All Things Local

Dr. Alicia M. Schatteman
  • 5.0 (6)
  • GOVERNMENT

Hear ideas and challenges from people working in local government and nonprofit organizations. Hosted by Dr. Alicia Schatteman, Director of the Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies at Northern Illinois University. We speak with public service researchers and workers across communities about topics and issues affecting their local towns, villages, cities, and neighborhoods.

  1. 02/01/2023

    Episode 26: Jessi Haish LaRue, Joseph Glidden Homestead and Historical Center

    This month’s episode is an interview with Jessi Haish LaRue, the new executive director of the Glidden Homestead in DeKalb. If her maiden name sounds familiar, it is.  Her 4th great-uncle was Jacob Haish. If you’re from the DeKalb area, you’ve probably seen his name around town and he is often referred to as one of DeKalb’s founding fathers along with Joseph Glidden, Isaac Ellwood, and Clinton Rosette. In addition to their mutual barbed wire business interests, this group was responsible for bringing a teacher’s college to DeKalb, what became Northern Illinois University. Glidden, Haish, and Ellwood also came up with barbed-wire patents, which made DeKalb the barbed-wire capital of the world.   Barbed wire references are everywhere from the local high school Barbs, Barbed Wire Harley-Davidson, Barb City Manor, Barb City Roasters, and Barb City Bagels. In this interview with Jessi, we learn more about her own discovery and connection to her family’s history and her new role as executive director of the Joseph Glidden Homestead and Historical Center on West Lincoln Highway.  She gets to share her love of local history with residents and visitors bringing the many stories of the Haishes and Gliddens together. You can catch up with Jessi by visiting the Glidden Homestead and checking out her blog “A Twist in History”. Enjoy the conversation!

    18 min

  2. 01/05/2023

    Episode 25: Brandon Pugh, Egyptian Theatre

    Welcome listeners of All Things Local to our third season of the podcast and the first episode of 2023. I have some wonderful episodes planned for this year including this one. Brandon Pugh is a former student of mine and since he graduated, he has built his career in volunteer administration at the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb. As is so common with our guests, this isn’t a career track he had anticipated but came to find through internships. While you might be familiar with this amazing landmark, Brandon will share just how important volunteers are to this organization. If you’re thinking about your new year’s resolutions and opportunities to give back to your community, consider volunteering at the Egyptian or a number of organizations that could really use your time and talent. Learn a new skill, meet new people, and make communities better in the process. There are so many benefits to volunteering! Happy 2023 everyone and enjoy our conversation!

    18 min

  3. 12/06/2022

    Episode 24: Nicole Sdao, Altruize

    Welcome listeners of All Things Local. I needed to take a little break from the podcast this fall due to a heavy teaching load and some staffing challenges, which I’m not alone in. Now that the fall semester is winding down it’s time to get back to the podcast and hopefully regular episodes every month in 2023. Thanks for hanging in there with me and I can’t wait to get back to these community conversations. Episode 24 is an interview with Nicole Sdao, the founder and CEO of Altruize, a free app that helps nonprofits, schools, companies, and individuals track volunteer hours. You’ll hear about why she started her company six years ago and what is driving her innovation in this space. Enjoy the conversation!

    24 min

  4. 06/13/2022

    Episode 23: Edith Craig, previous director of the St. Charles Public Library

    For over 125 years, the St. Charles Public Library has served the community. In 1906, Andrew Carnegie, a library philanthropist, granted the library $12,500 to build a new free public library in St. Charles which had to be matched by $15,000 in local donations. That library still stands as part of a much larger library complex which we will hear about from Edith Craig, the previous director of the St. Charles Public Library.

    28 min

  5. 05/02/2022

    Episode 22: Research on Townships in Illinois

    Did you know there are nearly 9,000 units of local government in Illinois? This includes about 3,000 general-purpose governments and 6,000 special-purpose governments. General-purpose governments include counties, townships, and municipalities, and in Illinois, townships make up about 50% of these government units. Townships were one of the first forms of government created in the state going back to the Illinois Constitution of 1848. Townships provide general assistance to the public, provide real estate assessment assistance and maintain township-owned roads and bridges. Townships may also provide a number of youth and senior services and can also provide zoning, police and fire protection, and other services. They are governed by township boards that consist of a supervisor and members elected at large. Townships may also have separately elected highway commissioners, assessors, and clerks. To pay for these services, townships also levy property taxes and issue bonds. This episode is to catch up with some of our faculty doing researching township government; Dr. Kurt Thurmaier, Dr. Chris Goodman, and Dr. Jaehee Jong, faculty in the Department of Public Administration at NIU. Enjoy our conversation!

    29 min

  6. 04/04/2022

    Episode 21: Sister Kathleen Ryan, Dominican Literacy Center

    This month, I am speaking with Sister Kathleen Ryan, the Executive Director of the Dominican Literacy Center in Aurora. Their programs help women find a voice in this country. The organization began in 1993, in her words, on a shoestring budget and a broken card table. Today, they serve hundreds of individuals each year. We also talk about Sister Kathleen’s personal journey and commitment to serving new immigrants in our community, and how her educator background took a turn into literacy education for immigrants. She also shares the importance of volunteers for their mission.  Enjoy our conversation.

    27 min

  7. 03/12/2022

    Episode 20: Queer-Oriented Rural Resource Network (QORRN), Frankie DiCiacco,

    This month, I speak to Frankie DiCiacco, the founder and executive director of The Queer-Oriented Rural Resource Network that is dedicated to helping LGBTQ+ individuals in rural communities access the resources and services they need. In this episode, we talk about Frankie’s own experiences in rural Illinois and how he hopes to change not only access to needed services for LGBTQ+ individuals but also how we create a welcoming community. He also shares how he had the idea for this new nonprofit and some lessons learned in this journey so far. Enjoy our conversation.

    30 min

  8. 02/04/2022

    Episode 19: Gretchen Sprinkle, Kishwaukee United Way

    Welcome to episode 19, an interview with Gretchen Sprinkle, executive director of the Kishwaukee United Way.  In 1887, the model was created in Denver, Colorado to fundraise for local needs and then distribute those funds to local organizations.  First called a charity organization society, then in 1913, the first Community Chest was created in Cleveland, Ohio which was widely used for United Way organizations until the 1950s. Today, there are over 1,300 local United Ways in communities across the United States. Locally, the Kishwaukee United Way is engaged in several programs that you will hear about including 211, Smart Money Initiative, and much more. They also fund 21 partner agencies in the county and organize an annual Day of Caring. Enjoy the episode!

    22 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Hear ideas and challenges from people working in local government and nonprofit organizations. Hosted by Dr. Alicia Schatteman, Director of the Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies at Northern Illinois University. We speak with public service researchers and workers across communities about topics and issues affecting their local towns, villages, cities, and neighborhoods.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Alicia M. Schatteman
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2023
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Dr. Alicia M. Schatteman
  • Show Website
    All Things Local