In this prelude, Host Rev. Renaldo McKenzie introduces today’s guest, Dr. Nelva Lee—an educator, healthcare administrator, entrepreneur, and candidate for Georgia’s Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Lee is also the CEO of Concrete Build. Renaldo introduces Dr. Lee and shares insights into the upcoming interview, noting that the conversation is grounded in questions previously posed to her. These responses will serve as the foundation for the full interview airing after this prelude. The discussion begins with trade schools—what they are and how Dr. Lee’s healthcare experience informs her perspective. Dr. Lee describes trade schools as career-focused programs that equip students with practical, job-ready skills in fields like healthcare, construction, and technology—without requiring a four-year degree. She emphasizes their role as a fast pathway to economic mobility, especially for students underserved by traditional academic tracks. Drawing from her work as a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, she highlights persistent workforce shortages in roles such as CNAs and medical assistants. She argues the issue is not lack of opportunity, but a disconnect between education and workforce needs. Her solution is to integrate trade certifications into high school, ensuring students graduate with both a diploma and a marketable skill, creating immediate income opportunities and reducing student debt. The conversation then turns to Concrete Build. Dr. Lee explains that Concrete Build is a real estate and financial platform that uses blockchain technology to tokenize property, allowing individuals to own fractional shares. Beyond innovation, she frames it as a solution to housing instability and economic access. She connects housing to both healthcare and education, noting that unstable housing negatively affects patient outcomes and student performance. Concrete Build aims to create affordable housing while offering pathways to ownership and financial literacy. On policy, Dr. Lee centers her vision on alignment between education, workforce, and real-world outcomes. Her priorities include expanding school choice, ensuring every graduate earns a trade certification, and strengthening healthcare career pathways through school partnerships. She also emphasizes early literacy, particularly reading proficiency by third grade, and calls for greater transparency and accountability in education spending. On ethics, Dr. Lee points to her work with vulnerable populations, including the elderly and foster children. She describes prioritizing patient care over financial pressures in healthcare settings and advocating for systems that better serve those often overlooked. Her ethical approach is grounded in doing what is right, even when it is difficult or costly. Finally, on DEI, Dr. Lee expresses support for equal opportunity while critiquing approaches that prioritize identity over merit or create division. She advocates for “true inclusion” focused on access, literacy, and economic empowerment, suggesting ineffective frameworks should be replaced with results-driven, student-centered policies. This prelude sets the stage for a deeper exploration of these ideas in the full interview on The Neoliberal Round Podcast. Available on any Podcast Stream. Find your by visiting our main Platform: https://anchor.fm/theneoliberal Email us at info@theneoliberal.com Call us 445-260-9198. This episode is brought to you by The Neoliberal Roun by Renaldo McKenzie in Assn with The Neoliberal Corporation Visit The Neoliberal at https://theneoliberal.com and https://renaldocmckenzie.com The Neoliberal Round is a (503 (c1) - Registered Non-Profit. You may donate to us via cash App $renaldomckenzie or via Stripe: https://donate.stripe.com/7sYcN48uybAA2OEb9V93y06 Your donations will help us to grow the Podcast and provide information about community free of cost.
