Square Pizza

SchermCo

The Square Pizza podcast focuses on the intersection of education, innovation, and diversity. We host and interview leaders doing incredible work around the country to ensure all students have access to an equitable education. The Square Pizza podcast is hosted by SchermCo, a social-impact implementation firm that offers strategic implementation and project management services to schools and education-focused organizations across the country.

  1. Jun 10

    Dan Porterfield, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Aspen Institute

    GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note! In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg welcomes Dan Porterfield, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Aspen Institute, for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership, educational opportunity, and how ideas can scale far beyond a single institution. Drawing from his upbringing in Baltimore, his years leading Georgetown and Franklin & Marshall, and now his work at Aspen, Dan reflects on the experiences that shaped his belief in talent, public service, and the power of institutions to expand opportunity for more people. Dan also shares why “scaling an idea” can sometimes matter more than scaling an operation, how the Aspen Institute grew from a postwar humanist gathering into a global platform for dialogue and leadership, and why he still believes deeply in the talent that exists in every zip code. Along the way, he offers thoughtful insight on philanthropy, higher education, nonprofit leadership, succession planning, and what it looks like to bend systems toward the public good without losing sight of the people they are meant to serve. In this episode, you’ll learn more about: Why Dan believes scaling ideas can sometimes create more impact than simply scaling operationsHow his work at Franklin & Marshall helped spark the American Talent Initiative and expand opportunity for low-income students across top collegesWhat leaders can learn from the founding story and evolution of the Aspen InstituteWhy partnerships with aligned donors and institutions can be transformative when building enduring changeHow Aspen’s new Center for Rising Generations is rethinking civic dialogue, leadership, and opportunity for young peopleWhat Dan has learned about board leadership, succession planning, and building strong people-serving institutionsSupport the show

    54 min

  2. May 8

    Shamaiye Haynes - Co-Director, QC Family Tree & CMS School Board Member

    GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note! Shamaiye Haynes is more than a school board member. She is a longtime community leader, family engagement advocate, and one of the voices helping shape the future of a $2 billion public school district. In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, she shares how years of grassroots organizing and showing up for families prepared her to lead at the district level, and why family engagement, advocacy, and community trust are still at the center of meaningful change in education. In this episode, you’ll learn more about: Why Shamaiye believes family engagement is the missing link to stronger student outcomesHow her journey from active parent advocate to school board member prepared her to lead at the district levelWhat it looks like to operationalize family engagement so schools better serve whole families, not just studentsHow she thinks about school choice, charter schools, and what a stronger public education ecosystem could look likeHow Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is approaching issues like artificial intelligence, cell phone policy, and support for teachers and familiesSupport the show

    40 min

  3. Apr 24

    Jacob Adams, Founder & ED - Inner Spark Learning Lab

    GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note! In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg welcomes Jacob Adams, Founder and Executive Director of Inner Spark Learning Lab, for a powerful conversation about what happens when schools stop asking students to fit the system and start redesigning the system to fit students. Drawing from his own journey as a first-generation college student, student athlete, Teach For America educator, and nonprofit founder, Jacob shares how his lived experience pushed him to challenge compliance-driven models of education and build something more human, adaptive, and deeply rooted in student voice. Jacob also opens up about the real work of building Inner Spark from the ground up, from taking the leap on his first school contract to designing learning environments where students help shape curriculum, choose resident teachers, and explore issues that actually matter to them. Along the way, he offers a compelling vision for why belonging, relevance, and flexibility are not extras in education, but essential conditions for real learning and long-term change. In this episode, you’ll learn more about: Why Jacob believes schools should adapt to students more than students should be forced to adapt to schoolHow his own experiences as a first-generation college student, athlete, and teacher shaped the vision behind Inner Spark Learning LabWhat he saw inside high-performing schools that made him question whether test scores alone tell the full storyHow Inner Spark creates learning spaces where students help shape projects, select teachers, and drive more meaningful engagementWhat it looks like to build a nonprofit from scratch while staying focused on depth, belonging, and real systems change Support the show

    39 min

  4. Apr 17

    Aneesh Sohoni, Chief Executive Officer of Teach For America

    GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note! In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg sits down with Aneesh Sohoni, Chief Executive Officer of Teach For America, for a candid conversation about leadership, purpose, and why he still believes education can be one of the most unifying forces in the country. From his own path into the classroom to now leading a national organization, Aneesh shares what it means to lead with curiosity, stay close to the front lines, and keep belief alive in a moment when many have lost it. They also dig into the future of Teach For America, how today’s young leaders are searching for purpose and community, and why artificial intelligence could either deepen learning or weaken it, depending on who shapes it. This episode is a sharp, hopeful, and timely conversation for anyone thinking about education, leadership, and the future of impact. Support the show

    32 min

  5. Mar 20

    Cory Carlesimo, CEO & Dewey Norwood, Senior Advisor, Prospect HQ

    GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note! In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg welcomes Corey Carlesimo, CEO of Prospect HQ, and returning guest Dewey Norwood to talk about Prospect HQ, a purpose-driven hiring platform built to connect current and former student athletes with employers who value leadership, resilience, and cultural fit. They break down how Prospect HQ is rethinking the hiring process by helping athletes reflect more deeply on their values, strengths, and long-term purpose while giving employers a more authentic way to identify talent that can strengthen workplace culture. Cory and Dewey also share why they believe student athletes are uniquely prepared to lead in today’s workforce, how their own experiences in sports and corporate leadership shaped the vision for the platform, and why culture, authenticity, and community matter just as much as credentials in helping people find the right opportunities. In this episode, you’ll learn more about: Why Cory and Dewey believe student athletes are one of the most overlooked and high-impact talent pools in today’s workforceHow Prospect HQ is helping athletes move beyond just finding a job to discovering a clearer path to purposeWhat makes the platform different from a traditional job board, including its focus on cultural fit, reflection, mentorship, and authentic storytellingHow sports, coaching, failure, and teamwork prepare student athletes to thrive far beyond the field, court, or diamondSupport the show

    41 min

  6. Mar 13

    Show Me The World Co-Founders, Samantha Lurie Carroll & Sylvester Chisom

    GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note! In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg welcomes Samantha Lurie Carroll and Sylvester Chisom, co-founders of Show Me The World Project, to share how a single school trip idea grew into a multi-city nonprofit helping high school students from under-resourced communities see – and shape – the world. They walk through the journey from a “show me Costa Rica” classroom project to a yearlong program that blends leadership development, entrepreneurship, workforce skills, and first-time international travel, plus the student-driven coffee business that emerged from a visit to a Costa Rican farm. Samantha and Sylvester also open up about the real behind-the-scenes work of going from scraping together $2,500 grants to securing six-figure investments, building a trusted brand, and “responsibly replicating” their model beyond St. Louis without losing their roots in student voice and community. In this episode, you’ll learn more about: How students’ reactions to an inequitable “school swap” experience sparked the original vision for Show Me The World ProjectWhat a yearlong leadership, entrepreneurship, and global learning journey actually looks like for high school students in St. Louis and Kansas CityHow a visit to a coffee farm turned into a student-led social enterprise and the Show Me The Cause fundraising platformThe mindset shifts and concrete steps that helped Show Me The World move from tiny grassroots grants to major foundation investmentsWhy honoring your word, embracing “no” as fuel for innovation, and adding earned revenue are core to building a resilient, mission-driven nonprofitSupport the show

    34 min

  7. Mar 6

    Taylor James, Director of Strategic Implementation

    GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note! In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg welcomes back Taylor James for her fourth appearance on the show and her first since earning her MBA and stepping into the role of Director of Strategic Implementation at SchermCo. In this episode, you’ll learn more about: How Taylor’s journey from classroom teacher to Director of Strategic Implementation shapes the way she leads complex strategy and project management workHow earning her MBA while working full time strengthened her “measurement muscle” and helped her shift from completing tasks to truly owning outcomes for clientsWhat it really looks like to design and implement programs like the Flight Forward aviation internship program and She Built This City’s pre-apprenticeship expansionHow Taylor approaches relaunching programs, managing stakeholders, and moving ideas from concept to executionWhy time management, trusting the process, and building real relationships remain core to meaningful social impact workSupport the show

    25 min

  8. 12/12/2025

    Danielle Frazier, Special Assistant to the City Manager for Workforce Development - City of Charlotte

    GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note! On this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg sits down with Danielle Frazier, Special Assistant to the City Manager for Workforce Development in the City of Charlotte and longtime girls flag football coach. They talk about what it really takes to build pathways to good jobs, why a one cent sales tax for transportation is actually a mobility and opportunity strategy, and how a career that started in one local organization has grown into national leadership. From coaching high school flag football and renovating bathrooms with her dad to helping design Charlotte’s first Office of Workforce Development and chairing the United States Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council, Danielle shares a grounded, hopeful view of what is possible when cities, schools, employers, and residents pull in the same direction. In this episode, you will hear: How growing up in a football family and coaching girls flag football shapes Danielle’s leadership with young people and teamsA clear, accessible definition of workforce development and how Charlotte’s new Office of Workforce Development and strategic plan are bringing that vision to lifeWhat Charlotte’s historic transportation and mobility investment could mean for thousands of future jobs in construction, skilled trades, professional services, and small businessesHow the Education to Employment initiative with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools is creating direct pathways from high school graduation into full-time roles with the City of CharlotteWhy employer engagement and emerging tools like artificial intelligence are becoming essential to a healthy, future-ready workforce ecosystemIf you care about economic mobility, public investment, or connecting young people and adults to meaningful work in growing cities, this is a conversation you will want to hear. Support the show

    39 min
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5
out of 5
37 Ratings

About

The Square Pizza podcast focuses on the intersection of education, innovation, and diversity. We host and interview leaders doing incredible work around the country to ensure all students have access to an equitable education. The Square Pizza podcast is hosted by SchermCo, a social-impact implementation firm that offers strategic implementation and project management services to schools and education-focused organizations across the country.

Information

  • Creator
    SchermCo
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    142
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Square Pizza
  • Show Website
    Square Pizza

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