First State Insights

Professors Calin Hintea and Maria Aristigueta speak with Troy Mix, Associate Director of the University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration (IPA), about challenges facing democracy in Central and Eastern Europe and the United States, the importance and evolution of relationships among countries in this region and the U.S., and potential roles for engaged universities and public administration programs to strengthen these relationships while bolstering democracy. Professor Hintea is the Dean of the College of Political, Administrative, and Communication Sciences at Babes Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania (https://www.ubbcluj.ro/en/facultati/stiinte_politice_administrative_si_ale_comunicarii). He teaches strategy and management courses and has extensive experience working with public and private organizations on strategy development topics. He is the chair of the Accreditation Committee of the European Association for Public Administration Accreditation, senior editor of the Transylvanian Review of Administrative Sciences, and former president of The Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe (https://www.nispa.org/). Maria Aristigueta, Emerita, was the Founding Dean of the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration and Charles P. Messick Chair of Public Administration at the University of Delaware. She was a Fulbright Scholar at Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj, Romania and at the University of Salerno, Italy. She is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) and a past-president of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), and a past-member of the Executive Council of Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA). To learn more about the interplay of universities, communities, and democracy, review articles from a 2024 special issue of the Transylvanian Review of Administrative Sciences (https://doi.org/10.24193/tras.SI2024). This episode was recorded on February 26, 2025, for First State Insights, a podcast presented by the Institute for Public Administration (IPA). For more First State Insights episodes, visit https://soundcloud.com/first-state-insights or search for "First State Insights" wherever you listen to podcasts. IPA is a research and public service center within the University of Delaware's Biden School of Public Policy & Administration. For more on IPA, visit https://www.bidenschool.udel.edu/ipa. Opening and closing music: "I Dunno" by Grapes, used under Creative Commons 3.0 License.

Tom DeWire, Founder and Principal Consultant of EdScale, speaks with Troy Mix, Associate Director of the University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration (IPA), about his 2023 book, "How To Implement (just about) Anything: Lessons from 25 years in public education." This interview covers Tom's perspectives on the importance of and challenges associated with implementation, along with his lessons for driving and sustaining change in complex systems. Through his work at EdScale, LLC (https://edscalellc.com/), Tom helps educators get better results through a relentless focus on implementation. Tom earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Delaware's Biden School of Public Policy and Administration. Before founding EdScale in 2016, Tom worked on systems change efforts in Baltimore City Public Schools and led consulting engagements at the U.S. Education Delivery Institute. Tom is the author of "How To Implement (just about) Anything: Lessons from 25 years in public education," which is available for purchase on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/How-Implement-just-about-Anything/dp/B0CKLW6C14). To complete the implementation health quiz referenced in the book and this episode, visit https://edscale.scoreapp.com/. This episode was recorded on January 23, 2024, for First State Insights, a podcast presented by the Institute for Public Administration (IPA). For more First State Insights episodes, visit https://soundcloud.com/first-state-insights or search for "First State Insights" wherever you listen to podcasts. IPA is a research and public service center within the University of Delaware's Biden School of Public Policy & Administration. For more on IPA, visit https://www.bidenschool.udel.edu/ipa. Opening and closing music: "I Dunno" by Grapes, used under Creative Commons 3.0 License.

James Pethokoukis, senior fellow and DeWitt Wallace Chair at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), speaks with Troy Mix, associate director at the University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration, about his 2023 book, The Conservative Futurist: How to Create the Sci-Fi World We Were Promised (https://www.aei.org/research-products/book/the-conservative-futurist/). In this book, Mr. Pethokoukis advocates for embracing an “upwing” mindset to public policy that spurs innovation while ensuring economic security and broad quality of life improvements. This interview explores the importance of technological progress, the perils of downwing thinking, and the possibilities for public policy reform to chart a more upwing future. As a Senior Fellow at AEI (https://www.aei.org/), Mr. Pethokoukis analyzes US economic policy, writes and edits the AEIdeas blog (https://www.aei.org/aeideas/), and hosts AEI’s Political Economy podcast (https://www.aei.org/tag/political-economy-podcast/). He is also a contributor to CNBC and writes the Faster, Please! ( https://fasterplease.substack.com/) newsletter on Substack. This episode was recorded on November 6, 2023, for First State Insights, a podcast presented by the Institute for Public Administration (IPA). For more First State Insights episodes, visit https://soundcloud.com/first-state-insights or search for "First State Insights" wherever you listen to podcasts. IPA is a research and public service center within the University of Delaware's Biden School of Public Policy & Administration. For more on IPA, visit https://www.bidenschool.udel.edu/ipa. Opening and closing music: "I Dunno" by Grapes, used under Creative Commons 3.0 License.

Scott Schuster, Delaware's Farm to School Coordinator, speaks with Julia O’Hanlon, policy scientist at the University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration, about his role in supporting community access to local foods and Delaware's agricultural providers. Topics covered during this interview include Delaware's Farm to School program and the Farm to Community pilot program, the role of the Delaware Council on Farm and Food Policy, and the health, quality of life, and economic benefits associated with local food procurement partnerships. This episode was recorded on September 12, 2023, for First State Insights, a podcast presented by the Institute for Public Administration (IPA). For more First State Insights episodes, visit https://soundcloud.com/first-state-insights or search for "First State Insights" wherever you listen to podcasts. IPA is a research and public service center within the University of Delaware's Biden School of Public Policy & Administration. For more on IPA, visit www.bidenschool.udel.edu/ipa. Opening and closing music: "I Dunno" by Grapes, used under Creative Commons 3.0 License.

Jonathan Knopf, Executive Director for Programs at Housing Forward Virginia, speaks with Sean O'Neill, Policy Scientist at the University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration (IPA), about developing and leading affordable housing efforts in Virginia. This conversation covers the motivation for and history behind the founding of Housing Forward Virginia and the steps the organization has taken to address the challenge of promoting and developing affordable housing in Virginia. To learn more about Housing Forward Virginia visit https://housingforwardva.org/. Housing Forward Virginia’s 2022 housing study is available for review at https://housingforwardva.org/focused-initiatives/hb854-statewide-housing-study/. To review the FrameWorks Institute’s work on framing conversations about affordable housing, visit https://www.frameworksinstitute.org/issues/housing/. This episode was recorded on March 29, 2023, for First State Insights, a podcast presented by the Institute for Public Administration (IPA). For more First State Insights episodes, visit https://soundcloud.com/first-state-insights or search for "First State Insights" wherever you listen to podcasts. IPA is a research and public service center within the University of Delaware's Biden School of Public Policy & Administration. For more on IPA, visit https://www.bidenschool.udel.edu/ipa. Opening and closing music: "I Dunno" by Grapes, used under Creative Commons 3.0 License.

Andy Molanes, founder and CEO of Argentek, LLC, speaks with Troy Mix, Associate Director of the University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration (IPA), about his journey as an entrepreneur, including the challenges and rewards of operating an export business, the small business support services Argentek has benefited from, and the positive impacts Andy and Argentek have made and hope to make in Delaware. Founded in 2010, Argentek is a consumer electronics wholesaler that exports from its base in Wilmington, Delaware, to over 70 countries worldwide. In May 2023, the U.S. Small Business Administration recognized Argentek as Delaware’s Exporter of the Year. To learn more about Andy and Argentek, visit https://argentek.org/. This episode was recorded on May 26, 2023, as a special #FreightFriday edition of First State Insights made possible by the Delmarva Freight Working Group—an ongoing transportation planning and economic development partnership coordinated by IPA, the Delaware Department of Transportation, and Delaware's three Metropolitan Planning Organizations: the Dover/Kent County MPO, the Salisbury/Wicomico MPO, and WILMAPCO. To learn more about the Delmarva Freight Working Group, visit http://www.wilmapco.org/goodsmovement/. For more First State Insights episodes, visit https://soundcloud.com/first-state-insights or search for "First State Insights" wherever you listen to podcasts. IPA is a research and public service center within the University of Delaware's Biden School of Public Policy & Administration. For more on IPA, visit https://www.bidenschool.udel.edu/ipa. Opening and closing music: "I Dunno" by Grapes, used under Creative Commons 3.0 License.

Tim Shaffer, Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Chair of Civil Discourse at the University of Delaware’s Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration, speaks with Troy Mix, associate director at the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration, about the history, dimensions, and future of engaged universities in the United States. Topics covered in this interview include the development of the land-grant university system in the United States; the need for universities to foster democratic citizenship; and the efforts Tim and colleagues at the Biden School are leading to make students engaged and effective citizens. In March 2022, Dr. Shaffer was named the inaugural SNF Chair of Civil Discourse for the SNF Ithaca Initiative at the University of Delaware’s Biden School. In leading the Biden School’s SNF Ithaca Initiative (https://www.bidenschool.udel.edu/research-public-service/stavros-niarchos-foundation-ithaca-initiative), Shaffer guides the delivery of the SNF Ithaca Initiative’s academic curricula and experiential learning programs. Established in the fall of 2021 with a generous grant from SNF, the Biden School’s SNF Ithaca Initiative seeks to increase the quality and quantity of civil discourse and civic engagement by instilling core democratic values on UD’s campus and beyond. Shaffer is also director of Civic Engagement and Deliberative Democracy with the National Institute for Civil Discourse at the University of Arizona. As an interdisciplinary scholar and practitioner of civil discourse, deliberative democracy, and civic engagement, Shaffer focuses on the role of civic professionals in institutional settings such as government, higher education, and non-governmental organizations ((https://www.bidenschool.udel.edu/people/tshaffer). This episode was recorded on January 25, 2023, for First State Insights, a podcast presented by the Institute for Public Administration (IPA). For more First State Insights episodes, visit https://soundcloud.com/first-state-insights or search for “First State Insights” wherever you listen to podcasts. IPA is a research and public service center within the University of Delaware’s Biden School of Public Policy & Administration. For more on IPA, visit https://www.bidenschool.udel.edu/ipa. Opening and closing music: "I Dunno" by Grapes, used under Creative Commons 3.0 License.

Tim Gibbs and Dr. Omar Khan of the Delaware Academy of Medicine/Delaware Public Health Association (https://delamed.org/) speak about connections among health, housing, and place with Julia O’Hanlon and Sean O’Neill, Policy Scientists at the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration. Topics covered in this August 22, 2022 conversation include the function of housing and place as social determinants of health, the importance of collaboration among housing, medical, and planning professionals, and the focus and value of resources provided through the Delaware Journal of Public Health (https://delamed.org/initiatives/delaware-journal-of-public-health/). Mr. Gibbs is the executive director of the Delaware Academy of Medicine / Delaware Public Health Association and publisher of the Delaware Journal of Public Health. A native Delawarean, he attended Wilmington Friends School, then Earlham College. He later became certified in nonprofit management from the University of Delaware and earned a Master’s degree in Public Health from Arcadia University. Dr. Khan is co-chair of the Delaware Public Health Association Advisory Council and serves as President & CEO of the Delaware Health Sciences Alliance (DHSA), a consortium of Christiana Care Health System, Thomas Jefferson University, Nemours, and the University of Delaware. He is also a practicing physician interested in general primary care, medical education, outcomes research infrastructure, and global health. The Institute for Public Administration is a research and public service center in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration at the University of Delaware. For more information, visit https://www.bidenschool.udel.edu/ipa. Opening and closing music: "I Dunno" by Grapes, used under Creative Commons 3.0 License.

Sierra RyanWallick, a serial social entrepreneur, speaks with Troy Mix, Associate Director at the University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration, about her passion for catalyzing positive change. Topics covered in this April 11, 2022 interview include Sierra's reflections on her past, present, and future as a social entrepreneur; the origins and growth of her startup UP Cycle Design (https://www.upcycledesign.org/); and the value of personal branding. Sierra RyanWallick is the Founder of AutumnLeaf Fundraisers, a nonprofit she started at ten years old that has raised over $100,000 for charity, and the Co-Founder and CEO of UP Cycle Design. This sustainable fashion startup diverts textiles and plastic bags from landfills while raising money and awareness for community causes. She serves on the advisory board of the nonprofit Girls for Business (https://girlsforbusiness.org/). Sierra also produces a vlog channel on YouTube, where she releases two vlogs a week about her journey as a college social entrepreneur with health challenges. To track Sierra's latest projects, visit https://linktr.ee/up.cycle.design. This episode is part of the Delaware Founders' Stories series—a collection of conversations with underrepresented and underestimated entrepreneurs focused on documenting entrepreneurial journeys, recounting successes and failures, and reflecting on lessons learned for moving beyond the obstacles along the way. Listen to all episodes in the series at https://soundcloud.com/first-state-insights/sets/delaware-founders-stories. For more information about the Institute for Public Administration, visit ipa.udel.edu. Opening and closing music: "I Dunno" by Grapes, used under Creative Commons 3.0 License.

Gabby Leri, Elise Hance, and Ruth Crump speak with Julia O'Hanlon, Policy Scientist at the University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration, about their shared experiences through Lori's Hands. This May 24, 2022 interview addresses students' career interests and what they've learned by volunteering with Lori's Hands; intergenerational learning and relationship-building opportunities; and the importance of social connections while dealing with chronic illness. Established in Newark, Delaware in 2009, Lori's Hands builds mutually beneficial partnerships between community members with chronic illness and college students, fostering empathy, connection, and resilience. To learn more about the work at Lori's Hands, visit https://lorishands.org/. As a Policy Scientist at the Institute for Public Administration (IPA), Julia O'Hanlon leads research and public service programs focused on health policy, including an ongoing focus on senior center programming and aging in place (https://www.bidenschool.udel.edu/ipa/serving-delaware/health). For more information about the Institute for Public Administration, visit ipa.udel.edu. Opening and closing music: "I Dunno" by Grapes, used under Creative Commons 3.0 License.

Professors Allison Karpyn and Elizabeth Orsega-Smith speak with Julia O'Hanlon, Policy Scientist at the University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration, about the interdisciplinary partnerships supporting older Delawareans. This April 29, 2022 interview addresses the role of intergenerational programming and the need for interdisciplinary expertise in designing and evaluating programs focused on aging adults. Dr. Karpyn (https://www.cehd.udel.edu/faculty-bio/allison-karpyn/) is Co-Director of the University of Delaware at the Center for Research in Education and Social Policy (CRESP) and Associate Professor in the Department of the Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Delaware. She has published widely on program evaluation methods; topics related to hunger, obesity, school food, supermarket access, food insecurity, healthy corner stores; and, strategies to develop and maintain farmer's markets in low-income areas. Dr. Karpyn also has hands-on experience working with community-based agencies and institutions, including non-profit organizations and retailers, to implement and study-specific approaches to increase access to high-quality food in low-income communities. Dr. Orsega-Smith (https://www.udel.edu/academics/colleges/chs/departments/bhan/faculty/elizabeth-orsega-smith/) is an associate professor in the Department of Behavioral Health & Nutrition at the University of Delaware. Her research program focuses on the psychosocial determinants of health, with a specific interest in physical activity in older adults. Additionally, her service has involved intergenerational programming to connect grandchildren with their grandparents to improve both fitness and health and the relationship between the two generations. As a Policy Scientist at the Institute for Public Administration (IPA), Julia O'Hanlon leads research and public service programs focused on health policy, including an ongoing focus on senior center programming and aging in place (https://www.bidenschool.udel.edu/ipa/serving-delaware/health). For more information about the Institute for Public Administration, visit ipa.udel.edu. Opening and closing music: "I Dunno" by Grapes, used under Creative Commons 3.0 License.

Lisa St. Clair, the President and CEO of Tail Bangers, and Michelle Harris, the District Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Delaware Office, speak with Troy Mix, Associate Director at the University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration, as part of National Small Business Week. This May 2, 2022 conversation focused on the growth of Tail Bangers and the personal characteristics, business practices, and public-private partnerships that can help make business success a reality. Lisa St. Clair founded Tail Bangers in 2003, and she was named the 2022 Delaware Small Business Person of the Year. Tail Bangers is a dog treat bakery based in Millsboro, Delaware, that produces fresh, healthy dog treats made exclusively from US-sourced ingredients. Michelle Harris is the District Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration's Delaware Office, a role she assumed in February 2022. Earlier in her career, she was Regional Assistance Division Manager for the U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, an SBA Lead Business Opportunity Specialist, and Executive Director for the State of Delaware's Office of Supplier Diversity. To learn more about Tail Bangers, visit tailbangers.com. To connect with Delaware's SBA office, browse to www.sba.gov/offices/district/de/wilmington. This episode is presented as part of the Delaware Founders' Stories series—a collection of conversations with underrepresented and underestimated entrepreneurs focused on documenting entrepreneurial journeys, recounting successes and failures, and reflecting on lessons learned for moving beyond the obstacles along the way. Listen to all episodes in the series at https://soundcloud.com/first-state-insights/sets/delaware-founders-stories. For more information about the Institute for Public Administration, visit ipa.udel.edu. Opening and closing music: "I Dunno" by Grapes, used under Creative Commons 3.0 License.