The BLT and Tea Podcast

Episode 7 - Nicole Dessain - Design Thinking and Humanity

On Episode 7 of the BLT and Tea podcast Sandee is joined by Nicole Dessain. Nicole is the CEO talentimperative.com and President of DisruptHRChi. Nicole is a former head of talent strategies and Top 5 management consulting firm executive with a rich history of bringing creative solutions and an entrepreneurial approach to elevating companies’ talent practices. Some of the amazing companies that Nicole has worked with range from giants like Accenture, Cisco, Comcast, Mercedes-Benz, BASF, UNIQLO and Walgreens to small but mighty organizations like Grubhub, Arity (an Allstate tech spin off), IDEO, DisruptHR, Farmer's Fridge, i.c.stars and NBA’s Orlando Magic.

Episode 6 - Michael Rabbitt - "Balance"

On Episode 6 of the BLT and Tea podcast Sandee is joined by Michael Rabbitt. Michael is Head of Business Transformation at Argonne National Laboratory. Also joining Michael is Diana Olariu from Cycle 41 (icstars Chicago). Michael collaborates with Argonne’s division leadership, laboratory operations, enterprise architecture, and other strategic offices to deliver process excellence, technology, and organizational change management initiatives. As a Six Sigma Black Belt, he also established and co-leads Argonne’s Lean Six Sigma Community of Practice. He has over 30 years of experience in business operations and IT, including process improvement, project management, business analysis, and client services. Michael formerly worked at Continental Insurance, CNA Insurance, and Sedgwick. Michael’s civic, community engagement and organizing work includes several non-profit organizations. He is the co-founder of an affordable housing advocacy organization in Chicago, Neighbors for Affordable Housing, as well as the NWS Coalition Against Racism & Hate. He is an anti-racism workshop facilitator with Showing Up for Racial Justice (and previously for the Archdiocese of Chicago), in addition to leading and participating in various social justice initiatives. He is a graduate of Bradley University, and holds an MBA from DePaul University. Michael is a native of St. Louis and currently lives in Chicago.

Episode 5 - Roger Crockett - "Leadership, Diversity and Innovation"

On Episode 5 of the BLT and Tea podcast Sandee is joined by Roger Crockett. Roger Crockett is a thought leadership advisor, veteran writer, and a speaker on business leadership and diversity. He is the former Chicago Deputy Bureau Chief for BusinessWeek magazine and a contributor to Harvard Business Review online and currently serves as Senior Partner with Inquest Consulting. Roger is accompanied by his tea host for the day Elisha Brown who is part of Cycle 41. Tune in to hear Roger share his “High Tea” experience with Cycle 41.

Episode 4 - Chris Comerford - "Stellar Data"

On this episode of the BLT and Tea podcast Sandee is joined by Chris Comerford. Chris is the Vice President, and Chief Information Officer at the Adler Planetarium. He has spent the last 20 years in information technology, and has found that his passion lies in furthering learning, supporting research, and inspiring exploration, whether to help people find new careers or get started on their first discoveries. Chris also deeply believes in the importance of fostering leadership in technology, especially in a rapidly changing the landscape where the capability for agility, business acumen, communication, and curiosity meet or exceed that for technical knowledge.

Episode 3 - Karen Gordon - "Innovation, Mentorship and Passion"

On episode three of the BLT and Tea podcast Sandee is joined by a long time friend, icstars volunteer, and mentor, Karen Gordon. Karen is a business designer who enables others to innovate and create new economic value. Karen has developed a broad set of innovation skills and mindset from Fortune 100, startup and not-for-profit career experiences.