Episode Description

In Part 1 of our conversation, we sit down with Dr. Kate Smith, President of Rio Salado College, to explore how culture, empathy, and innovation shape sustainable leadership in higher education.

Kate shares her personal leadership journey—from completing an Ironman to stepping into the presidency at a pivotal moment—and reflects on what it takes to intentionally steward culture over time. We discuss Rio Salado’s long-standing commitment to innovation, the Four Practices of Engagement (mindfulness, empathy, happiness, and resilience), and how those practices helped guide the institution through periods of rapid change.

This episode offers a masterclass in values-driven leadership, showing how culture doesn’t happen by accident—it happens through daily, intentional choices.

Key Topics / Show Notes

• Kate Smith’s leadership journey and Ironman story
• Stepping into the presidency during a moment of change
• Why culture must be intentionally shaped by leaders
• Rio Salado’s history of innovation and continuous improvement
• The Four Practices of Engagement:
• • Mindfulness
  • Empathy
  • Happiness
  • Resilience
• Building connection and belonging in a distributed, online institution
• All-employee engagement during COVID
• Launching Rio Salado’s first Alumni Hall of Fame
• Empowering students as partners in innovation
• Learning from other industries to fuel higher-ed innovation
• Creating space for experimentation and “productive messiness”

Reflection Question

Where in your leadership are you letting culture happen instead of intentionally shaping it?

Episode Description:
In the final episode of this series, Dr. Tom Lombardo challenges us to see the future as a shared act of creation. Wisdom, agency, and responsibility—at both individual and collective levels—are essential to shaping what comes next.

Key Topics:
- The future as participatory, not predetermined
- Wisdom as future-directed action
- Individual and collective agency
- Nurturing the future through conscious choice

Find Dr. Lombardo's work on his website at: https://centerforfutureconsciousness.com/

Episode Description:
In part two, Dr. Tom Lombardo explores science fiction as more than entertainment—it is the evolutionary mythology of the future. This conversation examines how stories shape our imagination, reflect cultural values, and expand our understanding of what humanity could become.

Key Topics:
- Science fiction as modern mythology
- Stories as tools for ethical and future thinking
- Cultural reflection through science fiction
- Utopian and dystopian visions

Find Dr. Lombardo's work on his website at: https://centerforfutureconsciousness.com/