Women & Politics presents:
Women & Politics: An Evolution in Community Leadership with Dr. Shawnrell Blackwell – reair
Today we talk with Dr. Shawnrell Blackwell about health, wellness, and the evolution of a community leader through response to community needs.
Dr. Shawnrell Blackwell is a Professional Curator for health and wellness and networking events. Her interactive sessions in the fields of education and mental health have impacted thousands for over 20 years. She is a change agent with a proven track record of success. Her clientele boasts immediate transformation during her powerful coaching sessions. Affectionately called the self-care guru, she advocates for equity and accessibility of mental health services in BIPOC communities through her work as co-owner of Avail Outpatient Counseling. As founder of the Education Connection Academy (ECA) nonprofit, she has spearheaded many accomplished philanthropic projects, including creating healing spaces for hundreds of people each year. Dr. Blackwell specializes in nonpharmaceutical interventions such as mindfulness, movement, and medicinal herbs to heal the mind, body, and spirit. Through her gift of storytelling and dance, she has created an unparalleled connection with people around the world. The international motivational speaker received her Ph.D. from Virginia Tech University and M.Ed. and BA from Virginia State University where she studied communications, literature, and leadership. A true multi-hyphenate, she shares her offerings as a licensed mental health professional, grant writer, certified Reiki Master Teacher, and Fitness, CPR, and ESL Instructor.
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Carol Olson Women & Politics March 2nd, 2023
Posted In: Music, Music Shows, News
Women & Politics presents:
Women & Politics with VCU Capitol News Journalists
Hi, I am Natalie, a senior journalism student at Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to studying journalism, I graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising and worked in New York City for three years as a Stylist Assistant. I plan to work in the field of political journalism in Washington, D.C., upon graduation. Through my website, I will showcase articles I have written on health care and politics in the Richmond and Northern Virginia areas. As a reporter for Capital News Service, I covered Virginia’s 7 District Congressional Race for the 2022 midterms. Through CNS, I have been published in various outlets across Virginia. Check out the other articles I have written for Virginia Commonwealth University’s student newspaper, the Commonwealth Times.
Alix Bryan-Campos – Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University
Award-winning journalist and journalism educator with over 14 years working in publishing, who has a commitment to equitable community, focus on emerging technologies and a multiplatform nimbleness. Ability to listen, learn and report impactful news stories, as a journalist and educator. Mentors students to help them understand and achieve potential, as well as their place in a global community. I am happy to connect and see what we can accomplish together. Email [email protected] or send me a message here. You can view the work created through Capital News Service, a program I co-direct, at https://vcucns.com/
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Follow WRIR on twitter and instagram as @wrir973
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Carol Olson Women & Politics February 23rd, 2023
Posted In: Music, Music Shows, News
Women & Politics presents:
Women & Politics with Senator Jennifer McClellan and Sheba Williams
Now, Senator McClellan is running for Congress to continue delivering for the people of Virginia, and to make sure their voices are heard in Washington, D.C. McClellan recognizes the tremendous legacy of Virginia’s 4th Congressional District, from Rep. John Mercer Langston to Rep. Donald McEachin. She is committed to continuing that legacy of service, and to breaking barriers as Virginia’s first Black woman member of Congress.
McClellan was elected to the House of Delegates representing Richmond in 2005. When the late Donald McEachin was elected to Congress in 2016, McClellan was elected to serve McEachin’s former Senate seat. She has served in the Senate since 2017, and serves as Vice Chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus. Sen. McClellan has also been a leader in addressing Virginia’s painful history of racial inequity. As Chair of the Virginia Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Commission, Jenn promotes Dr. King’s legacy and continues his work, particularly racial healing, economic and social justice, and community engagement.
As a community leader at the local, state, and national level, McClellan has served on a wide variety of non-profit and civic organizations’ boards, including the YWCA of Richmond, the Virginia League of Planned Parenthood, the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, the Children’s Museum of Richmond, and the Robert Russa Moton Museum. She is also a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
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Follow our show on our social media on twitter, facebook, and our blog
Follow WRIR on twitter and instagram as @wrir973
Follow our host Sheri Shannon on twitter at @sherishannon27 and our producer Carol Olson on twitter/mastodon/post at @carololson
Carol Olson Women & Politics February 16th, 2023
Posted In: Music, Music Shows, News
Women & Politics presents:
Women & Politics with Rachael Deane
Rachael Deane is the Chief Executive Officer at Voices for Virginia’s Children. She provides overall strategic and operational leadership for Voices’ staff, programs, and execution of its mission.
Rachael’s career has been dedicated to legal and policy advocacy for racial equity and economic justice at the local, state, and national levels. She joined Voices after many years as a legal aid attorney and as Legal Director of the Youth Justice Program at the Legal Aid Justice Center, where she led policy campaigns to end Virginia’s school-to-prison pipeline and to fund student mental health supports in public education. Prior to her career in children’s law and policy, Rachael led statewide and national investigations into housing and lending discrimination as an advocate with Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia, Inc., and the National Fair Housing Alliance.
Rachael was named a 2021 “Leader in the Law” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly. She is a graduate of the University of Mary Washington and earned her J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law. Rachael lives in the City of Richmond with her spouse and two young children.
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Follow our show on our social media on twitter, facebook, and our blog
Follow WRIR on twitter and instagram as @wrir973
Follow our host Sheri Shannon on twitter at @sherishannon27 and our producer Carol Olson on twitter/mastodon/post at @carololson
Carol Olson Women & Politics February 9th, 2023
Posted In: Music, Music Shows, News
Journey Through the Crates presents:
Slow Jamz
Quiet funky love jam heat from Samazon Prime (hr. 1) and Guest DJ Billy Crystalfingers (hr. 2) 100% from LPs and 45s
Samazon Prime Journey Through the Crates February 4th, 2023
Posted In: Music Shows, News
Women & Politics presents:
Women & Politics with Angelia Williams Graves
Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, Angelia’s public service spans over more than two decades. She is a graduate of St. Mary’s Academy, Booker T. Washington High School, Tidewater Community College and Old Dominion University. Angelia is also a graduate of Sorensen Institute of Political Leadership at the University of Virginia. She is the Principal Broker and Owner of Homes by Angelia Realty & Property Management Company a small real estate firm located in Norfolk, VA.
“I was born, raised, and educated in Norfolk, VA. I work in Norfolk, and I started my business in Norfolk. My husband and his almost 70-year-old family business is in Norfolk. I have worked in public service in Norfolk for more than 20 years. I am running for the Virginia Senate, because I love this city, I love its people, and I AM ALL NORFOLK!”
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Follow our show on our social media on twitter, facebook, and our blog
Follow WRIR on twitter and instagram as @wrir973
Follow our host Sheri Shannon on twitter at @sherishannon27 and our producer Carol Olson on twitter/mastodon/post at @carololson
Carol Olson Women & Politics February 2nd, 2023
Posted In: Music, Music Shows, News
Women & Politics presents:
Women & Politics with Mary Rafferty and Jamie Lockhart
Mary Rafferty, Executive Director of Virginia Conservation Network has over fifteen years of experience running campaigns to protect the environment. As the Executive Director for over six years, Mary works with VCN’s 150 partner organizations as a strategic facilitator to help Virginia’s conservation community speak with one voice. Before joining VCN, Mary worked for five years with Environment America and the Public Interest Network running political and conservation field campaigns to protect some of America’s last untouched landscapes. She cut her teeth organizing in Virginia for the Sierra Club and got her start with environmental campaign work with Green Corps, the field school for environmental organizing. Mary sits on a number of environmental boards and steering committees including the Choose Clean Water Coalition. Mary graduated summa cum laude from the University of San Francisco.
Jamie Lockhart (she/her) serves as the Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, a statewide advocacy organization whose mission is to preserve and broaden access to reproductive health care through legislation, public education, electoral activity and litigation in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Previously, Jamie served as the National Director of Mission: Readiness, was recruited for campaigns in the Commonwealth of Virginia, including President Obama’s 2012 re-election, and served as a Legislative Assistant and Director of E-Communications for Congresswoman Diana DeGette. Jamie graduated magna cum laude from James Madison University and obtained a Master in Public Administration degree from the Harvard Kennedy School. She is a certified group fitness instructor, triathlete and mom to a toddler.
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Follow our show on our social media on twitter, facebook, and our blog
Follow WRIR on twitter and instagram as @wrir973
Follow our host Sheri Shannon on twitter at @sherishannon27 and our producer Carol Olson on twitter/mastodon/post at @carololson
Carol Olson Women & Politics January 26th, 2023
Posted In: Music, Music Shows, News
Women & Politics presents:
Women & Politics with Senator Boysko, Laura Goren and Briana Jones
Jennifer Barton Boysko represents the 33rd district in the Virginia Senate. She majored in psychology and French at Hollins, but found herself in politics immediately after graduation, working in the U.S. Senate office of Richard Shelby from her home state of Alabama. She then volunteered for Democratic campaigns, including serving as the Virginia director for the 2004 presidential campaign of Howard Dean. In 2008, Boysko took a job as a liaison to the town of Herndon for a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. In 2016 She won the election for the Virginia House of Delegates for the 86th district. She credited EMILY’s List with providing financial and logistical help in both of her elections. She has been a grassroots organizer and leader in her community, volunteering her time for Herndon High School, the Herndon Fortnightly Club, the Herndon Optimists, St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Reston Interfaith, and other political and charitable causes
Research Assistant
briana@
As a research assistant, Briana supports research efforts across all policy areas. She is passionate about working with marginalized communities to advance social equity. She received her B.A. in Public and Urban Affairs with a concentration in Public Policy from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Director of Research and Education Policy
laura@
Laura Goren serves as Director of Research and Education Policy at The Commonwealth Institute. That role includes leading TCI’s analysis on education funding, supporting community-based partners in their education advocacy work, and making sure the strongest analysis is being brought to bear on key issues facing communities of color and low-income families. Additionally, Laura’s work includes analyzing macroeconomic conditions in Virginia and safety net programs. Outside of paid work, Laura has worked on grassroots social and economic justice campaigns, including successful campus living wage and inclusionary zoning campaigns. Laura previously served as a research assistant at the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, conducting research on housing finance issues.
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Follow our show on our social media on twitter, facebook, and our blog
Follow WRIR on twitter and instagram as @wrir973
Follow our host Sheri Shannon on twitter at @sherishannon27 and our producer Carol Olson on twitter/mastodon/post at @carololson
Carol Olson Women & Politics January 19th, 2023
Posted In: Music, Music Shows, News
Women & Politics presents:
Women & Politics with Heather Zelle
Heather Zelle, J.D., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Research with the UVa Department of Public Health Sciences and the Associate Director of Mental Health Policy Research at the UVa Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy. She holds a juris doctorate from Villanova University School of Law, and a doctorate in clinical psychology with a forensic concentration from Drexel University. She is licensed as an attorney in Pennsylvania (voluntary inactive status) and as a clinical psychologist in Virginia. Dr. Zelle’s current policy and research work focus on the public mental health system and mental health policy in Virginia. She serves on state work groups studying topics such as involuntary civil commitment procedures and behavioral health dockets in Virginia courts. Previously, Dr. Zelle coordinated the research and implementation efforts regarding the integration of Advance Directives with Instructions for Mental Health Care into routine care in Virginia. Dr. Zelle’s policy and research experience include work with Dr. Patty Griffin for the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbilities Services, including CIT training for Philadelphia law enforcement, assessment of specialty courts, and Cross Systems Mapping activities. She has co-authored several publications, including chapters in University and Public Behavioral Health Organization Collaboration in Justice Contexts; Routledge Encyclopedia of Psychology in the Real World: Psychology and Law; Forensic Assessment in Criminal and Civil Law: A Handbook for Lawyers; Advances in Psychology and Law; and Oxford Handbook of Public Health Ethics.
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Follow our show on our social media on twitter, facebook, and our blog
Follow our host and producer at @sherishannon27 and @carololson
Carol Olson Women & Politics January 12th, 2023
Posted In: Music, Music Shows, News
Women & Politics presents:
Women & Politics: Starting the New Year with RVA Dirt
We are starting the New Year with the RVA Dirt crew: Francesca /Melissa /Becca/Emily = Getting dirty in the community and local government.
Together they discuss the current state of politics, the upcoming special elections, and how this will change the Virginia political landscape.
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Follow our show on our social media on twitter, facebook, and our blog
Follow our host and producer at @sherishannon27 and @carololson
Carol Olson Women & Politics January 5th, 2023
Posted In: Music, Music Shows, News