This week on the Ameritocracy show, host Troy Edgar is joined in Washington, D.C. for an insightful conversation with Michael Parrish, Chief Acquisition Officer and Principal Executive Director for the Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Mike serves as a senior advisor to the Secretary and leads over 17,000 acquisition professionals, responsible for the Department’s $58 billion Supply Chain spend and over $100 billion in major programs. Mike and his team support the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States, providing care at over 1,200 healthcare facilities, to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA healthcare program.

Tune in for a deep dive into how the VA is adopting innovative procurement strategies and maintaining flexibility to respond to changing needs, artificial intelligence, and new technologies.

Follow-up links mentioned in this episode:

PathFinder, the VA's latest program, seeks your innovative solutions to make a lasting impact on Veterans, families, and caregivers. Discover more at: https://pathfinder.va.gov/

Veterans Legacy Memorial is an online memorial that honors nearly 10 million Veterans interred in VA National Cemeteries, VA grant-funded cemeteries, DoD-managed cemeteries (including Arlington National Cemetery); U.S. Park Service National Cemeteries, and thousands of private cemeteries where Veterans have received a VA-provided gravesite marker since 1996, explore more: https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/

Ameritocracy™ is produced by Prospect House Media and recorded in studio locations in Los Angeles and Washington DC.

This week, host Troy Edgar explores the life and lasting impact of J.P. Morgan, the titan of American finance.

In this episode, we trace J.P. Morgan's company transformation from a family enterprise to a global financial powerhouse. Learn how his business practices laid the groundwork for modern banking and inadvertently sparked antitrust laws such as the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Clayton Act. Join us as we examine the interplay between business, government, and public interest that is still as relevant today as it was in the Progressive Era.

Recommended reading: Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Chernow's acclaimed biography "The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance"

A great follow-up episode is E21: U.S. Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA) on Big Tech Antitrust Issues and Bipartisan Cooperation.

Ameritocracy™ is produced by Prospect House Media and recorded in studio locations in Los Angeles and Washington DC.

Sidebar Conversations is our monthly series where we dive into challenging topics, current events, explore faith, and much more. Expect fresh insights from familiar faces and new voices as we engage in candid discussions. Join us for open and honest friendship, embracing diverse perspectives.

Featured guest: Rich Pierce, a highly respected International Surfing Association (ISA) and Head Olympic judge, returns to the Olympic stage for the 2024 Tahiti Games. The veteran judge, who played a role in surfing's historic Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, shared his story and insights into the world of professional sports judging in Episode 17 of the Ameritocracy podcast.

Topics explored in this episode:

• The process of selecting judges for the Olympics

• Competitor qualifications

• The dangerous conditions and unique challenges of surfing Teahupo’o

• Wave quality and how it impacts the surfer’s score

• Impact of the Olympics on the surfing industry

Ameritocracy™ is produced by Prospect House Media and recorded in studio locations in Los Angeles and Washington D.C.

In this week's episode of Ameritocracy, host Troy Edgar spoke with Dr. John Zangardi, CEO of Redhorse. Dr. Zangardi is a U.S. Navy veteran and Washington DC technology leader who previously served as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at both the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. He has also been a mentor to Troy, and they had previously co-authored an article on the federal government's use of the Technology Modernization Fund.

The discussion centers on their shared experiences serving at the Department of Homeland Security and evaluation of the differences in organizational structure and the ease of implementing technology at DHS compared to the DOD.

Dr. Zangardi and Troy also explored the potential applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in government operations and maintenance. The conversation concludes with their thoughts on consolidating AI responsibilities within federal departments under the CIO to streamline implementation and avoid bureaucratic delays.

Article referenced in this episode: "Adopting Generative AI: Pathways for Defense" - Business Executives for National Security

Ameritocracy™ is produced by Prospect House Media and recorded in studio locations in Los Angeles and Washington D.C.

This week on Ameritocracy, Troy is joined in Washington D.C. by IBM’s Federal Cybersecurity Services Leader Alice Fakir. They talk about their roles at IBM, focusing on the intersection of supply chain and cybersecurity.

Alice discusses how AI is transforming cyber defense strategies and explains the concept and purpose of a "cyber range" and how it is used for training cybersecurity professionals.

Lastly, Alice and Troy break down the policy role of the White House and the Department of Commerce and the importance of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, better known as NIST. Alice provides a great overview of the careers available in cybersecurity and discusses the potential opportunities for our US veterans.

Ameritocracy™ is produced by Prospect House Media and recorded in studio locations in Los Angeles and Washington D.C.

Picking up from E57: "AI's Societal Shift", Troy and Barry delve deeper into AI's evolution. They explore job losses across all sectors, the ethics of AI-generated deceased loved ones, and the need for government regulation and personal adaptation to this rapidly changing technological landscape.

Sidebar Conversations is our monthly series where we dive into challenging topics, current events, explore faith, and much more. Expect fresh insights from familiar faces and new voices as we engage in candid discussions. Join us for open and honest friendship, embracing diverse perspectives.

Featured guest: Rev. Barry Richards is a dear friend and mentor. He currently serves the Pentecostal City Mission Church in Los Angeles, California.

Topics explored around Artificial Intelligence in this episode:

• Job automation

• Ethical implications

• AI regulations

• Role of government

• Digital afterlife

"The Ages of Globalization: Geography, Technology, and Institutions" by Jeffrey D. Sachs can be found here.

Articles referenced in this episode: "UK Stands to Lose 8 Million Jobs from AI.” - Bloomberg and

"AI Can Recreate Loved Ones After They Die. Is That Good or Bad?" - Wall Street Journal.

Ameritocracy™ is produced by Prospect House Media and recorded in studio locations in Los Angeles and Washington D.C.

This week, host Troy Edgar met with Mike Burkenbine, CEO of the Becket Film Fund at the Ameritocracy L.A. Studios. Mike had recently returned from the Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes in France, who had invited him to speak about film financing on the main stage. We had a great discussion about his career and the focus of Becket Film Fund.

Mike is an expert in evaluating film and TV market trends, financial projections, demographics, and marketing and distribution strategies. He has been involved in the entertainment industry since the mid 1990's when he worked at Nielsen and developed an analytics platform that enabled studios to optimize acquisitions and greenlighting of films. This tool has been adopted by most major studios including The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Entertainment, and Sony.

Now leading the Becket Film Fund, Mike explains the industry's "Triple Conundrum" that producers experience. And he emphasizes the importance of people wishing to begin a career in the film industry to understand what they can offer that the industry needs.

Ameritocracy™ is produced by Prospect House Media and recorded in studio locations in Los Angeles and Washington D.C.

This week, host Troy Edgar met with Dan Nelson, Executive Director of Tax and Customs for Hyundai at the Ameritocracy L.A. Studio.

Dan shared his perspective on current policies that are having a significant tax impact on all corporations and the effect of the OECD's new 15% minimum global corporate tax rate. OECD (Organization of Economic Cooperation & Development) is an international organization based in Paris, France and is comprised of 38 member countries, including the United States, which establishes tax rules for corporations to pay in all countries they are doing business.

Troy and Dan also discuss the loss of U.S. sovereignty over international tax cooperation and the taxation concerns of the digital economy.

Ameritocracy™ is produced by Prospect House Media and recorded in studio locations in Los Angeles and Washington D.C.