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What's Next? | Producers Picks: Todd Vaarwerk, Ben Hilligas, and Christine Carr-Barmasse

On this week’s Producers Picks, we revisit some stand out conversations from the last few episodes from our show’s prior iteration - Buffalo, What’s Next? We hear conversations from Todd Vaarwerk, the Chief Policy Officer for Western New York Independent Living, Ben Hilligas, the Executive Director for Buffalo Educational Opportunity Center, and Christine Carr-Barmasse, Executive director of Mission: Ignite.

Latest Episodes
  • Jay Moran, Thomas O'Neil-White, and Dr. Michael Niman discuss the overall goals of the project, the historical significance of the movement, and the impact the project could have through the lens of media.
  • On today's episode, we welcome back Duncan Kirkwood, a renowned national resilience trainer and the visionary behind the “Unleash Your Greatness” program, an initiative designed to empower students in Buffalo Public Schools. He’s joined by Katie Schuta, Principal of the Buffalo School of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management, where this transformative program is being piloted. Together with host Jay Moran, they delve into the profound impact of resilience training on young minds, the unique challenges facing Buffalo schools, and the broader potential of fostering resilience as a core skill in education.
  • Today, we say farewell to our friend and host Thomas O’Neil-White. For his final interview he sits with Jay Moran to discuss his time as host of What’s Next? his career as a black journalist, and his best moments from his time at WBFO.
  • On today’s show, we feature two conversations. To start, Jay Moran sits down with Beth Machnica, the Director of Health and Well-Being at Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. The two discuss the upcoming 4th annual “Food as Medicine” symposium, which aims to empower organizations and communities to promote wellness and close the disproportionate health gap in communities of color. For our second conversation, we go back to August when the “What’s Next?” crew attended the Black Business Block Party at the Exchange at Beverly Gray. The team collected interviews with various organizations in attendance and got their insight on the importance of the event.
  • We revisit two standout conversations. First Thomas O’Neil-White conversation with Buffalo’s first female historian Lindsey Lauren Visser. The two discuss the anniversary of the 19 amendment which gave women the right to vote, and the significant role Buffalo played in the suffragist movement. Then Jay Moran conversation with Licensed Master Social Worker Cheney Brockington. The two discuss generational patterns of trauma in Buffalo, along with the systemic barriers to education that results from them.
  • We continue our Project 2025 series as Jay Moran is joined by Ekua Mends-Aidoo and Kim LaVare from Clementine Gold Group. Together, they dive into a compelling discussion on the future of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the context of Project 2025. From fostering inclusive leadership to dismantling systemic barriers, the three sheds light on the role of DEI in shaping a more equitable and forward-thinking future.
  • On today’s show, we welcome Jessica Forgette, an English teacher at Niagara Falls High School. Jessica recently started the Native American Youth Club, a program meant to connect students at Niagara Falls High School to their Indigenous backgrounds by fostering an environment of education and cultural understanding. Alex Simone sat down with her to discuss the club’s mission, her journey with her own Indigenous roots, as well as dive into the world of Native American education in Western New York.
  • Today, on What’s Next? we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. First, Jay Moran speaks with Dinorah Baines from the Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY Inc. about the rich heritage of Hispanic culture in Western New York and the various celebrations happening throughout the month. Later, Jay Moran is joined by Valerie Cruz and Mykia Gibson from the Buffalo Prenatal Perinatal Network to discuss the critical work of the organization and its impact on the Hispanic community.
  • For today’s episode, we feature two conversations. To start, Jay Moran sits down with Liv Duke, the Programs & Services Coordinator at Arts Services Inc., and Tracy Synder, the Executive Director of The Theatre of Youth. The three discuss the Arts Access Initiative, a program designed to create wider access to arts and cultural events through transportation, language, and financial assistance. For our second segment, we welcome three members of the UB Center for Information Integrity. Jay Moran is joined by David Castillo, the Co-Director of the Center, along with E. Bruce Pitman and Jasmina Tacheva, who are two speakers for the center's upcoming film screening of “Coded Bias”, a film that discusses the pitfalls of generative AI.
  • For today’s episode, we feature two conversations. To start us off, we begin with the first episode of our Project 2025 series. The series aims to go in-depth as to what the impact of the Project would look like if implemented. For the first episode of the series, Thomas O’Neil-White is joined by returning guest Wil Green, the Assistant Dean of Outreach and Community Engagement at the Graduate School of Education at UB. The two discuss the potential impact of Project 2025 on education. For our second conversation, we welcome David Castillo, E. Bruce Pitman, and Jasmina Tacheva of the UB Center for Information Integrity. Jay Moran joins the three in a conversation about how misinformation and generative AI can affect access to reputable information on elections, as well as an upcoming film screening of “Coded Bias”, a film that discusses how certain facial recognition programs are not programmed to analyze dark-skinned faces accurately.