of personal leadership that allowed him to leave office as one of the state’s most popular governors, and enable him to become one of the most effective leaders working to protect our national security. In a comprehensive interview recorded on the 14th anniversary of September 11, 2001, Governor Kean offers his thoughts on the time since the attacks and the work of the commission. He a...2015-09-1200 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 29: Joe Waks
Joe Waks is an artist – a self-described painter, bon vivant and provocateur – who has a law degree and a resume that boasts experience working at every level of government. His provocative artwork is reminiscent of pop artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. His stuff can be as funny as it is familiar, mainly because it often has to do with things we all know something about: advertising and being consumers. Following in the political footsteps of his Democrat parents, Joan Waks and the late David Waks, Joe Waks believes everyone has the capacity to create art. In fa...2015-09-0400 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 28: Chris Daggett
Chris Daggett became known to people across New Jersey in 2009 when he ran as an independent for governor. That year, the state’s largest newspaper, The Star-Ledger, endorsed him over the incumbent Democratic Governor Jon Corzine and the Republican challenger Chris Christie. Since then, he has been working as the President and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation – where he has personally added to the foundation’s philanthropy a mission to improve journalism in the Garden State. In a candid, informal conversation, Chris Daggett talks about the lessons he learned from his 2009 gubernatorial campaign. He also gets i...2015-08-2800 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 27: Justin Braz
Justin Braz is the 27-year-old Chief of Staff to N.J. State Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) and the Executive Director of the New Jersey Chapter of the New Leaders Council, a national nonprofit aimed at recruiting, training and promoting future political leaders. In an interview that brought The Backgrounder Podcast to new heights in keeping it real, Justin talks about politics, government and living as an unabashed yet unassuming member of the millennial generation.
2015-08-2100 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 26: Joseph Lagana
Joe Lagana is an attorney and state assemblyman from Paramus, who cites his parents’ experience as immigrants from Italy as one of the reasons he entered politics. His parents didn’t come to the United States came at the turn of the 20th century, but actually around the year 1970. That makes Joe one of the younger first generation Italian-Americans in New Jersey. In this episode, Assemblyman Joe Lagana talks about his family, his motivation to work in public service, and some of the legislation he has been working on involving Uber, Dave & Buster’s, prescription drug abuse, and es...2015-08-1500 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 25: Beth Fowler
Beth Fowler, who plays Sister Jane Ingalls on the hit Netflix series Orange Is The New Black, is 100% Jersey girl. A Jersey City native, Caldwell University alumna and Bergen County resident, Fowler has been getting a lot of press for playing nuns (she was also in the cast of Sister Act and Sister Act 2). She even wrote a column about it in Women’s Day magazine. The truth is, Fowler is a veteran of live theater and the Broadway stage, having played Mrs. Potts in the musical “Beauty And The Beast,” and having been nominated for Tony Awards...2015-08-0700 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 24: Michael Laser
Michael Laser has a thing for outcasts. They inhabit the books he reads, the ones he studied in college, many of the great books he was raised on as a kid growing up in Queens. So it shouldn’t be surprising that in Michael Laser’s latest novel, “My Impending Death,” the main character is an outcast – or at least he wants to be. The character is cynical and suicidal to the point that he’s given himself 30 days until he offs himself. What might be surprising is that Laser’s book, “My Impending Death,” is a comedy.
2015-08-0100 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 23: James Hughes
If James Hughes, Ph.D. had a Jersey-style nickname it might be “The Truth.” As Dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, Hughes studies New Jersey – its trends, its economy, and its population. With his colleague Dr. Joseph Seneca he has published many papers and studies about the Garden State, including one published last April that showed the population is surging back to New Jersey’s urban centers after a half-century of people leaving the city for the suburbs. Dean Hughes remarkably recalls statistics and historical economic facts about New Jerse...2015-07-2500 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 22: Robert Torricelli
Robert Torricelli represented New Jersey for 20 years in the United States Congress, including six as a U.S. Senator. Since then he has been a driven real estate mogul who has kept his eye on what's happening in the state, the nation and the world. Despite his extremely successful life in the private sector, Torricelli said he would return to Washington given the right opportunity. In an interview recorded at his Hunterdon County farm, the former lawmaker known as “The Torch” talks about the possibilities of his returning to public life. He also gives his read on U.S...2015-07-1700 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 21: Wallace StrobyWallace Stroby’s anti-heroine Crissa Stone returns this week in his latest crime novel, “The Devil’s Share” (St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books). Wallace was one of the cornerstones of Jersey journalism, having been a reporter and editor at The Asbury Park Pressand then an editor at The Star-Ledger for 13 years. Along the way, he reviewed books and interviewed authors including Clive Barker and Stephen King. Wallace talks about his life of the mind as a journalist and writer, and about teaming up with the Oscar-winning screenplay writer Ted Tally (The Silence Of The Lambs) for a series of Hollywo...2015-07-1000 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 20: Tim Eustace
Tim Eustace is a state assemblyman from Bergen County. He’s a Democrat, he’s a chiropractor, and he loves cars. He’s a former mayor of the town he lives in – Maywood – and he’s a family man. Assemblyman Eustace talks about how he successfully faced off with the governor last year to allow Tesla Motors to sell electric cars in New Jersey, why he supports a casino in northern New Jersey, and why he believes innovation and ingenuity need to be encouraged in order to spur the state’s economy. This episode is sponsored by The GI Go Fund...2015-07-0300 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 19: Lawrence Hamm
Lawrence Hamm, Chairman of the People’s Organization For Progress, talks about the tragic shooting in Charleston, S.C., the current momentum against the Confederate flag, and his own life – a journey that transformed him from a Newark kid who was expelled from a public school, to graduating high school as an honors student and state running champion, to making national headlines as the youngest school board member in the country, to graduating from Princeton University where he met one of his most encouraging mentors, Dr. Cornel West. He also speaks about the upcoming Million People’s March...2015-06-2600 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 18: Brian Thompson For almost 20 years, WNBC 4 New York's Brian Thompson has been covering New Jersey from all angles – politics, crime, scandals, environmental stories, economic stories. In an engaging interview that covers topics like how margarine became a controlled substance in Wisconsin to the ingredients in a Carolina chicken bog, Brian Thompson talks about how he went from being an aspiring Republican politician as a kid to becoming one of the most embedded and respected reporters in New Jersey. This episode is sponsored by The GI Go Fund.
2015-06-2000 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 17: Andrea Bowen
Andrea Bowen, Executive Director of Garden State Equality, brings transgender issues home on the heels of Caitlin Jenner’s big reveal on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine. She talks about Caitlin Jenner, what transgender people face here in New Jersey, and about her personal story of how she came to fulfill her life as a woman. This episode is sponsored by The GI Go Fund.
2015-06-1300 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 16: Albert Straka
Albert Straka is 90 years old, a retired letter carrier, credit bureau agent, real estate professional, Rider University graduate, Superstorm Sandy survivor. He’s been married to the same woman since 1948, he raised four children with her. He also one of the few remaining survivors of the amphibious invasion at Normandy, France on June 6, 1944. On the day before the 71st anniversary of D-Day, Albert Straka talked about his role in the invasion, and how he feels about the legacy of those who gave their lives on that fateful day. This episode is sponsored by The GI Go Fund.
2015-06-0700 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 15: Jamie Fox
Last year, Jamie Fox was appointed and confirmed as N.J.’s Transportation Commissioner by after having had the same job in 2002. Commissioner Fox talks about the New Jersey’s underfunded Transportation Trust Fund, which provides the money for transportation infrastructure and services, and the current proposal to raise fairs on NJ Transit trains and busses. Also, we hear remarks from Dr. Cornel West as they were delivered Bethany Baptist Church in Newark, N.J. this week in support of an upcoming march against police brutality, racial injustice & economic inequality organized by the People’s Organization for Progress...2015-05-3000 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 14: Debbie Galant
Debbie Galant is widely known in NJ’s media circles as the founder of Baristanet.com, a pioneering community news blog that ushered in the age of hyperlocal news coverage on the web. Galant has since moved on to direct NJ News Commons, an effort to united NJ news organizations, as part of her role as Montclair State University’s Associate Director of New Media Initiatives. Now she has launched Midcentury Modern, an online magazine that delves into issues of growing older in the 21st century while fostering an intergenerational dialogue among baby boomers, generation x-ers, and milleni...2015-05-2300 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 13: Monica Miller
Intrepid spot news reporter Monica Miller, who has covered New Jersey for years, recently scored the mother of all Mother’s Day feature stories for WHYY in Philadelphia. The story is about how her mother struck an unlikely friendship with Mother Teresa of Calcutta. But Monica’s own life has been a journey that begins with her being cast in a national touring company for the Broadway musical, “Annie.” She later finds herself embedding with journalists risking their lives in Cameroon, and then catering to the needs of Civil War re-enactors as she worked at the National Archives...2015-05-1800 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 12: Harlan York
Harlan York knew he would be an attorney at a very early age. But he didn’t know that he would also write a book, , to help motivate attorneys who are stuck in a rut in their careers. Harlan York talks about his book, Three Degrees of Law published by Motivational Press. And George Kasimos, founder of Stop FEMA Now fills us in on the big rally planned in Trenton on May 14 and new video short on Superstorm Sandy’s aftermath by filmmaker Lauren Hall. This episode is sponsored by The GI Go Fund’s Jeans For Troops D...2015-05-0900 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 11: Ruth MandelAs Director of the Rutgers University Eagleton Institute of Politics, Dr. Ruth Mandel is known to many as a political pundit, a observant student of women in politics, and passionate scholar of English and American literature. But what may not be as well known about Dr. Mandel is the place she holds in history as a passenger on an ill-fated Voyage of the St. Louis. Dr. Mandel talks about her family finally making it to America, women in American politics, and Hillary Clinton's prospects for being elected the first woman President of the United States. This episode is sponsored...2015-05-0300 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 10: Virginia CornueVirginia Cornue, a Bloomfield College sociology professor, author and civil rights activist, never would have guessed that she would publish a book about a Confederate soldier. But then again, she didn't expect to find more than 30 letters written by CSA Private William Wallace Beard under her mother's bed. Dr. Cornue talks about "So Much Blood," which she and Historian William Trotter have just released, 150 years after the Civil War. She also discusses she how has been, despite her life of working against inequality, emotionally moved by Private Beard's personal accounts of the War Between The States. Special thanks to Th...2015-04-2600 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 9: Brendan GillBrendan Gill has seen politics at the local level, from the statewide view, and from working alongside some of the most prominent public figures in New Jersey. Brendan Gill talks about his experiences working for some of the biggest names in politics including, U.S. Senator Cory Booker and expected 2017 NJ gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy, former U.S. Ambassador to Germany in the Obama Administration. He also talks about his Dad, Daniel Gill, who has been a public school social studies teacher for more than 40 years, and is featured in a documentary, “The One That Got Away,” that will be sho...2015-04-2000 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 8: George KasimosGeorge Kasimos started Stop FEMA Now after Superstorm Sandy struck New Jersey. Two and a half years after the storm, Stop FEMA Now has 30,000 members and thousands remain homeless after being displaced by the storm. George talks about his transformation from a Jersey realtor who never voted but ardently supported Governor Chris Christie to becoming an activist who has worked with Sen. Robert Menenedez and and national media outlets including CBS News' 60 Minutes, and of how he is now a critic of NJ State Government. Today's episode is sponsored by The GI Go Fund.2015-04-1200 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 7: Jay LustigJay Lustig is New Jersey's most prominent music writer. After 30 years of covering the arts - most of them spent as the Pop Music Crtiic for The Star-Ledger, Jay has launched his own independent web site, NJArts.net, which covers the vast universe of the arts in and around New Jersey. Jay names names as he talks about some of the fun exchanges he's had with some of the biggest celebrities in music, including Paul McCartney, David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen. He also gives us a taste of his new work at NJArts.net, which not only covers music...2015-04-0500 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 6: Michael AronNJTV's Michael Aron has been a steady, consistent, and vigilant reporter covering New Jersey government and politics for more than 30 years - a rarity in an age of rapid turnover among journalists in New Jersey. Michael talks about being raised in the Philly suburbs, earning degrees at two Ivy League universities; and his career, which included stops at Rolling Stone and New Jersey Monthly magazines. He also speaks candidly about his successes, his "useful mistakes," and his own personal journalism principles. This episode is sponsored by The GI Go Fund. 2015-03-2800 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 5: Helene StapinskiHelene Stapinski's memoir, "Five-Finger Discount - A Crooked Family History," entwines her family's story with Jersey City's long history of crime and corruption. With production underway to make "Five-Finger Discount" into a documentary film, Helene talks about her childhood and of how - after years of trying to break away from the city that was her hometown - she came to embrace the stories that led her to write the book that The Star-Ledger recently said may be the most authentic book about Jersey City ever written. Today's episode is sponsored by The GI Go Fund.2015-03-2100 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 4: Jamel HolleyJamel Holley is New Jersey's newest member of the State Assembly, a former mayor of Roselle, and, at 35, he has become one of the most dynamic leaders in the Garden State's political landscape. Assemblyman Holley talks about his new role in Trenton, and about the many people that helped get him there, including his grandmother, Yvonne, and the people in Roselle that made up the village to took to raise him. He also confesses to a very funny childhood habit, and releases some exciting news about his brother, Jesse, a former wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys.2015-03-1400 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 3: Anthony GiglioAnthony Giglio, a.k.a. The Wine Wise Guy, knows wine, knows food, knows people and he wants everyone to share in them. We talk about those nail-biting moments of wine crisis - like being handed a list of 500 wines at a restaurant and not knowing what to do - as well as how he went from being a kid from Jersey City, to a cub reporter, to becomg one of the most renowned wine writers in the world. We also talk about Anthony's family, who have been great fodder for many of his stories including one he was...2015-03-0600 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 2: Dr. Krista JenkinsCommon Core State Standards: Many people have an opinion about them and just as many don't know what they are talking about. That was just one the findings of a recent national Public Mind Poll released by Fairleigh Dickinson University. Dr Krista Jenkins, Director of The Public Mind Poll, discusses the widespread misconceptions surrounding the Common Core.2015-02-2600 minThe BackgrounderEpisode 1: Joe Doria
Few people have experienced public service from as many perspectives as Joe Doria. A native of Bayonne, New Jersey, Joe Doria began his career as a teacher. His first elected position was on the local school board. He was later elected as well as the city’s mayor. In 1979, Doria was elected to the state Assembly where he served for 24 years, including 2 as the Assembly Speaker and 10 as the Assembly minority leader. He also served in the state Senate, filling the seat vacated by the death of State Sen. Glenn Cunningham. NJ Governor Jon Corzine appointed Doria Co...2015-02-1800 min
Autoline This WeekAutoline EXTRA #1233: Paul BrubakerEvery year around 40,000 people die in the United States in traffic accidents. And that’s the reason why the U.S. Department of Transportation is looking at “connected vehicles” as a way to significantly reduce this number. Paul Brubaker from the U.S. Department of Transportation joins John McElroy on this edition of Autoline EXTRA and explains the benefits of using this technology and his goal of reducing accidents 90% by 2030.2008-08-2206 min
Autoline This Week - VideoAutoline EXTRA #1233: Paul BrubakerEvery year around 40,000 people die in the United States in traffic accidents. And that’s the reason why the U.S. Department of Transportation is looking at “connected vehicles” as a way to significantly reduce this number. Paul Brubaker from the U.S. Department of Transportation joins John McElroy on this edition of Autoline EXTRA and explains the benefits of using this technology and his goal of reducing accidents 90% by 2030.2008-08-2207 min