On Homeland Security, The Waymakers, The Resident Legal Diva and The Opportunity Agenda Featuring Juliette Kayyem, Tara Jaye Frank, Melba Pearson and Ellen Buchman
In this jam-packed episode, Juliette Kayyem, CNN National Security Analyst, discusses recent homeland security issues; Tara Jaye Frank, DEI Consultant, talks about her new book, The Waymakers; Melba Pearson, The Resident Legal Diva, analyses recent police-involved shootings; and Ellen Buchman, CEO of The Opportunity Agenda, explains the work of her organization. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/erik-fleming1/support
Melba Pearson
Attorney
Melba Pearson is an attorney specializing in civil rights and criminal law, with an emphasis on policy. She is the Director of Prosecution Projects at the Gordon Institute for Public Policy, and co-manager for the Prosecutorial Performance Indicators (PPI) Project based at Florida International University. The PPIs aim to bring more transparency, equity and racial justice in the criminal justice system. Ms. Pearson also serves as Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. She has a consulting practice through her firm MVP Law, which includes assessments of police departments and creating community engagement strategies around criminal justice/civil rights issues. Before joining FIU, Ms. Pearson spent three years as Deputy Director of the ACLU of Florida where she worked to change police practices, expand voting rights, and reform the criminal justice system. Previously, Ms. Pearson was an Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade County for 16 years, culminating as Assistant Chief in the Career Criminal/Robbery Unit supervising junior attorneys while prosecuting homicides. She serves as Vice Chair of the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section, co-chair of the Prosecution Function Committee, President of the National Black Prosecutors Association Foundation, and Vice Chair of the Florida Justice Center. Ms. Pearson regularly provides legal analysis for CourtTV, Law & Crime, local networks and through op-eds that have been published in the Miami Herald, Washington Post and other national outlets. She is the editor/author of the book… Read More
Juliette Kayyem
The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters
In academia, private sector, government and media, Professor Juliette Kayyem is an international leader in crisis management and homeland security. Kayyem serves as the faculty chair of the Homeland Security and Security and Global Health Projects at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Previously, she served as President Obama's Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and as MA Governor Deval Patrick's Homeland Security Advisor. She is also the CEO of Grip Mobility, a technology security company in the mobility space.
A CNN national security analyst, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and contributor for The Atlantic and Boston's local NPR station, GBH, Kayyem also advises governors, mayors, and corporations on crisis management. Juliette is the author or editor of six books, including her most recent "The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters.” Juliette lives in Cambridge, MA, with her husband, Judge David Barron, has three children.
Ellen Buchman
Ellen Buchman brings to The Opportunity Agenda a breadth of knowledge, expertise, experience, and relationships having worked among leaders at local, state, national, and international levels for more than 25 years. Prior to joining The Opportunity Agenda in 2018, she served as Executive Vice President for Field and Communications at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, where she piloted the organization's field and organizing program, and developed and oversaw the vision for the integrated field, communications, and policy work at the center of the organization; led and put into place dozens of successful campaigns; spearheaded mobilization, training and support to national, state, and local coalitions; and created innovative organizing and communications training models for advocacy around the country and at the international level.
Ellen is an internationally-known trainer, leader, and practitioner of organization and coalition building, campaign initiating and implementing, and training in the intersection of organizing, advocating, and communicating for social justice. Her career has focused on building effective and inclusive teams and partnerships for progress toward racial and gender equity. Ellen's work has centered mainly on issue areas including but not limited to criminal justice reform, immigration and immigrant human rights, and voting rights and access to democracy; and she has developed training curricula for advocates on the state, national and international levels on not only issues such as these but also on the skills… Read More
Tara Jaye Frank
Tara Jaye Frank is an equity strategist who has advised and educated thousands of Fortune 500 executives across multiple industries and large member organizations. Her work, fueled by a deep belief in the creative power and potential of every one, focuses on building bridges between people, ideas, and opportunity.
Before founding her culture and leadership consultancy, Frank spent twenty-one years at Hallmark Cards, where she served in multiple executive roles, including Vice President of Creative Writing and Editorial, Vice President of Business Innovation, Vice President of Multicultural Strategy, and Corporate Culture Advisor to the President.
Tara Jaye Frank resides in Dallas, Texas, with her rockstar husband, two of their six children, and their three dogs. She is also a proud Spelman Alumna, and a member of the Executive Leadership Council, the Network of Executive Women, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
