Épisodes

  • 22 | 2025 O'Neill School Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient Scott Dolson

    22 | 2025 O'Neill School Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient Scott Dolson
    Sep 9 2025
    The past 12 months at IU has seen Hoosier football enjoy success at a level never approached in the nearly 140 years Indiana has played. Head coach Curt Cignetti was hired, led his team to the first double-digit win season in IU history, and he was named national coach of the year by several organizations. IU men’s basketball saw transition as well, with new head coach Darian DeVries being hired, bringing a new excitement to the program.

    Women’s basketball has continued its historic run of success, IU men’s soccer continues to win Big Ten championships and reach the NCAA Tournament, and men’s and women’s swimming and diving dominated its competition. All of this while college sports undergoes massive changes, from the transfer portal to name, image, and likeness rights, and a host of other shifts that make envisioning the future an incredible challenge.

    It’s a good thing the IU Department of Athletics is led by an O’Neill grad.

    Scott Dolson has been Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at IU since July 2020, and his management of the IU athletic department in our ever-evolving world has been remarkable to watch. Scott has provided a rudder during this tumultuous time, and he has set an example for all who work for him about what the idea of “leading for the greater good” looks like in practice. Not only have IU teams thrived on their respective fields or courts or pools, but the student-athletes are given the resources needed to excel academically while pursuing their athletic dreams.

    In recognition of Scott’s service to his community, the student-athletes, and to Indiana University, the O’Neill School has selected him for its 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honor given to an O’Neill graduate.

    Scott is a 1988 graduate of the O’Neill School where he earned his bachelor’s degree in management while also serving as the head manager for the IU men’s basketball team. He joined the staff of the IU Varsity Club in 1989, eventually rising to become director of the Varsity Club, and he became part of the IU Athletics Department as deputy director and chief operating officer in 2009.

    Today, we’re honored to welcome Scott Dolson to O’Neill Speaks. Scott, thanks so much for joining us!
    Voir plus Voir moins
    19 min
  • 21 | 2025 IUI Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient Rep. Cherrish Pryor

    21 | 2025 IUI Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient Rep. Cherrish Pryor
    May 20 2025
    The O’Neill School has a well-earned reputation of producing graduates who make a difference by leading for the greater good. That’s not just a tagline. Our grads are the reason we’re the top-ranked public school for public affairs in the nation.

    Our reputation is built on the work of those who go out into the real world and make an impact by making that world a better place.

    One such graduate is today’s guest, Indiana State Representative Cherrish Pryor. Pryor earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Indiana University Bloomington and a master’s degree in public affairs from IUPUI. She has served as a legislator in the Indiana House of Representatives since November 4, 2008. She is currently the Indiana House Democratic Caucus Floor Leader and is a member of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus. Pryor is also a member of the budget-writing Ways and Means Committee as well as the Elections and Apportionment Committee and the Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications Committee.

    Pryor also is the 2025 recipient of the IU Indianapolis Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honor bestowed by the O’Neill School on the IUI campus.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    22 min
  • 20 | Inaugural Early Impact Award recipient Rishard Allen

    20 | Inaugural Early Impact Award recipient Rishard Allen
    May 13 2025
    The O’Neill School has a well-earned reputation of producing graduates who make a difference by leading for the greater good.

    That’s not just a tagline. Our grads are the reason we’re the top-ranked public school for public affairs in the nation. Our reputation is built on the work of those who go out into the real world and make an impact by making that world a better place.

    One such recent graduate is today’s guest, Rishard Allen. Rishard graduated from the O’Neill School in 2017 with his Bachelor’s in Arts Management, and he has quickly made his presence felt. Rishard is an emerging philanthropic professional and creative consultant and curator whose leadership practice is deeply concerned with promoting, protecting, and preserving culture, particularly culture at risk of erasure, censure, and appropriation. In pursuit of this mission, he has dedicated his professional career to fostering a thriving and inclusive arts, culture, and entertainment sector and championing initiatives that advance racial equity.

    Rishard currently serves as the Grants & Community Manager at the Pop Culture Collaborative, where he spearheads an innovative grantmaking strategy that harnesses the influential power of popular culture to reshape narratives about marginalized communities, working towards a more just and pluralist future. Previously, Rishard directed a $1.8 million grantmaking portfolio benefiting individual artists and arts nonprofits at the Arts Council of Indianapolis and following joined The Indianapolis Foundation to drive the implementation of a nationwide community foundation framework aimed at improving social and economic mobility for people of color.

    He's also the inaugural recipient of the O’Neill Early Impact Award, which was conceived to recognize young O’Neill alumni who embody the mission, vision, and values of the O’Neill School and are making a distinctive impact early in their career.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    24 min
  • 19 | The Critical Role of Government with Paul Helmke

    19 | The Critical Role of Government with Paul Helmke
    Mar 11 2025
    One of the first actions of the new US presidential administration was an executive order establishing the Department of Government Efficiency, which has been tasked with reviewing and reducing federal spending.

    Since the executive order was signed January 20, the headlines have flown on a near-daily basis about cuts, reforms, and mass layoffs of federal workers. The actions are controversial, immediately triggering a host of lawsuits with some of the department’s actions already being reversed by federal court decisions. The effort has introduced rampant uncertainty into the federal government bureaucracy, and the shifting sands of the future has brought many areas of the government to a near standstill.

    All the headlines about cuts and reforms grab a lot of attention, but overlooked in the winds of change are the essential role government and its programs play in our day-to-day lives.

    We’re joined today by Professor of Practice Paul Helmke to talk about the government’s role in our lives. Paul is the Director of the Civic Leaders Center at the O’Neill School, and he is also the former president and CEO of the Brady Center/Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and a three-term Republican mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    32 min
  • 18 | Improving Federal Government Performance with Jim Perry and Les Lenkowsky

    18 | Improving Federal Government Performance with Jim Perry and Les Lenkowsky
    Dec 17 2024
    On Aug. 12, 1986, then-president Ronald Reagan, held a press conference in the Rosemont Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago, the 38th of his presidency. Before taking questions, President Reagan said he wanted to send a special message to America’s farmers, namely that he had a goal to remove what he believed were some regulatory barriers that were holding back the farmer’s prosperity.

    He phrased that viewpoint simply. “I've always felt the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help,” Reagan said.

    And with that phrase, President Reagan encapsulated the feelings of millions of Americans. Nearly 40 years later, the issue of the effectiveness of the United States government to be a positive influence on the country remains at the forefront of our political discourse. Americans are distrustful of the government and have deep questions about the role it should play in their lives.

    Seeking some answers to the issue is the impetus behind the upcoming Evidence-Based Solutions for Improving Federal Government Performance Conference, which will be held at the National Academy of Public Administration in Washington, D.C., Jan. 13. This one-day conference will feature a panel of distinguished experts, including Kevin Kosar from the American Enterprise Institute; Amy Holmes from the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence; Peter Warren, senior advisor to James Comer, who is the incoming Chairman of the House Oversight Committee; Jennifer Mattingley of the Partnership for Public Service; and Renata Lemos from the World Bank. Phillip Howard, chair of Common Good, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization which advocates simplifying government, will provide the keynote address. They will address the critical question: What can be done to improve federal government performance?

    We’re joined today by two of the organizers of the event, Professor Emeritus in Public Affairs and Philanthropic Studies Leslie Lenkowsky and Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Chancellor's Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs Emeritus Jim Perry. Professor Lenkowsky is an expert in volunteering and civic engagement, nonprofits and public policy, civil society in comparative perspective, education and social welfare policy, and social entrepreneurship. He was a founding director of the Corporation for National and Community Service during the Clinton Administration, and he was appointed by President George W. Bush as the CEO of the corporation in 2001.

    Professor Perry is an internationally recognized leader in public administration and the study of public management. His 45 years of scholarship includes expertise in public management, public organizational behavior, government and civil service reform, national and community service, public service motivation, and performance-related pay.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    25 min
  • 17 | Community organizations and combatting social isolation with Brad Fulton

    17 | Community organizations and combatting social isolation with Brad Fulton
    Nov 19 2024
    For the past several years, researchers, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, have warned of the growing issue of social isolation, a growing loneliness epidemic, and the impact it is having on the physical and mental health of people not only in the United States but around the world.

    The Surgeon General reported that social isolation increases the risk of premature death by 29 percent, the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It also increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia, and other serious medical conditions.

    That’s the bad news. The good news is the solution to social isolation, and the loneliness that can accompany it, may already exist in the form of community organizations that once formed the bedrock of community involvement and can play a major, if evolving, role.

    We’re joined by Associate Professor Brad Fulton, an expert on the social, political, and economic impact of community-based organizations. He directs the National Study of Community Organizing—a multi-level study that examines the causes and consequences of racial, socioeconomic, and religious diversity within grassroots advocacy organizations. Fulton also co-leads the Observing Civic Engagement project—a field study that uses an innovative data collection technique, known as systematic social observation, to analyze the internal dynamics of organizations.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    21 min
  • 16 | The Changing Reality for Charitable Disaster Relief Organizations with Beth Gazley

    16 | The Changing Reality for Charitable Disaster Relief Organizations with Beth Gazley
    Oct 14 2024
    When Hurricane Helene roared across Florida and up the East Coast in late September, relief efforts began immediately. People were without power, water, food, medical supplies and a host of other basic needs.

    The Federal Emergency Management Agency exists for these types of situations, but it’s also when nonprofit organizations spring into action. From high-profile organizations such as the American Red Cross and the United Way to smaller, local organizations, nonprofits play a huge role in the recovery effort. The work is difficult and expensive, and the physical and mental energy required quickly takes its toll on volunteers.

    Then, of course, just a couple of weeks later, Hurricane Milton struck Florida, stacking disasters and impacting nonprofits that were already stretched by Helene.

    To find out the kind of impact these stacked disasters may have on nonprofit organizations helping with relief efforts and the challenges that will be faced not only in the present but in the future, we’re joined by Professor Beth Gazley, who is a world-renowned expert in U.S. nonprofit management and civil society policy. She has published more than 85 research articles, books, and commentary addressing intersectoral collaboration, volunteerism, nonprofit governance, public service coproduction, association management, disaster response, and other topics.

    All opinions and comments on O’Neill Speaks belong to the host and guest of the O’Neill School and don’t necessarily reflect those of the school itself. Music for O’Neill Speaks is by Manos Mars.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    20 min
  • 15 | The Challenge of Tax Reform with Justin Ross

    15 | The Challenge of Tax Reform with Justin Ross
    Jul 31 2024
    Back in 2017, the United States congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which featured several significant changes to the individual income tax, including reforms to itemized deductions and the alternative minimum tax, an expanded standard deduction and child tax credit, and lower marginal tax rates across brackets.

    Proponents hailed the measure as a much-needed reform that would generate economic growth, expand wages, and put the country on the path to fiscal responsibility. Critics said it was a giveaway to corporations and the wealthy that would only balloon the national debt, and a recent study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that there was a boost in investment in the U.S. economy and some wage growth, but not nearly as much as was promised.

    What can’t be argued is that several provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act were designed to sunset in 2025, and there is considerable debate about what provisions should be extended on a more permanent basis and which parts of the act should be allowed expire on schedule.

    We're joined by Professor Justin Ross to help us try to sort through the noise when it comes to tax reform. Justin is a public finance economist specializing in state and local tax policy, and his primary research interests include property tax-related issues such as assessment and zoning. He is part of tax reform task forces in multiple states and is an expert in how tax policy has an impact in the real world.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    26 min